The Boer War was the first event to, in reality, launch the French Canadian Nationalist Movement because Quebec was inherently against fighting a war for England. Troops were sent a Quebec politician, Henri Bourassa, who had to forfeit his seat in parliament. Prime Minister Wilfred Laurier, who was also Quebecois, had a duty to appease the overwhelming desire of the English-speaking majority, and therefore was forced to go against his own anti-war sentiments by sending soldiers to South Africa. Laurier thought the Dutch farmers were not an impeding threat to Britain and therefore support from the colonies was not essential.

Despite opposition from Laurier and his native province, Canadians did go to war. The first troop of 1,039 soldiers arrived at the Cape of Good Hope on November 29, 1899. The soldiers were paid their first wages before departure and went wild spending money like they were millionaires—drinking champagne and relaxing in expensiv

The Canadian public was again divided on the issue of responsibility to Great Britain. The English provinces agreed that Canada had a duty to help the British navy resist threats to its superiority. At the same time, English Canadians believed that if dominions were expected to increase their contributions to Imperial defense in the interests of a common Imperial military system, then it followed that Canada should have a voice in that Imperial policy. French Canadians continued to believe that the best way to assist the Empire was to reduce its external liabilities, and therefore that the physical defense of Canada should be the focus. As tensions increased in Europe, the opposition, mobilized by the known imperialist Sir George Foster, advocated support for the Royal Navy. Laurier, feeling the pressure in the House of Commons, introduced another of his famous compromises - on January 12, 1910, the Naval Service Bill was put into place.. The Bill made provision for a small Canadian fleet that could be placed in Imperial command if deemed necessary by the Governor in Council. In Laurier’s eyes, it was an satisfactory reflection of Canadian Imperial relations as it "asserted a Canadian autonomy that was neither colonial subordination nor national independence."

While the members of the panel were supposed to be 'neutral,' those chosen by the US were obviously biased in their opinions.

The Bill was met by opposition from both English imperialists and French nationalists. The former, finding voice in Robert Borden, denounced it as a treasonable act to offer such a "tin pot navy" and demanded the direct contribution of either two dreadnoughts, or the capital to create the two ships. The latter, led again by

Some topics in this essay:
Boer War, Theodore Roosevelt, Hope November, Robert Borden, Canadian Imperial, Laurier Dutch, French Canadians, English Canadians, Lord Alverstone, Britain Canada, boer war, naval service, alaska boundary, boundary dispute, alaska boundary dispute, naval service bill, service bill, bill alaska boundary, bill alaska, wilfred laurier, lynn canal, relations laurier, service bill alaska, war naval, war naval service,