What did louis saint laurent do for canada

Louis st-laurent accomplishments as prime minister

He grew up fluently bilingual. He was educated at St. In he was appointed professor of law at Laval University. In he was asked by Prime Minister W. Mackenzie King to enter public life. As a member of the Liberal Party, Saint Laurent was elected to the Canadian House of Commons from Quebec East in and was reelected in all subsequent elections until his retirement.

King appointed him minister of justice and attorney general and later secretary of state for external affairs acting in , regular He was persuaded to accept the leadership of the Liberal Party in and succeeded King as prime minister. He endeavoured to unify and develop the country by equalizing provincial revenues, by expanding social security and university education, and by establishing a council for promoting arts and letters.

He led his party to great victories in the general elections of and , but the Liberals were narrowly defeated in Although personally reelected, he announced his retirement and was succeeded in as the leader of the opposition by Lester B. He withdrew from public life in and resumed his law practice.

What was louis st-laurent known for

Laurent died on July 25, , in Quebec city. He was a Liberal with a strong base in the Catholic francophone community, from which base he had long mobilised support to Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King. His foreign policy initiatives transformed Canada from an isolationist ex-colony with little role in world affairs to an active "middle power".

Laurent was an enthusiastic proponent of Canada's joining NATO in to fight Communist totalitarianism, overcoming opposition from some intellectuals, the Labor-Progressive Party, and many French Canadians. St-Laurent's government was modestly progressive, fiscally conservative and run with business-like efficiency.