Louis St. Laurent

Louis St. Laurent was Canada’s 12th prime minister, serving from 1948 to 1957. A lawyer and Liberal politician, he led Canada through postwar expansion and the early Cold War.

Trans-Canada Highway: A national highway linking Canada’s Atlantic and Pacific regions, authorized by federal legislation in 1949. St. Laurent’s government initiated the federal-provincial project that built this cross-country route.
Canadian federalism: The division of governmental authority between Canada’s federal government and its provinces. Federal-provincial bargaining shaped major projects and social programs under St. Laurent.
William Lyon Mackenzie King: Canada’s 10th prime minister and longtime Liberal leader, who served from 1935 to 1948. King recruited St. Laurent into federal politics and selected him as his successor as Liberal leader.
Université Laval: A French-language university in Quebec City, founded in 1852. St. Laurent studied and taught law there before entering federal politics.
St. Lawrence Seaway: A system of canals and locks that enables ocean-going ships to travel between the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes. His government secured Canadian participation in the binational project, opened in 1959.
Canadian parliamentary system: Canada’s system of government, in which the executive is drawn from and accountable to the elected House of Commons. St. Laurent governed through cabinet and parliamentary confidence, rather than a separately elected executive.
John Diefenbaker: Canada’s 13th prime minister, who led the Progressive Conservatives to victory over St. Laurent in 1957. Diefenbaker’s electoral victory ended St. Laurent’s government and began a new Conservative administration.
Quebec Liberal Party: A provincial political party that has governed Quebec for much of its modern history. St. Laurent’s political roots and early public standing were in Quebec Liberal circles.
Canadian Bill of Rights: A federal statute enacted in 1960 that recognized specified rights and freedoms in Canada. St. Laurent’s government commissioned the study that led John Diefenbaker’s government to enact it.
Cabinet of Canada: The senior executive body of Canadian ministers, led by the prime minister and responsible for government policy. St. Laurent relied on cabinet government to coordinate an expanding federal administration.

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