Arthur Gilbert (January 1, 1879 – July 1, 1932) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

politician, farmer and merchant in

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, Canada. Gilbert was elected to the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The House of Common ...

as a

Nationalist Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...

in a 1910 by-election.

Election victory

Gilbert's surprise victory in what had been a safe

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

riding, occurred as a result of his opposition to the

Laurier Sir Henri Charles Wilfrid Laurier, ( ; ; November 20, 1841 – February 17, 1919) was a Canadian lawyer, statesman, and politician who served as the seventh prime minister of Canada from 1896 to 1911. The first French Canadian prime minist ...

government's ''

Naval Service Act The ''Naval Service Act'' was a statute of the Parliament of Canada, enacted in 1910. The Act was put forward by the Liberal government of Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier to establish a Canadian navy. Prior to the passage of the Act, Canada ...

''. The Act was seen by Quebec nationalists, such as Henri Bourassa, as a sign of Laurier's support for British imperialism and, in particular, that Canada would send troops to support Britain in a future European war. Gilbert's by-election victory in

Drummond—Arthabaska Drummond—Arthabaska was a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1968. It was created by the ''British North America Act'', 1867. It was amalgamated into the Richmond, ...

, a riding once held by Laurier himself, was interpreted as a sign that the once solid support for Laurier's Liberals in Quebec was eroding, a trend that would contribute to Laurier's defeat at the hands of Robert Borden's Conservatives in the 1911 federal election. Gilbert's victory also indicated a growing nationalist mood in Quebec, which would later erupt in the

Conscription Crisis of 1917 The Conscription Crisis of 1917 (french: Crise de la conscription de 1917) was a political and military crisis in Canada during World War I. It was mainly caused by disagreement on whether men should be conscripted to fight in the war, but also b ...

. Gilbert's political career was short-lived, however. He sat in parliament for less than a year before losing his seat in the 1911 election to Liberal

Joseph Ovide Brouillard Joseph Ovide Brouillard (January 17, 1859 March 3, 1940) was a Canadian politician and businessman. He was elected to the House of Commons of Canada as a Member of the Liberal Party in the 1911 election to represent the riding of Drummond— ...

References

External links

* 1879 births 1932 deaths Nationalist MPs Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Quebec {{Quebec-MP-stub