The Unionist Party was formed in 1917 by Members of Parliament (MPs) in Canada who supported the "Union government" formed by Sir Robert Borden during World War I. 1917 was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters of an electoral district to a parliament; in the Westminster system, specifically to the lower house. ... Not to be confused with his cousin Frederick Borden, Canadian Minister of Militia and Defence from 1896-1911. ... World War I was primarily a European conflict with many facets: immense human sacrifice, stalemate trench warfare, and the use of new, devastating weapons - tanks, aircraft, machineguns, and poison gas. ...

In May 1917, Conservative Prime Minister Borden proposed the formation of a national unity government or coalition government to Liberal leader Sir Wilfrid Laurier in order to enact conscription, and to govern for the remainder of the war. Laurier rejected this proposal because of the opposition of his Quebec MPs, and fears that Quebec nationalist leader Henri Bourassa would be able to exploit the situation. The name which emphasised a revitalised National Policy and links to Britain. ... The Prime Minister of Canada, the head of the Canadian government, is usually the leader of the political party with the most seats in the Canadian House of Commons. ... National Governments or National Unity Governments are broad coalition governments consisting of all parties (or all major parties) in the legislature and are often formed during times of war or national emergency. ... A coalition government, or coalition cabinet, is a cabinet in parliamentary government in which several parties cooperate. ... The Liberal Party of Canada (French: Parti libéral du Canada) is Canadas current governing political party. ... Laurier re-directs here. ... Beginning in 1963, a terrorist group that became known as the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) launched a decade of bombings, robberies and attacks on government offices and at least two murders by FLQ gunfire and three violent deaths by bombings. ... Henri Bourassa Joseph-Napoléon-Henri Bourassa (September 1, 1868- August 30, 1952) was a French Canadian political leader and publisher. ...

As an alternative to a coalition with Laurier, on October 12, 1917, Borden formed the Union government with a Cabinet of 12 Conservatives, 9 Liberals and Independents and 1 "Labour" MP. To represent "labour" and the working class, Borden appointed to the Cabinet Conservative Senator Gideon Decker Robertson who had been appointed to the Senate in January and had links with the conservative wing of the labour movement through his profession as a telegrapher. Robertson, however, was a Tory and not a member of any Labour or socialist party. October 12 is the 285th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (286th in leap years). ... A Cabinet is a body of high-ranking members of government, typically representing the executive branch. ... The term working class is used to denote a social class. ... The Senate (French: Sénat) is a component of the Parliament of Canada, which also includes the Sovereign (represented by the Governor General) and the House of Commons. ... Gideon Decker Robertson (August 26, 1874 - August 5, 1933) was a Canadian Senator and Canadian Cabinet minister. ... The labour movement (or labor movement) is a broad term for the development of a collective organization of working people, to campaign in their own interest for better treatment from their employers and political governments. ... There have been various groups in Canada who have nominated candidates under the label Labour Party or Independent Labour Party or other variations from the 1870s until the 1960s. ...

Borden then called an election for December 1917 on the issue of conscription (see also Conscription Crisis of 1917), running as head of the "Unionist Party" composed of Borden's Conservatives, independent MPs, and members of the Liberals who left the caucus of Sir Wilfrid Laurier in order to support conscription. The 1917 Canadian federal election was held on December 17, 1917. ... The Conscription Crisis of 1917 was a political and military crisis in Canada during World War I. Background At the outbreak of war in 1914, over 30 000 volunteers joined the army, far more than expected. ... The Conservative Party of Canada (French: Parti conservateur du Canada) is a right wing political party in Canada, formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in December 2003. ... The Liberal Party of Canada (French: Parti libéral du Canada) is Canadas current governing political party. ... Laurier re-directs here. ...

Supporters of the Borden government ran for parliament as "Unionists", while some of the Liberals running as government supporters preferred to call themselves "Liberal-Unionist". The House of Commons (French: Chambre des communes) is a component of the Parliament of Canada, which also includes the Sovereign (represented by the Governor General) and the Senate. ...

This tactic split the Liberal Party: those who did not join the Unionist Party ran as Laurier Liberals. The election resulted in a landslide election victory for Borden. Prior to the 1917 federal election in Canada, the Liberal Party of Canada split into two factions: the Laurier Liberals, who opposed conscription of soldiers to support Canadas involvement in World War I and who were led by former Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier; and the Liberal Unionists who...

Borden attempted to continue the Unionist Party after the war and when Arthur Meighen succeeded him in 1920, he renamed it the "National Liberal and Conservative Party" in the hope of making the coalition permanent. The Unionists had never been officially a single party, and therefore lacked the structure of an official party. Meighen hoped to change this. The Right Honourable Senator Arthur Meighen, PC , BA (June 16, 1874 – August 5, 1960) was the ninth Prime Minister of Canada from July 10, 1920, to December 29, 1921, and June 29 to September 25, 1926. ...

In the 1921 general election, most of the Liberal-Unionist MPs did not join this party, and ran as Liberals under the leadership of its new leader, William Lyon Mackenzie King. Only a handful ran again as Liberal-Unionists or joined Meighen's renamed party. Prominent Liberal Unionists who stayed with the Conservatives include Hugh Guthrie and Robert Manion. In the 1921 Canadian federal election, the Canada through the First World War was defeated and replaced by a Liberal government under the young leader William Lyon Mackenzie King. ... The Right Honourable William Lyon Mackenzie King, PC , LL.B , Ph. ... Hugh Guthrie (1866-1939) was a Canadian politician and Cabinet minister in the governments of Sir Robert Borden, Arthur Meighen and R. B. Bennett. ... Robert James Manion (November 19, 1881 Pembroke, Ontario - July 2, 1943 Ottawa, Ontario) was a physician and Canadian politician. ...

Following the defeat of Meighen's government, the "National Liberal and Conservative Party" changed its name to the "Liberal-Conservative Party of Canada", although it was commonly known as the "Conservative Party".

During World War II, the Conservatives, now in opposition, attempted to oppose the Liberal government of William Lyon Mackenzie King in the 1940 election by proposing a "national government" along the lines of the previous war's Unionist government. Accordingly, they ran in the election under the name National Government party but did not repeat the success of the previous Unionist party and failed to make a dent in King's governing majority. World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrinations, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons like the atom bomb World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a mid-20th-century conflict that engulfed much of the globe... Parliamentary Opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. ... The Right Honourable William Lyon Mackenzie King, PC , LL.B , Ph. ... The 1940 Canadian federal election was the 19th General Election in Canadian history. ... National Government was the name used by the Conservative Party of Canada for the 1940 federal election under leader Robert Manion. ...

See also

• Conservative Party of Canada (historical)
• Laurier Liberals
• List of political parties in Canada