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118-624: The report was ordered by William Lyon Mackenzie King at the end of the Second World War and was used as the model for the development of the National Capital Region for more than 50 years. Parts of Gréber’s Plan were made into reality, and have since contributed to some of Ottawa’s most iconic areas: the landscaping and plaza surrounding the National War Memorial , the design of Major's Hill Park and Confederation Park , and

236-531: A rump of 40; this was the largest majority government at the time. For the first time in his political career, King led an undisputed Liberal majority government. Upon his return to office in October 1935, he seemed to demonstrate a commitment (like Franklin Roosevelt ) to the underprivileged, speaking of a new era where "poverty and adversity, want and misery are the enemies which liberalism will seek to banish from

354-581: A " Red Tory ", dating back from his university days when he was a member of the Progressive Conservatives. In 1997, Watson sought election as Mayor of Ottawa , winning 83 per cent of the popular vote to become Ottawa's youngest-ever mayor at age 36. During his term as mayor, Watson's emphasis centred on ensuring that the City adopt sustainable fiscal management policies which would enable overall operating costs to go down while reducing budget deficits and

472-676: A Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications from the Faculty of Public Affairs. He first got involved in the political sphere during his second year of studies in 1982, when he served as the President of the Rideau River Residence Association (RRRA). Watson began his career working in journalism for a few local newspapers, and later entered the federal public service, where he rose to the position of Director of Communications for

590-710: A French town planner, to act as an advisor for planning in Ottawa . A couple of years later, in 1938, Gréber was commissioned by Mackenzie King and the Federal District Commission to develop a vision and urban plan for the National Capital Region . However, war broke out before much could be achieved beyond the construction of the National War Memorial . Following the War, the report was again ordered by Mackenzie King in 1946. As Gréber never actually came to Ottawa at

708-466: A century of federal planning that repositioned Ottawa as a national space in the City Beautiful style. Confederation Square , for example, was initially planned to be a civic plaza to balance the nearby federal presence of Parliament Hill and was turned into a war memorial. The Great War monument was not installed until the 1939 royal visit, and King intended that the replanning of the capital would be

826-587: A component of his broader program of social reform. He drew on four broad traditions in early North American planning: social planning, the Parks Movement, the City Scientific, and the City Beautiful . King's greatest impact was as the political champion for the planning and development of Ottawa, Canada's national capital. His plans, much of which were completed in the two decades after his death, were part of

944-569: A dominion with responsible government to an autonomous nation within the British Commonwealth . King asserted Canadian autonomy against the British government's attempts to turn the Commonwealth into an alliance. His biographer asserts that "in this struggle Mackenzie King was the constant aggressor". The Canadian High Commissioner to Britain, Vincent Massey , claimed that an "anti-British bias"

1062-422: A global pandemic (COVID-19), and the 2022 Freedom Convoy . On March 20, 2021, Watson became Ottawa's longest serving mayor, passing J.E. Stanley Lewis ' previous record. On December 10, 2021, Watson announced he would not be running for re-election in the upcoming 2022 Ottawa municipal election . On Sunday, February 6, 2022, Watson proclaimed a state of emergency to handle a 10-day blockade as part of

1180-479: A major role in laying the foundations of the Canadian welfare state and establishing Canada's international position as a middle power . With a total of 21 years and 154 days in office, he remains the longest-serving prime minister in Canadian history . King studied law and political economy in the 1890s and later obtained a PhD – the only Canadian prime minister to have done so. In 1900, he became deputy minister of

1298-521: A majority. After his loss, King stayed on as leader of the Liberals, becoming the leader of the Opposition for the second time. King began his years as Opposition leader convinced that his government did not deserve defeat and that his government's financial caution helped the economy prosper. He blamed the financial crisis on the speculative excesses of businessmen and on the weather cycle. King argued that

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1416-456: A measure was introduced and passed "restoring the Crow's Nest Pass railways rates on grain and flour moving eastwards from the prairie provinces." A Farm Loan Board was set up to provide rural credit; advancing funds to farmers "at rates of interest and under terms not obtainable from the usual sources," while other measures were carried out such as preventative measures against foot and mouth disease and

1534-581: A narrow majority of 118 out of 235 seats. The Conservatives won 50, the newly formed Progressive Party won 58 (but declined to form the official Opposition), and the remaining ten seats went to Labour MPs and Independents; most of these ten supported the Progressives. King became prime minister. As prime minister of Canada, King was appointed to the Privy Council of the United Kingdom on 20 June 1922 and

1652-464: A new precedent for the role of British Dominions . King expanded the Department of External Affairs , founded in 1909, to further promote Canadian autonomy from Britain. The new department took some time to develop, but over time it significantly increased the reach and projection of Canadian diplomacy. Prior to this, Canada had relied on British diplomats who owed their first loyalty to London. After

1770-522: A post-war election , in which the Liberals lost their majority government . In his final years in office, King and his government partnered Canada with other Western nations to take part in the deepening Cold War , introduced Canadian citizenship , and successfully negotiated Newfoundland 's entry into Confederation . After leading his party for 29 years, and leading the country for 21 + 1 ⁄ 2 years, King retired from politics in late 1948. He died of pneumonia in mid-1950. King's personality

1888-494: A record $ 80M since 2014 for cycling and pedestrian structures. City council unanimously approved downtown Ottawa's second segregated bike lane in 2015 and built the 2.5-kilometre north-south cycling spine between Parliament Hill and Lansdowne Park on O’Connor Street. In addition, the NCC worked alongside Watson, as well as Nathalie Des Rosiers and Elizabeth Moore Aubin , to open another segregated cycling lane on Mackenzie Avenue, creating

2006-513: A safer environment for cyclists in the Ottawa region. Watson played a key role in the opening of the Innovation Centre at Bayview Yards, the new home for Invest Ottawa and an entrepreneurial hub for the Ottawa region. It is expected to engage over 1200 businesses within the city, assisting them to grow and develop their products, as well as create over 280 jobs within the capital region. Watson and

2124-449: A site for the new Parliament Buildings was selected on what was then Barracks Hill (later Parliament Hill ), little formal planning was undertaken for the rest of the city. The city was lacking in utilities common to other cities in the era. There were no paved streets, sewers, gaslights or piped water supply. In 1893, Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier promised "to make the city of Ottawa as attractive as possibly could be; to make it

2242-480: A skating party when a young woman fell through the ice of the partly frozen Ottawa River . Harper dove into the water to try to save her, and perished in the attempt. King led the effort to raise a memorial to Harper, which resulted in the erection of the Sir Galahad statue on Parliament Hill in 1905. In 1906, King published a memoir of Harper, entitled The Secret of Heroism . While deputy minister of labour, King

2360-472: A teaching position at the university but earned political credit with Mulock, the man who would invite him to Ottawa and make him a deputy minister only five years later. While studying at the University of Toronto, King also contributed to the campus newspaper, The Varsity , and served as president of the yearbook committee in 1896. King subsequently wrote for The Globe , The Mail and Empire , and

2478-469: Is part of a vision for the revitalization of the downtown core in Ottawa. The project includes environmentally-controlled exhibition and curatorial spaces, event and education facilities, a café and a gift shop. As Canada celebrated its 150th year since Confederation , the City of Ottawa created a group in charge of putting together a full year of activities and events. The Ottawa 2017 Bureau, under Guy Laflamme,

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2596-547: The Chinese Immigration Act, 1923 banning most forms of Chinese immigration to Canada. Immigration from most countries was controlled or restricted in some way, but only the Chinese were completely prohibited from immigrating. This was after various members of the federal and some provincial governments (especially British Columbia ) put pressure on the federal government to discourage Chinese immigration. Also in 1923,

2714-631: The 1911 general election , which saw the Conservatives defeat the Liberals and form government. After his defeat, King went on the lecture circuit on behalf of the Liberal Party. In June 1914 John D. Rockefeller Jr. hired him at the Rockefeller Foundation in New York City, to head its new Department of Industrial Research. It paid $ 12,000 per year, compared to the meagre $ 2,500 per year

2832-749: The Great Depression led to a defeat at the polls in 1930 . The Conservative government's response to the depression was unpopular and King returned to power in a landslide victory in the 1935 election . Soon after, the economy was on an upswing. King negotiated the 1935 Reciprocal Trade Agreement with the United States, passed the 1938 National Housing Act to improve housing affordability, introduced unemployment insurance in 1940, and in 1944, introduced family allowances – Canada's first universal welfare program . The government also established Trans-Canada Air Lines (the precursor to Air Canada ) and

2950-568: The Halibut Treaty with the United States without British interference. In the 1925 election , the Conservatives won a plurality of seats, but the Liberals negotiated support from the Progressive Party and stayed in office as a minority government . In 1926, facing a Commons vote that could force his government to resign, King asked Governor General Lord Byng to dissolve parliament and call an election. Byng refused and instead invited

3068-587: The Irish Free State , while still autonomous communities within the British Empire , ceased to be subordinate to the United Kingdom. Thus, the governor general ceased to represent the British government and was solely the personal representative of the sovereign while becoming a representative of The Crown . This ultimately was formalized in the Statute of Westminster 1931 . On September 14, King and his party won

3186-579: The Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 2003 to 2010. He served in the Cabinet of Premier Dalton McGuinty in the portfolios of Consumer and Business Services (2003–2005), Health Promotion (2005–2007), and Municipal Affairs and Housing (2007–2010). He resigned in January 2010 to run for mayor in the 2010 Ottawa municipal election . He was re-elected mayor in 2014 and in 2018. On March 20, 2021, Watson became

3304-641: The National Film Board . King's government deployed Canadian troops days after the Second World War broke out . The Liberals' overwhelming triumph in the 1940 election allowed King to continue leading Canada through the war. He mobilized Canadian money, supplies, and volunteers to support Britain while boosting the economy and maintaining morale on the home front. To satisfy French Canadians , King delayed introducing overseas conscription until late 1944. The Allies ' victory in 1945 allowed King to call

3422-846: The Riverside Hospital , the National Arts Centre , the Central Canada Exhibition Association , the Christmas Exchange of Ottawa and the Forum for Young Canadians. He served as chair of the United Way 's 2002 campaign, which raised a record $ 21 million. In the 2003 provincial election , Watson defeated Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario incumbent Garry Guzzo to become the Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for

3540-594: The Speaker of the House of Commons . Watson first entered public office in 1991 when he was elected to pre-amalgamation Ottawa's City Council as councillor for Capital Ward . He was subsequently re-elected to Council in 1994. In 1992 Watson championed a roll-back of salaries and operating costs at the city level. His first direct action against excessive city spending was his unilateral decision to donate his yearly 2% salary increase, totalling $ 700, to charity. In addition, as part of

3658-590: The Toronto News . Fellow journalist W. A. Hewitt recalled that, the city editor of the Toronto News left him in charge one afternoon with instructions to fire King if he showed up. When Hewitt sat at the editor's desk, King showed up a few minutes later and resigned before Hewitt could tell him he was fired. After studying at the University of Chicago and working with Jane Addams at her settlement house, Hull House , King proceeded to Harvard University . While at

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3776-453: The Bennett government's budget deficits as irresponsible, though didn't suggest his own idea of how budgets could be balanced . King also denounced the "blank cheques" parliament was asked to approve for relief and delayed the passage of these bills despite the objections of some Liberals who feared the public might conclude that the Liberals had no sympathy for those struggling. Each year, after

3894-448: The Canadian government's new Department of Labour. He entered the House of Commons in 1908 before becoming the federal minister of labour in 1909 under Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier . After losing his seat in the 1911 federal election , King worked for the Rockefeller Foundation before briefly working as an industrial consultant. Following the death of Laurier in 1919, King acceded to

4012-516: The Chaudiere Islands to their primitive beauty and wildness, is perhaps the theme of greatest importance, from the aesthetic point of view-the theme that will appeal, not only to local citizens, but to all Canadians who take pride in their country and its institutions." In February 2019, Ottawa mayor Jim Watson began the process to develop a modern version of the Gréber Plan, a 25-year plan for

4130-647: The City of Ottawa have been working in conjunction to reduce the impact of sewage overflows and storm water on the Ottawa River . The Ottawa River Action Plan (ORAP) is made up of 17 individual projects which aim to enhance the health of the Ottawa River and to protect Ottawa's water environment. Watson supported the arts community towards redeveloping the Arts Court and expanding the Ottawa Art Gallery . The project

4248-641: The Conservative government have its way. Though he gave the impression of sympathy with progressive and liberal causes, he had no enthusiasm for the New Deal of American President Franklin D. Roosevelt (which Bennett eventually tried to emulate, after floundering without solutions for several years), and he never advocated massive government action to alleviate the Depression in Canada. As Opposition leader, King denounced

4366-475: The Conservative rivals. When Laurier died in 1919, King was elected leader in the first Liberal leadership convention , defeating his three rivals on the fourth ballot. He won thanks to the support of the Quebec bloc, organized by Ernest Lapointe (1876–1941), later King's long-time lieutenant in Quebec. King could not speak French, but in election after election for the next 20 years (save for 1930), Lapointe produced

4484-467: The Conservatives held more seats in the House than any other party, they did not control a majority. They were soon themselves defeated on a motion of non-confidence on July 2. Meighen himself then requested a dissolution of Parliament, which Byng now granted. King ran the 1926 Liberal election campaign largely on the issue of the right of Canadians to govern themselves and against the interference of

4602-553: The Conservatives to form government, who briefly held office but lost a motion of no confidence . This sequence of events triggered a major constitutional crisis , the King–Byng affair . King and the Liberals decisively won the resulting election . After, King sought to make Canada's foreign policy more independent by expanding the Department of External Affairs while recruiting more Canadian diplomats. His government also introduced old-age pensions based on need. King's slow reaction to

4720-583: The Crown. The Liberal Party was returned to power with a minority government , which bolstered King's position on the issue and the position of the Prime Minister generally. King later pushed for greater Canadian autonomy at the 1926 Imperial Conference which elicited the Balfour Declaration stating that upon the granting of dominion status, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland , South Africa, and

4838-499: The King–Byng episode, King recruited many high-calibre people for the new venture, including future prime minister Lester Pearson and influential career administrators Norman Robertson and Hume Wrong . This project was a key element of his overall strategy, setting Canada on a course independent of Britain, of former colonizer France , as well as of the neighbouring powerful United States. Throughout his tenure, King led Canada from

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4956-640: The Liberal Party was paying. He worked for the Foundation until 1918, forming a close working association and friendship with Rockefeller, advising him through the turbulent period of the 1913–1914 Strike and Ludlow Massacre –in what is known as the Colorado Coalfield War –at a family-owned coal company in Colorado , which subsequently set the stage for a new era in labour management in America. King became one of

5074-547: The North Pacific Ocean . In 1923, King's government negotiated the Halibut Treaty with the United States. The treaty annually prohibited commercial fishing from November 16 to February 15; violation would result in seizure. The agreement was notable in which Canada negotiated it without a British delegate at the table and without ratification from the British Parliament ; though not official, convention stated that

5192-455: The OAAP is to provide funding to individual athletes based on their demonstrated commitment to high performance sport, allowing them to pursue athletic excellence at the highest levels of national and international competition. After the 2007 election , Watson became Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing . During his tenure as Queen's Park's official liaison with Ontario's municipalities, Watson

5310-732: The Ontario Disability Support Program, court services, and property tax assessment. In addition, Watson signed the Federal-Provincial Housing Agreement in 2008, the largest housing agreement of its kind to date. On January 12, 2010, Watson resigned from cabinet in order to run for mayor of Ottawa in the 2010 Ottawa municipal election . Watson won the election with almost 50% of the vote. Upon taking office, Watson froze his own salary and cut his office budget by 10%. As mayor, he committed to limit tax increases to no more than 2.5%, and did so, bringing in

5428-506: The Ottawa City Council also invested $ 340 million in infrastructure renewal projects such as roads, sidewalks, pathways and sewers and record amount in cycling initiatives. Watson helped advance two major city-building projects that had stalled for a number of years: the revitalization of Lansdowne Park and the introduction of light rail transit. In October 2012, the city council approved the final Lansdowne Park plan, an agreement with

5546-547: The Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group that saw the existing stadium significantly renovated, increased green space, and housing and retail added to the site. In December 2012, City Council voted unanimously to move forward with the Confederation Line , a 12.5 km light rail transit line from Tunney's Pasture in the west to Blair in the east, to be fully operational by 2018. Watson also helped create Invest Ottawa,

5664-593: The Ottawa West-Nepean riding and was appointed by Premier of Ontario Dalton McGuinty as Minister of Consumer and Business Services on October 23, 2003. He became Ontario's first Minister of Health Promotion on June 29, 2005. Watson worked alongside the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) to create a "Fraud Free Calendar" in order to help protect consumers, particularly seniors, from high pressure sales tactics, which often lead to impulse purchases. In

5782-470: The Progressive caucus lacked the party discipline that was traditionally enforced by the Liberals and Conservatives. The Progressives had campaigned on a promise that their MP's would represent their constituents first. King used this to his advantage, as he could always count on at least a handful of Progressive MPs to shore up his near-majority position for any crucial vote. In 1923, King's government passed

5900-472: The Progressives gradually weakened. Their effective and passionate leader, Thomas Crerar , resigned to return to his grain business, and was replaced by the more placid Robert Forke , who joined King's cabinet in 1926 as Minister of Immigration and Colonization after becoming a Liberal-Progressive . Socialist reformer J. S. Woodsworth gradually gained influence and power, and King was able to reach an accommodation with him on policy matters. In any event,

6018-478: The Provincial budget was implemented. Under this policy, the province took back $ 1.5 billion worth of programs funded by Ontario's municipalities, reversing previous downloading of provincial responsibilities which occurred during Mike Harris’ tenure as premier. The provincial government assumed responsibility for Ontario Works social assistance services, paramedic services, public health, transit, drug benefit programs,

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6136-427: The United Kingdom would have a seat at the table or be a signatory to any agreement Canada was part of. King argued the situation only concerned Canada and the United States. After, the British accepted King's intentions to send a separate Canadian diplomat to Washington D.C. (to represent Canada's interests) rather than a British one. At the 1923 Imperial Conference , Britain accepted the Halibut Treaty, arguing it set

6254-416: The United States on an as-needed basis, performing service to the war effort by helping to keep war-related industries running smoothly. In 1918, King, assisted by his friend F. A. McGregor, published Industry and Humanity: A Study in the Principles Underlying Industrial Reconstruction , a dense, abstract book he wrote in response to the Ludlow massacre . It went over the heads of most readers, but revealed

6372-403: The University of Chicago, he participated on their track team as a half-mile runner. He earned an MA in political economy from Harvard in 1898. In 1909, Harvard granted him a PhD degree for a dissertation titled "Publicity and Public Opinion as Factors in the Solution of Industrial Problems in Canada." He is the only Canadian Prime Minister to have earned a PhD. In 1900, King became editor of

6490-433: The University of Toronto. King became a lifelong practising Presbyterian with a dedication to social reform based on his Christian duty. He never favoured socialism . King enrolled at the University of Toronto in 1891. He obtained a BA degree in 1895, an LLB degree in 1896, and an MA in 1897, all from the university. While studying in Toronto he met a wide circle of friends, many of whom became prominent. He

6608-470: The World War I memorial. However, the symbolic meaning of the World War I monument gradually expanded to become the place of remembrance for all Canadian war sacrifices and includes a war memorial. King called an election in 1925 , in which the Conservatives won the most seats, but not a majority in the House of Commons . King held onto power with the support of the Progressives. A corruption scandal discovered late in his first term involved misdeeds around

6726-403: The World, a series of celebrations at Lansdowne Park to promote tourism in other countries and strengthen ties with those nations, the 105th Grey Cup at TD Place, and the 2017 NHL 100 Classic , an outdoor game between the Ottawa Senators and the Montreal Canadiens that recreated the first ever NHL game almost 100 years later. On October 22, Watson won the 2018 mayoral race with 71.03% of

6844-460: The centre of the intellectual development of this country and above all the Washington of the north." Following Laurier's initiative four successive city plans were proposed, although for various reasons none were successfully implemented. During World War II , most of the downtown Ottawa 's green spaces was filled with "temporary" wooden office buildings hastily constructed to house the Capital’s burgeoning civil service. The city’s natural beauty

6962-464: The city's debt burden. In conjunction, Watson managed to freeze property tax rates for two consecutive years. He also championed a plan with two other councillors, Peter Hume and John O'Neil , to save the historic Aberdeen Pavilion from being torn down. Watson resigned as mayor on August 14, 2000 to become president and CEO of the Canadian Tourism Commission . During his time with the federal crown corporation, Watson secured additional funding for

7080-450: The city's economic development agency, whose programs and initiatives increase entrepreneurial momentum, wealth and jobs in Ottawa. Watson won the mayoral race in 2014 with 76.20% of the votes, defeating eight other candidates. On November 16, 2015, Watson lead an economic mission to China and Thailand with hopes of promoting Ottawa as a leading innovation hub in Canada, to draw investment for Ottawa businesses, and to encourage tourism to

7198-529: The city's history, the city secured more than $ 1.15 billion from the federal government to help the expansion of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) network of the completed Confederation Line, which will move the public transportation further east, south, and west. Watson pushed to have the Mayors of Ottawa and Gatineau to join the Board of the National Capital Commission (NCC) in 2016. That year, Watson and Gatineau mayor Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin were invited to join as ex-officio, non-voting members. The city has invested

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7316-450: The city, anticipating breaching a population of 1 million residents, and foreseeing a part of a megaregion to also encompass Toronto and Montreal . William Lyon Mackenzie King William Lyon Mackenzie King (December 17, 1874 – July 22, 1950) was a Canadian statesman and politician who was the tenth prime minister of Canada for three non-consecutive terms from 1921 to 1926, 1926 to 1930, and 1935 to 1948. A Liberal , he

7434-538: The constituency of York North , which his grandfather had once represented. The Liberal Party was deeply divided by Quebec's opposition to conscription and the agrarian revolt in Ontario and the Prairies. Levin argues that when King returned to politics in 1919, he was a rusty outsider with a weak base facing a nation bitterly split by language, regionalism and class. He outmaneuvered more senior competitors by embracing Laurier's legacy, championing labour interests, calling for welfare reform, and offering solid opposition to

7552-422: The crisis. King coldly replied that the Canadian Parliament would decide what policy to follow, making clear it would not be bound by London's suggestions. King wrote in his diary of the British appeal: "I confess it annoyed me. It is drafted designedly to play the imperial game, to test out centralization versus autonomy as regards European wars...No [Canadian] contingent will go without parliament being summoned in

7670-401: The critical seats to give the Liberals control of the Commons. When campaigning in Quebec, King portrayed Lapointe as co-prime minister. Once King became the Liberal leader in 1919 he paid closer attention to the Prairies , a fast-developing region. Viewing a sunrise in Alberta in 1920, he wrote in his diary, "I thought of the New Day, the New Social Order. It seems like Heaven's prophecy of

7788-457: The customs scandal that could force his government to resign, advised the Governor General , Lord Byng , to dissolve Parliament and call another election. Byng, however, declined the Prime Minister's request – the first time in Canadian history that a request for dissolution was refused; and, to date, the only time the governor general of Canada has done so. Byng instead asked Leader of the Opposition , Arthur Meighen, to form government. Although

7906-423: The dawn of a new era, revealed to me." Pragmatism played a role as well, since his party depended for its survival on the votes of Progressive Party Members of Parliament, many of whom who represented farmers in Ontario and the Prairies. He convinced many Progressives to return to the Liberal fold. In the 1921 election , King's Liberals defeated the Conservatives led by Prime Minister Arthur Meighen , winning

8024-449: The delivery process for online applicants. After a cabinet shuffle, Dalton McGuinty and Gerry Phillips implemented a money-back guarantee to individuals who do not receive a birth certificate within 15 days of the online application, which Watson had initiated. Watson initiated a study designed to help Ontarians quit smoking. STOP – Smoking Treatment for Ontario Patients – offered free nicotine replacement therapy to 14,000 smokers across

8142-407: The earliest expert practitioners in the emerging field of industrial relations . King was not a pacifist, but he showed little enthusiasm for the Great War ; he faced criticism for not serving in Canada's military and instead working for the Rockefellers. However, he was nearly 40 years old when the war began, and was not in good physical condition. He never gave up his Ottawa home, and travelled to

8260-485: The election with a plurality of seats in the Commons: 116 seats to the Conservatives' 91 in a 245-member House. During the Chanak Crisis of 1922, King refused to support the British without first consulting Parliament , while the Conservative leader, Arthur Meighen, supported Britain. King sought a Canadian voice independent of London in foreign affairs. In September 1922 the British Prime Minister, David Lloyd George , appealed repeatedly to King for Canadian support in

8378-409: The establishment of grading standards "to assist in the marketing of agricultural products" both at home and overseas. In addition, the Combines Investigation Act of 1923 was aimed at safeguarding consumers and producers from exploitation. A Fair Wages and Eight Hours Day Act was introduced in 1930. King's government was in power at the beginning of the Great Depression , but was slow to respond to

8496-581: The expansion of the Beauharnois Canal in Quebec; this led to extensive inquiries and eventually a Royal Commission , which exposed the Beauharnois Scandal . The resulting press coverage damaged King's party in the election. Early in his second term, another corruption scandal, this time in the Department of Customs, was revealed, which led to more support for the Conservatives and Progressives, and

8614-436: The experience of many successful, local Indo-Canadian business leaders. The mission's resulting list of Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs), strategic partnerships and mutually beneficial agreements between Ottawa companies and their Indian counterparts has an estimated total value of more than $ 80 million. Since 2014, Watson has led many significant projects in the city. Set to become one of the largest infrastructure projects in

8732-414: The family. King's father was a lawyer with a struggling practice in a small city, and never enjoyed financial security. His parents lived a life of shabby gentility, employing servants and tutors they could scarcely afford, although their financial situation improved somewhat following a move to Toronto around 1890, where King lived with them for several years in a duplex on Beverley Street while studying at

8850-414: The federal government used the report to justify the first legislation outlawing narcotics in Canada. King was first elected to Parliament as a Liberal in the 1908 federal election , representing Waterloo North . In 1909, King was appointed as the first-ever minister of labour by Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier . King's term as minister of labour was marked by two significant achievements. He led

8968-572: The federal government-owned Labour Gazette , a publication that explored complex labour issues. Later that year, he was appointed as deputy minister of the Canadian government's new Department of Labour, and became active in policy domains from Japanese immigration to railways, notably the Industrial Disputes Investigations Act (1907) which sought to avert labour strikes by prior conciliation. In 1901, King's roommate and best friend, Henry Albert Harper , died heroically during

9086-537: The first instance". The British were disappointed with King's response but the crisis was soon resolved, as King had anticipated. After Chanak, King was concerned about the possibility that Canada might go to war because of its connections with Britain, writing to Violet Markham : Anything like centralization in London, to say nothing of a direct or indirect attempt on the part of those in office in Downing Street to tell

9204-473: The government modified the Immigration Act to allow former subjects of Austria-Hungary to once again enter Canada. Ukrainian immigration resumed after restrictions were put in place during World War I. King had a long-standing concern with city planning and the development of the national capital, since he had been trained in the settlement house movement and envisioned town planning and garden cities as

9322-450: The high-tech industry. A year later, on April 17, 2016, Watson led a delegation of 35 leaders in the business and tech industries to generate investment opportunities in technology, education, film production and tourism. In addition to seizing the significant economic growth opportunities in India, the trade mission also afforded the City of Ottawa and Invest Ottawa the opportunity to leverage

9440-471: The industry following the 2001 crisis of the 9/11 attacks and the softening of the global tourism industry. In 2003, Watson left public service to pursue a career in media as host of CHRO-TV 's The New RO @ Noon . He was also a regular contributor to the Ottawa radio station CFRA and the Ottawa Citizen . Watson has served on the board or as honorary chair of several community organizations including

9558-556: The land". Once again, King appointed himself as secretary of state for external affairs ; he held that post until 1946. Promising a much-desired trade treaty with the U.S., the King government passed the 1935 Reciprocal Trade Agreement. It marked the turning point in Canadian-American economic relations, reversing the disastrous trade war of 1930–31, lowering tariffs, and yielding a dramatic increase in trade. More subtly, it revealed to

9676-503: The late 1930s. Historian Jack Granatstein notes, "the scholars expressed little admiration for King the man but offered unbounded admiration for his political skills and attention to Canadian unity." King is ranked among the top three of Canadian prime ministers. King was born in a frame house rented by his parents at 43 Benton Street in Berlin ( now Kitchener ), Ontario to John King and Isabel Grace Mackenzie. His maternal grandfather

9794-578: The leadership of the Liberal Party. Taking the helm of a party torn apart by the Conscription Crisis of 1917 , he unified both the pro- conscription and anti-conscription factions of the party, leading it to victory in the 1921 federal election . King established a post-war agenda that lowered wartime taxes and tariffs. He strengthened Canadian autonomy by refusing to support Britain in the Chanak Crisis without Parliament 's consent and negotiating

9912-711: The longest serving mayor in the city's history, surpassing Stanley Lewis who held office from 1936 to 1948. Watson was born on July 30, 1961, in Montreal , Quebec as the second child to Frances (née Murdoch) and Beverley "Bev" Watson. He grew up in Lachute , but his family moved a few times during his childhood for his father's work, taking him to Beaconsfield , Thornhill , and Sarnia . He graduated from high school from Northern Collegiate in Sarnia. Watson later moved to Ottawa to attend Carleton University and graduated in 1983 with

10030-426: The lowest rates in a number of years. He also enacted a set of integrity and transparency measures, including hiring an integrity commissioner, launching a lobbyist registry and requiring that elected officials’ office expenses be posted online. He also froze community recreation fees for four years, and reduced the size of the city's workforce twice, the first time it had been done since amalgamation. Watson and

10148-412: The mounting crisis. He felt that the crisis was a temporary swing of the business cycle and that the economy would soon recover without government intervention. Critics said he was out of touch. Just prior to the election, King carelessly remarked that he "would not give a five-cent piece" to Tory provincial governments for unemployment relief. The opposition made this remark a catch-phrase; the main issue

10266-475: The nation's capital. Watson and fifteen local business leaders began the mission in Beijing, Ottawa's only sister city, where he signed an "Exchange and Co-operation Agreement" with Beijing mayor Guo Jinlong , establishing key common goals in business, trade, and municipal administration. The agreement states the mutual support of local enterprises to invest in each other's cities, as well as enhanced co-operation in

10384-604: The passage of the Industrial Disputes Investigation Act and the Combines Investigation Act , which he had shaped during his civil and parliamentary service. The legislation significantly improved the financial situation for millions of Canadian workers. In 1910 Mackenzie King introduced a bill aimed at establishing an 8-hour day on public works but it was killed in the Senate. He lost his seat in

10502-733: The people of the Dominions what they should or should not do, and to dictate their duty in matters of foreign policy, is certain to prove just as injurious to the so-called 'imperial solidarity' as any attempt at interference in questions of purely domestic concern. If membership within the British Commonwealth means participation by the Dominions in any and every war in which Great Britain becomes involved, without consultation, conference, or agreement of any kind in advance, I can see no hope for an enduring relationship. For years, halibut stocks were depleting in Canadian and American fishing areas in

10620-460: The possibility that King would be forced to resign, if he lost sufficient support in the Commons. King had no personal connection to this scandal, although one of his own appointees was at the heart of it. Opposition leader Meighen unleashed his fierce invective towards King, stating he was hanging onto power "like a lobster with lockjaw". ` In June 1926, King, facing a House of Commons vote connected to

10738-432: The practical idealism behind King's political thinking. He argued that capital and labour were natural allies, not foes, and that the community at large (represented by the government) should be the third and decisive party in industrial disputes. He expressed derision for syndicates and trades unions, chastising them for aiming at the "destruction by force of existing organization, and the transfer of industrial capital from

10856-551: The present possessors" to themselves. Quitting the Rockefeller Foundation in February 1918, King became an independent consultant on labour issues for the next two years, earning $ 1,000 per week from leading American corporations. Even so, he kept his official residence in Ottawa, hoping for a call to duty. In 1917, Canada was in crisis; King supported Liberal leader Wilfrid Laurier in his opposition to conscription , which

10974-491: The previous year, wrote the foreword to the report. (MacKenzie King passed away two years before the final report was submitted, however.) In 1958, Parliament passed the National Capital Act , establishing the National Capital Region and a new National Capital Commission (NCC) to bring Gréber's plan into reality. The Gréber Report would serve as the NCC's planning guide into the 1970s. Gréber writes, "the restoration of

11092-434: The prime minister and President Roosevelt that they could work together well. Jim Watson (Canadian politician) James Alexander Watson (born July 30, 1961) is a Canadian politician who served as the 56th mayor of Ottawa from 2010 to 2022. Previously, he served as an Ottawa city councillor from 1991 to 1997, and as mayor from 1997 to 2000. Watson subsequently represented the riding of Ottawa West—Nepean in

11210-555: The province. On May 31, 2006, the Smoke-Free Ontario Act came into effect, banning all smoking in public areas in the province, including in restaurants, bars, casinos, etc. Watson was recognized for its implementation. In June of that year, Watson unveiled a $ 10-million Healthy Eating and Active Living Plan. The plan took aim at childhood obesity, which included a pilot project in Northern schools, offering fruits and vegetables to

11328-490: The provincial governments, he inaugurated a system of old-age pensions based on need. In February 1930, he appointed Cairine Wilson as the first female senator in Canadian history. Reductions in taxation were carried out such as exemptions under the sales tax on commodities and enlarged exemptions of income tax, while in 1929 taxes on cables, telegrams, and railway and steamship tickets were removed. Measures were also carried out to support farmers. In 1922, for instance,

11446-489: The re-election process Watson donated his severance pay of $ 5200 to four local charities after moving from Regional to City Council in 1994. During his second term as councillor, Watson reduced his own salary by 13% from $ 51,000 to $ 45,000 while voting to reduce the mayor's office budget and salary. In 1996, he supported Dalton McGuinty 's bid to lead the Ontario Liberal party, though at the time he still considered himself

11564-410: The reorganization of traffic in the city center. In February 2019, Ottawa mayor Jim Watson began the process to develop a modern version of the Gréber Plan. The report's main components and recommendations were: Ottawa was chosen as the national capital of Canada by Queen Victoria in 1857. At that time, the town was a small lumber and military centre with a population of over 10,000 people. While

11682-472: The spring of 2004, the Federal and Provincial governments signed a joint service delivery accord, creating a "one stop shop" in many communities for provincial and federal services. This accord later included municipalities, in order to provide many government services in one location, for example Ottawa City Hall . Upon inheriting a massive backlog in birth certificate applications, Watson took action to streamline

11800-797: The students and a program that looked to develop and improve safe biking and walking to and from schools. In 2006, the Ontario government launched a project which provided financial assistance to Ontario athletes looking to perform at the national and international levels. Quest For Gold is now part of the Ontario Athlete Assistance Program (OAAP), funded by the Government of Ontario, through the Ministry of Tourism, Culture & Sport. The Program provided direct financial assistance to Ontario athletes through an "Ontario Card" designation. The intent of

11918-405: The throne speech and the budget, King introduced amendments that blamed the depression on Bennett's policy of high tariffs. By the time the 1935 election arrived, the Bennett government was heavily unpopular due to their handling of the depression. Using the slogan "King or Chaos", the Liberals won a landslide victory , winning 173 out of the Commons' 245 seats and reducing the Conservatives to

12036-540: The time, Public Works Canada was tasked with photographing almost all of the intersections in downtown Ottawa in order to provide Gréber with a sense of the atmosphere and feel of Ottawa. Gréber published his 300-page "General Report on the Plan for the National Capital" on 18 November 1949, recommending large-scale networks that would alter the face of the national capital. Mackenzie King, who had retired as prime minister

12154-580: The votes, defeating eleven other candidates. Watson oversaw the launch of the Confederation Line , a rail system that opened to the public on September 14, 2019. He has also played an instrumental role to open a new central library to the city's downtown core at LeBreton Flats - a state-of-the-art net carbon zero facility. During this term, in an article published in the Ottawa Citizen on August 17, 2019, Watson came out as gay after 40 years of being closeted . From 2018 to 2022, Watson led Ottawa through natural disasters, including two floods, tornados,

12272-444: The worst mistake Canada could react to the Depression was to raise tariffs and restrict international trade. He believed that over time, voters would learn that they had been deceived by Bennett and would come to appreciate the King government's policy of frugality and free trade . King's policy was to refrain from offering advice or alternative policies. Indeed, his policy preferences were not much different from Bennett's, and he let

12390-625: Was William Lyon Mackenzie , first mayor of Toronto and leader of the Upper Canada Rebellion in 1837. His father was a lawyer and later a lecturer at Osgoode Hall Law School . King had three siblings: older sister Isabel "Bella" Christina Grace (1873–1915), younger sister Janet "Jennie" Lindsey (1876–1962) and younger brother Dougall Macdougall "Max" (1878–1922). Within his family, he was known as Willie; during his university years, he adopted W. L. Mackenzie King as his signature and began using Mackenzie as his preferred name with those outside

12508-530: Was "one of the most powerful factors in his make-up". In domestic affairs, King strengthened the Liberal policy of increasing the powers of the provincial governments by transferring to the governments of Manitoba , Alberta , and Saskatchewan the ownership of the crown lands within those provinces, as well as the subsoil rights; these in particular would become increasingly important, as petroleum and other natural resources proved very abundant. In collaboration with

12626-482: Was able to implement substantive policies to alleviate fiscal pressure on cities. In February 2008, Watson brought forward the Rental Opportunity for Ontario Families (ROOF) program that helps low-income families with funds to pay rent over a five-year period. In October of that year, a policy designed to support the uploading of property tax supported programs from the budgets of Ontario's municipalities to that of

12744-460: Was also threatened with unplanned urban sprawl , while its waterways were fouled by the detritus of the area’s extensive wood-products industry and the untreated sewage of its growing population. At the time, the Government of Canada was entertaining the idea of creating a federal district like Washington, D.C. In 1936, Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King invited Jacques Gréber ,

12862-535: Was an early member and officer of the Kappa Alpha Society , which included a number of these individuals (two future Ontario Supreme Court Justices and the future chairman of the university itself). It encouraged debate on political ideas. He also was simultaneously a part of the Literary Society with Arthur Meighen , a future political rival. King was especially concerned with issues of social welfare and

12980-464: Was appointed to investigate the causes of and claims for compensation resulting from the 1907 anti-Oriental riots in Vancouver's Chinatown and Japantown . One of the claims for damages came from Chinese opium dealers, which led King to investigate narcotics use in Vancouver , British Columbia. Following the investigation King reported that white women were also opium users, not just Chinese men, and

13098-571: Was complex; biographers agree on the personal characteristics that made him distinctive. He lacked the charisma of such contemporaries as Franklin D. Roosevelt , Winston Churchill , or Charles de Gaulle . Cold and tactless in human relations, he lacked oratorical skill and his personality did not resonate with the electorate. He kept secret his beliefs in spiritualism and use of mediums to stay in contact with departed associates and particularly with his mother, and allowed his intense spirituality to distort his understanding of Adolf Hitler throughout

13216-425: Was influenced by the settlement house movement pioneered by Toynbee Hall in London, England. He played a central role in fomenting a students' strike at the university in 1895. He was in close touch, behind the scenes, with Vice-Chancellor William Mulock , for whom the strike provided a chance to embarrass his rivals Chancellor Edward Blake and President James Loudon . King failed to gain his immediate objective,

13334-464: Was responsible for organizing signature events throughout the year, attracting millions of visitors to Ottawa to experience them. Over the course of year, the city played host to a number of successful events including the 2017 Red Bull Crashed Ice downhill skating competition, the Juno Awards of 2017 ; La Machine (production company) , a four-day show that attracted over 750,000 people, Ottawa Welcomes

13452-472: Was sworn at Buckingham Palace on October 11, 1923, during the 1923 Imperial Conference . During his first term of office, from 1921 to 1926, King sought to lower wartime taxes and, especially, wartime ethnic and labour tensions. "The War is over", he argued, "and for a long time to come it is going to take all that the energies of man can do to bridge the chasm and heal the wounds which the War has made in our social life." Despite prolonged negotiations, King

13570-493: Was the deterioration in the economy and whether the prime minister was out of touch with the hardships of ordinary people. The Liberals lost the election of 1930 to the Conservative Party, led by Richard Bedford Bennett . The popular vote was very close between the two parties, with the Liberals actually earning more votes than in 1926, but the Conservatives had a geographical advantage that turned into enough seats to give

13688-538: Was the dominant politician in Canada from the early 1920s to the late 1940s. King is best known for his leadership of Canada throughout the Great Depression and the Second World War . In August 1944, he ordered the displacement of Japanese Canadians out of the British Columbia Interior, mandating that they either resettle east of the Rocky Mountains or face deportation to Japan after the war. He played

13806-688: Was unable to attract the Progressives into his government, but once Parliament opened, he relied on their support to defeat non-confidence motions from the Conservatives. King was opposed in some policies by the Progressives, who opposed the high tariffs of the National Policy . King faced a delicate balancing act of reducing tariffs enough to please the Prairie-based Progressives, but not so much as to alienate his vital supporters in industrial Ontario and Quebec, who perceived tariffs were necessary to compete with American imports. Over time,

13924-420: Was violently opposed in the province of Quebec . The Liberal party became deeply split, with several Anglophones joining the pro-conscription Union government, a coalition controlled by the Conservatives under Prime Minister Robert Borden . King returned to Canada to run in the 1917 election , which focused almost entirely on the conscription issue. Unable to overcome a landslide against Laurier, King lost in

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