in shock! Two skaters die while many look on!” King handed the lad a coin and took one of the papers.
He scanned the story.
Two drown in Ottawa River, as hero selflessly attempts to save girl. Bessie Blair of Ottawa was a member of a skating party that had ventured too near thin ice. The ice cracked beneath her, and the freezing waters swirled around her. While other skaters looked on, one young man, thoughtless of the risk to himself, rushed to her aid. Jumping in after her he cried, “What else can I do?” Those were the last words of Henry Albert Harper of Ottawa.
Henry Albert Harper of Ottawa, King read again. The fist of terror beat his brain, and another pummelled him in the stomach. “Bert!” he gasped aloud.
Despite the support of his family, it seemed impossible to get over the death of Bert. When he returned to Ottawa, the minister’s friendly wife, Mrs. Herridge, was one of the first to provide solace. Many people of Ottawa shared King’s shock at the tragedy. The city erected a bronze statue of Sir Galahad near the Parliament Buildings in memory of Harper. King wrote a book about his friend and called it The Secret of Heroism. But nothing seemed to take away the pain, and nothing filled the void of the horrible loss. King thought he might never enjoy such a deep friendship again.
Bert had given everything to try and save the life of one person. King would dedicate his life to trying to improve the lives of many, to achieve the noble goal set by his grandfather and pursued by his dear friend, both now gone. He threw himself in to his duties.
He carried on the work that he and Harper had begun with the Labor Gazette in addition to his duties of deputy minister. Again and again he criss-crossed the county, seeking settlement to strikes through investigation. Accumulating information enabled King to get both sides talking. Then he emphasized the points the different parties had in common. “Investigation is letting in the light,” King felt. Prime Minister Laurier noted the work of this rising civil servant and had occasion to test Kings skills.
A strike in the Alberta coal mines begun in March 1906 still continued in the winter of 1907. People were burning twisted straw or anything they could get their hands on to keep from freezing. “Do you think you can do something?” Prime Minister Laurier asked the young civil servant. “Yes I can,” King answered firmly. After an inquiry, he discovered that the issues of union recognition, wage increases, and reduced hours had been overlooked. King managed to smooth things out.
Of more importance to the country was the fact these experiences provided insights that helped him to draft the Industrial Disputes Investigation Act. King cobbled bits of information together about acts in other countries and brought in some of the things he had used to draft the Railway Labour Disputes Act. The Industrial Disputes Act of 1907 called for postponement of a strike or lockout in mines or public utilities until an investigation at public expense could be arranged. King was sure the period of delay provided by the investigation would also help irate tempers cool off. Canada was one of the first countries to enact this sort of legislation.
Prime Minister Laurier was aware that the act had been created largely by a civil servant – one who was attracting more and more attention. King had done well on the national scene, but how was he at playing ball on an international court?
As deputy minister of labour, King had been involved with immigration issues. Many Canadian labourers were concerned about the increasing number of immigrants from India, Japan, and China who would work for next to nothing and even as strikebreakers. On the West Coast, the situation turned ugly in 1907 when rioters expressed their outrage in violence. As part of a Royal Committee, King explored the problems that had led up to the riot and the resulting property losses to the Japanese and Chinese communities of Vancouver. At the invitation of President Theodore Roosevelt, he also went to the United States to hear American concerns.
Laurier sent King to Britain to meet with officials from the India and Colonial Offices. Amazingly, King was able to find a diplomatic solution to the problem. He pointed out that legislation that already existed in the Indian Emigration Act forbade Indians to emigrate under contract to work in Canada. Laurier was pleased with Kings performance.
The Governor General, Earl Grey, saw that King was awarded the Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George, a very high honour for a civil servant. Now Willie felt he was ready to leave the civil service and set his sights a little higher.
Berlin, Ontario
September 24, 1908
King roared into town like a general to the front. There was an election to fight, and he had let Laurier know he was determined to win. He drove his assistants to mount the attack. He drilled businessmen on the issues, organized them into squadrons, and sent them door to door. He personally greeted platoons of people, impressed many by greeting them by name, and won them over with his charm and good humour. He worked tirelessly, editing copy until 2 a.m., his pencil going slash, slash, slash, until his speeches became the sharp weapons with which he would courteously, but meticulously, cut down his opponents.
Today, other Liberal politicians of note were on the scene to help him with his fight. The bunting fluttered in the breeze as the Right Honourable Sir Wilfrid Laurier took to the stage. A throng of thousands had gathered, and all were enthralled with his Old World gallantry and grace. As Laurier turned to his young protégé, his face lit with a smile. King wore an immaculate dark suit, a starched collar, a tie pin placed in his tie in the fashion that Laurier wore his. The aspiring politician looked into the eyes of the great Liberal leader, noted the spirit and fire, but worried that he also detected a weary and feeble note in Laurier’s demeanour.
Laurier turned to the eagerly listening crowd. “I am of the belief that the Department of Labour needs to be its own department with its own minister. Furthermore, I am delighted with this young man,” he enthused. “He is definitely cabinet material. It is simply up to the people of North Waterloo to elect him!”
When the applause died, King took his place before the podium. Another ovation. He looked at the sea of expectant faces before him and experienced the rush of excitement he felt every time he stepped before a crowd. “My friends of North Waterloo!” he began.
By spring of 1909 the newspapers were writing about the new minister of labour, the “Honourable Mackenzie King, one of the best-groomed men in Cabinet, Solver of Labour Troubles.”
Kingsmere, Quebec
August, 1910
“Father’s complaining about the insects. I think he’s using it as an excuse to lie down for a rest,” Bella giggled, “but I’m ready to go out in the canoe!”
It made Willie happy to have Father, Mother, and Bella at Kingsmere on holiday. Max, now a doctor, practised medicine near by in Ottawa. Jennie had her own family in Wiarton and would undoubtedly come for holidays too.
Willie realized that his father had never built a cottage or even owned property. Finally he was able to make up to him and his dear little mother for some of the sacrifices they had made.
“I’ll just check to see if Mother doesn’t want to come too. I’ll be along in a moment.”
Even though it was a warm day, a small
