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Lloyd George Summons Borden
The British Prime Minister cables Borden, encouraging him to hurry back to London. (Fitzhardinge, 162) Lloyd George is said to have appreciated Borden's guidance and support during the wartime events. (Cook, 139) -
Borden Replies
Borden replies to Lloyd George's cable message. Within his reply, the Canadian Prime Minister raises the question of Dominion representation for the first time. (Fritzhardinge, 162) -
PM and Staff Set Sail
Borden and a small set of staff and advisors set sail for England from New York. (Cook, 139) -
News of the Armistice
The ship carrying Borden and his staff receive a wireless message containing the news of the signing of the Armistice. (Cook, 139) -
Armistice Comes into Effect
The signing of the Armistice by German representatives brought the fighting to a halt at 11am. (Neiberg, 9) -
Borden's Beliefs
Borden knew that this would be a significant time in international relations, and believed that Canada deserved to be apart of the deciding of Germany's fate. (Cook, 139) Since the naval debate, Borden had been looking to strengthen Canada's role in the Empire. He saw the Canadian achievements during the war as proof that the Dominion had matured. (Cook, 140) -
Delegate Quantities Decided
The Great Powers (Britain, France, United States, Italy) had decided amongst themselves that they would each get to bring five delegates to the table. Smaller players like Portugal and Serbia would be allotted fewer spots. (Cook, 141) All nations that had contributed money and men to the defeat of Germany felt convinced that they should be a part of this conference that would redefine the entire globe. (Neiberg, 16) -
Borden Reaches England
(Fitzhardinge, 163) -
Imperial War Cabinet Meets
The Imperial War Cabinet convenes for the first time since the declaration of the Armistice. (Fitzhardinge, 163) -
Dominions Opposed to Sharing
This meant that Britain was supposed to share its spots with its Dominions. Lloyd George decided that this meant that there would be one representative for all of the Dominions. (Cook, 141) He suggested that the Dominions could cycle through Britain's fifth seat. (Fitzhardinge, 165) This news made Borden very angry, so he and the other Dominion leaders started to pressure Lloyd George for their own individual representation at the conference. (Cook, 141) -
Rowell Expresses Opinion to Borden
Newton W. Rowell, President of the Privy Council, expressed to Borden that because Canada would be one of the few nations at the conference without selfish goals, they would have a moral responsibility to be motivated by the issues upon which they initially entered the conflict in defence of. (Smith, 26) -
Lloyd George Bargains
Lloyd George took the Dominion's request for individual representation to a meeting of the Great Powers. It was a tough bargain because the other powers believed that Britain was just trying to stack the deck with countries that would follow their lead. Nonetheless, a compromise was finally reached that allowed for individual representation for the Dominions. (Cook, 141) (Fitzhardinge, 165) -
Clemenceau's Comment
After reaching a compromise regarding the Dominions, French premier Clemenceau says to Lloyd George: "Come - and bring your savages with you." (Cook, 141) -
Strong Sentiment From Across the Atlantic
The acting Prime Minister cabled Borden to tell him that the sentiment for individual Canadian representation was even stronger within the council then when he had left. (Fitzhardinge, 165) Sacrifices and accomplishments made by Canadians during the war boosted national pride and confidence. This intensified Canadian public demands to stand as equals with Britain in the post-war events. (Henderson, 283) -
Symbolic Significance
Borden knew that Canada's voice at the conference would not be one of influence, but he also knew that it was of symbolic significance to be equal with the smaller European countries. (Cook, 141) -
Borden's Speech to the Imperial War Cabinet
At the last Imperial War Cabinet meeting of 1918, Borden made a strong stand for each Dominion's representation to meet or exceed the representation of countries that contributed less to the war effort. (Fitzhardinge, 167) -
Arrival at Hotel Majestic
The Canadian delegation of fifteen arrived at the Hotel Majestic in Paris. (Cook, 143) Despite postwar unrest at home, Borden saw it as necessary for himself to be physically present in Paris. (Cook, 142) -
Paris Peace Conference Officially Begins
(Neiberg, ix) -
Period: to
Getting to Work
With the start of the Conference came the many negotiations, meetings, and consultations. The Great Powers often had closed-door meetings that excluded the Dominions. However, Lloyd George sometimes asked for Borden to chair British-led meetings of the Great Powers. This is an example of Lloyd George's trust in Borden. British delegates valued Borden's knowledge, logic, and patience. (Cook, 143) -
Period: to
Canadian Leadership
Some examples of Canadian leadership were Borden chairing the meeting that determined Greece's borders, as well as Borden's advisor Clifford Sifton helping to establish the international rules for ports, railways, and waterways. Borden also took it upon himself to act as an intermediary between Britain and the US, who were often in disagreement. Despite some grumbling about British decisions and push back against the imperial order, Borden did his best to help the Empire. (Cook, 144) -
Alaskan Panhandle
Borden received a letter from a well known CEF chaplain, Major John J. O'Gorman, who compared the Alaskan panhandle situation to a part of the Yugoslav coast desired by the Italians. This interested Borden, so he had copies of the suggestion sent to Lloyd George and his advisors. The British delegation believed that the Americans might trade the panhandle for British Honduras. Unfortunately, the item never got dealt with before the signing of the Treaty. (Smith, 28-29) -
Borden Heads Home
Unrest at home led Borden to be forced to head back to Ottawa. While he was travelling the Winnipeg General Strike occurred. (Cook, 149) -
Trade for Independent Status
Borden had traded Canada's wartime contribution for independent status in the soon-to-be League of Nations and International Labour Organization. (Cook, 145) -
Article X
Many nations disliked Article X of the League of Nations document, which established collective security. However, the Great Powers had decided that the Treaty was too important to get hung up on that one point. (Cook, 146) Borden supported the League of Nations, but not Article X. (Cook, 145) -
Treaty of Versailles Officially Signed
The Treaty of Versailles was officially signed five years to the day that Gavrilo Princip assassinated Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand. (Neiberg, x) The Dominions each got to sign, however it was physically under the British signature. Nonetheless, Borden saw this as a key step towards Canadian autonomy. (Cook, 147)