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      d. 17 May 1815 at Quebec
      PANET, JEAN-ANTOINE
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Patronage in Canadian politics

In 19th-century Canada, patronage was essential to managing political parties, building political networks, and succeeding in elections. John A. Macdonald and other politicians, including William Warren Baldwin and Wilfrid Laurier, were adept at using such power. Laurier, for instance, put it to every conceivable use: to show gratitude to a friend, draw an opponent into his camp, or get rid of an unwanted member of his inner circle. He attended to every detail, even to assigning a post office to a village. He played this role in Quebec especially, noting in 1899 that there he was “the first and the last judge.” With the English-speaking provinces, he usually signed documents after the decisions had been made by the regional ministers. In this way, little by little, Laurier shrewdly wove an effective network of reliable friends and loyal organizers.

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