André Pratte: At the time, the challenge facing Laurier consisted mainly of determining where Canada would be situated economically.
Would it draw closer to the United States which was experiencing a post-civil war period of extremely rapid development?
Or would Canada remain tied economically to England, since during this period, Great Britain was a great imperial power?
Like the other politicians of his era, Laurier would truly have to navigate between the prosperity and emerging power of the United States and the attachment of businesses and even the emotional attachment of Anglophones, to the British Empire.
This would prove to be very difficult: being drawn to the south, but also experiencing very strong ties of all kinds with the British kingdom and the British Empire.