When Sir Wilfrid Laurier held the office of prime minister of Canada, he used frequently to say that Canada was not an easy country to govern; that there were many differences which, allowed to develop, would beget antagonism, which it would be next to impossible to heal -- differences of race, of religion, of economic and social interest; that the real task of government was to harmonize, not to accentuate differences; that national unity was the goal towards which all should strive. Sir John A. Macdonald and Sir Robert Borden were not less zealous and active in their efforts to prevent differences developing into cleavages, and in maintaining the unity of Confederation. In this service to the state, they found the highest expression of true patriotism.
