Arthur Gilbert (politician)

Arthur Gilbert (January 1, 1879 – July 1, 1932) was a Quebec politician, farmer and merchant, who was elected to the Canadian House of Commons as a Nationalist in a 1910 by-election.

Gilbert's surprise victory in what had been a safe Liberal riding, occurred as a result of his opposition to the Laurier government's Naval Service Bill. The bill was seen by Quebec nationalists, such as Henri Bourassa, as a sign of Laurier's support for British imperialism and, in particular, that Canada would send troops to support Britain in a future European war.

Gilbert's by-election victory in Drummond—Arthabaska, a riding once held by Laurier himself, was interpreted as a sign that the once solid support for Laurier's Liberals in Quebec was eroding, a trend that would contribute to Laurier's defeat at the hands of Robert Borden's Conservatives in the 1911 federal election. Gilbert's victory also indicated a growing nationalist mood in Quebec, which would later erupt in the Conscription Crisis of 1917.

Gilbert's political career was short-lived, however. He sat in parliament for less than a year before losing his seat in the 1911 election to Liberal Joseph Ovide Brouillard.

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