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The times were prosperous. Crowds of immigrants were arriving to work in the factories, the mines, the railyards, to open the inexhaustible coffers of the Canadian West. Ordinary men were becoming millionaires. Onto this scene of dizzying activity stepped Robert Borden, staid, respectable, proper - almost, it seemed, pedestrian. His outstanding characteristics were industry, honesty and sincerity, hardly as likely to catch the public attention as the flamboyance of Laurier, his predecessor. Yet, faced with the task of redefining Canada's place in the Empire, Borden gained new autonomy for his nation. He weathered the conscription crisis, and brought the country th...