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Arthur Laing (9 September 1904 – 13 February 1975) was a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

politician from

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

. Though actively involved with the BC Liberals, his primary achievements were federally as a Liberal Member of Parliament. He served in the cabinets of

prime ministers A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but rat ...

Lester B. Pearson Lester Bowles Pearson (23 April 1897 – 27 December 1972) was a Canadian politician, diplomat, statesman, and scholar who served as the 14th prime minister of Canada from 1963 to 1968. He also served as Leader of the Liberal Party of C ...

and

Pierre Trudeau Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau (October 18, 1919 – September 28, 2000) was a Canadian politician, statesman, and lawyer who served as the 15th prime minister of Canada from 1968 to 1979 and from 1980 to 1984. Between his no ...

History

Early life

Arthur Laing was born in Eburne, BC on 9 September 1904 to Thomas (1864–1951) and Marion (1870–1949) Laing. His father, a farmer on Sea Island (namely south Eburne), belonged to the group that initiated the BC Federation of Agriculture. Arthur graduated from the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

(UBC) with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture (BSA) in 1926. He joined the Vancouver Milling and Grain Company that year. He became manager of the Agriculture Chemicals Division of Buckerfields Ltd. in 1933.

Political career

Laing was a member of the Richmond School Board 1930–43, including chair for 8 years. He unsuccessfully ran as the BC Liberals candidate for Delta in 1937 and 1941. Laing was president of the BC Liberals prior to representing

Vancouver South Vancouver South () was a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1917 to 1997, and again from 2004 to 2025. It covers the southern portion of the city of Vancouver, Br ...

1949–53 in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

. He resigned his seat to become leader of the BC Liberals, immediately before the 1953 provincial election. Only three other Liberal candidates were elected to the

BC legislature The Legislature of British Columbia is made of two elements: the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, lieutenant governor (representing the King of Canada), and the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia (which meets at the British Columbi ...

that year. He represented Vancouver-Point Grey 1953–56. He lost in 1956, and in the 1957

Burnaby Burnaby is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the centre of the Burrard Peninsula, it neighbours the City of Vancouver to the west, the District of North Vancouver across the confluence of the Burrard In ...

by-election. After six years in the post, Laing stepped down as the party leader. Returning as the member for

1962–72, he was Minister of Northern Affairs and National Resources (1963), Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development (1966), Minister of Public Works (1968), and Minister of Veterans’ Affairs (1972). He sat in the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

1972–75. Many dignitaries were present among the 700 mourners who attended his funeral.

Marriage and children

In 1937, he married Geraldine Hyland (possibly Highland) (1909–1978). Linda Laurine, an only child, married David Billingsley.

Honours

He was initiated an honorary member of the Blood Band of the Blackfoot Indian Confederacy in 1967. A new government building in

Yellowknife Yellowknife is the capital, largest community, and the only city in the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake, about south of the Arctic Circle, on the west side of Yellowknife Bay near the outlet of t ...

was named after him in 1969. He was awarded the Freedom of the City of

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

in 1974. Two geographical features, posthumously named in 1975, were the Arthur Laing Peninsula on

Ellesmere Island Ellesmere Island (; ) is Canada's northernmost and List of Canadian islands by area, third largest island, and the List of islands by area, tenth largest in the world. It comprises an area of , slightly smaller than Great Britain, and the total ...

in Canada's northernmost national park ( Quttinirpaaq), and the Arthur Laing Peak on the Alaska/Yukon border. Although the name was announced in September 1974, the Arthur Laing Bridge, in

Metro Vancouver The Metro Vancouver Regional District (MVRD), or simply Metro Vancouver, is a Canadian political subdivision and Corporation, corporate entity representing the metropolitan area of Greater Vancouver, designated by provincial legislation as o ...

, did not open to traffic until August 27, 1975 and was officially dedicated on May 15, 1976. He had been a strong advocate for this link. Accepted by daughter Linda on his behalf, he received one of the nine LFS Centenary Awards, issued in 2008, for outstanding achievements of UBC alumni.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Laing, Arthur 1904 births 1975 deaths Leaders of BC United BC United MLAs Canadian senators from British Columbia Liberal Party of Canada MPs Liberal Party of Canada senators Members of the House of Commons of Canada from British Columbia Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada Members of the United Church of Canada Ministers of Crown–Indigenous relations 20th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia Minister of veterans affairs of Canada 20th-century members of the Senate of Canada