Editing William Lyon Mackenzie King (section)

== Early political career, minister of labour (1908–1911) ==
King was first elected to [[Parliament of Canada|Parliament]] as a [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal]] in the [[1908 Canadian federal election|1908 federal election]], representing [[Waterloo North]]. In 1909, King was appointed as the first-ever [[Minister of Labour (Canada)|minister of labour]] by Prime Minister [[Wilfrid Laurier]].<ref name="Neatby" />

King's term as minister of labour was marked by two significant achievements. He led the passage of the ''[[Industrial Disputes Investigation Act]]'' and the ''[[Combines Investigation Act]]'', which he had shaped during his civil and parliamentary service. The legislation significantly improved the financial situation for millions of Canadian workers.<ref>*{{cite book|ref=Hutchison|last=Hutchison|first=Bruce|author-link=Bruce Hutchison|title=The Incredible Canadian|url=https://archive.org/details/trent_0116301952242|url-access=registration|year=1952|publisher=Longmans, Green and Company|asin=B0007ISXVI}}, pp. 28–33</ref>  In 1910 Mackenzie King introduced a bill aimed at establishing an 8-hour day on public works but it was killed in the Senate.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://archive.macleans.ca/article/1950/9/1/mackenzie-king-as-i-knew-him |title=MACKENZIE KING As I Knew Him SEPTEMBER 1950 BLAIR FRASER |access-date=December 4, 2022 |archive-date=December 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221204131507/https://archive.macleans.ca/article/1950/9/1/mackenzie-king-as-i-knew-him |url-status=dead }}</ref> He lost his seat in the [[1911 Canadian federal election|1911 general election]], which saw the [[Conservative Party of Canada (historic)|Conservatives]] defeat the Liberals and form government.<ref name="Neatby" />