Claim: George Brown began his Liberal Party leadership in Canada on the first of July in 1867 although he did not officially hold the title.
Evidence: He was widely seen as the leader of the federal Liberals in the 1867 federal election. The Liberals were officially leaderless until 1873, but Brown was considered the party's "elder statesman" even though he had a seat in the House of Commons, and he was regularly consulted by leading Liberal parliamentarians.