150 Jahre Kanada. Anglophone und frankophone Erfahrungen und Erinnerungsräume. Prof. Dr. Ursula Lehmkuhl. Internationale Geschichte, Universität Trier

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1 150 Jahre Kanada Anglophone und frankophone Erfahrungen und Erinnerungsräume Prof. Dr. Ursula Lehmkuhl Internationale Geschichte, Universität Trier

2 Canada Day 1st of July National day of Canada; federal statutory holiday Celebrates the anniversary of the enactment of the British North America Act (BNA Act) Original: Dominion Day (French: Le Jour de la Confédération) Renamed 1982: Canada Act Canada Day Celebrations in Canada and worldwide Canada 150 Peterborough, Ontario Trafalgar Square, London Ottawa,

3 Canada Day 1st of July Who celebrates and what is remembered by this specific anniversary?

4 Canada Day 1st of July Who celebrates and what is remembered by this specific anniversary? Content 1. Canadian History since Confederation, The Colonial History of Canada, Conflicting Narratives and Memories: French and English Canada 4. The Search for a Canadian Identity: Von Canadians zum Québécois und von Englishmen zum Canadians 5. Pluralism, Diversity, and Ambiguity as Key Characteristics of Canadian History, Society and Politics

5 The British North America Act, First Act of a series of Acts that form the core of the Constitution of Canada: Constitution Acts They were enacted by the Parliament of the United Kingdom and the Parliament of Canada. The term British North America (BNA) refers to the British colonies in North America. Changes to the BNA Acts could only be made by the British parliament. Full Canadian control over the constitution was only achieved with the Canada Act 1982 Heimholung der Verfassung (1st of July)

6 Canada Act Act of the Parliament of the UK that was passed at the request of the Canadian federal government to patriate Canada s constitution Ended the request and consent provisions of the State of Westminster members of Parliament (UK) voted against the Act, citing concerns over Canada s past mistreatment of Quebec and Aboriginal peoples (Jean Chrétien) Queen Elisabeth s constitutional powers over Canada were not affected by the Act; she remains Queen and Head of State of Canada

7 The British North America Act, The BNA Act united three separate colonies: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Canada (Ontario, Québec) into a federal state Rupert s Land 1870 Manitoba 1871 British Columbia 1871 Prince Edward Island 1873 Alberta & Saskachetchwan 1905 Newfoundland

8 Territorial Development of Canada,

9 The British North America Act, 1867 (29 March) 1. The BNA Act was meant to end the conflicts between French and English Canada unite and stabilize the country provide the basis for internal sovereignty open the possibility of the settlement of the West (Macdonald National Policy ) develop the country economically

10 The British North America Act, 1867 (29 March) 1. Main Results: Canada became a dominant Anglophone settler colonial society. The indigenous population, including the Métis, was pushed back to the Northwest. The conflicts between French and English Canada intensified; they focused on questions of language, education (school system), and religion. They led to the Révolution tranquille of the 1960s and supported the development of a Québécois nationalism and separatism

11 Two Colonial Experiences Two Languages Two Memories

12 The Colonial History of Canada before Confederation 2. Die Nouvelle France,

13 La Nouvelle France

14 The End of French Colonial Rule, Territorial and political changes In North America after the Paris Peace Treaty, 1763 Royal Proclamation of

15 The Royal Proclamation of established British colonial governments in the North American territories ceded by France to Britain; claimed ultimate dominion over the entire region for the English King; put the Francophone Province of Québec under English rule; reserved large area in the North American interior for the exclusive use of Aboriginal peoples (Appalachian as Eastern boundary); led to resistance in Québec and to the conclusion of the Quebec Act 1774, establishing special procedures of governance in the Province of Québec; established a colonial mentality representing the former French colonists and the aboriginal peoples as inferior to the English

16 Canadian Experiences and Memories of Colonialism 2. French Colonization 1534/ Colonizing the Canadiens Colonial constructions of English nationhood Decolonizing Quebec Becoming Québécois White Canada s post-colonial awakening Indigeneous decolonization 16th 18th 19th 20th WWII 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s

17 Conflicting Narratives and Conflicting Memories, the 19th Century 3. The English-Canadian Narrative Necessity to assimilate the former French settlers Colonizing Canadiens through assimilation Argument: Les Canadiens français sont un «peuple sans histoire et sans littérature». English-Canadian Historian: John Mercier McMullen, The History of Canada from its first Discovery to the Present Time (1855) Ursula Lehmkuhl 17

18 Conflicting Narratives and Conflicting Memories, the 19th Century 3. The French-Canadian Counter Narrative Necessity to form a collective French-Canadian identity as Québécois French Canadian historian and poet: Francois-Xavier Garneau, (June 15, 1809 February 2 or February 3, 1866); Histoire du Canada, 3 Vols Counts among the founders of a specific Québec literature, History and culture Ursula Lehmkuhl 18

19 The Search for a Canadian Identity: The 20th Century 4. The Massey Commission and Report, Advocated for the federal funding of a wide range of cultural activities Resulted in the founding of the National Library of Canada and the Canada Council for the Arts, federal aid for universities, and the conservation of Canada s historic places Strengthened the cultural divide between Anglo-Canada and Québec Criticism from Québec Intrusion into provincial areas of jurisdiction, such as culture View of culture with its emphasis on refinement, education and taste appeared dated and elitist Indigenous art and culture was ignored

20 The Search for a Canadian Identity: The 20th Century 4. Révolution Tranquille Quiet Revolution, the 1960s Time of rapid change in Québec during the 1960s Establishment of public hospitals and schools Diminishing the role of the Catholic Church Promoting a national consciousness of French-speaking Québécois Growing unrest among French Canadians in Québec FLQ (terrorism) Development of Québec literature as an engaged national literature Maîtres chez nous Federal-provincial quarrels over the place of Québec and French Canadians in the Confederation La nuit de la poésie, 1972 Michelle Lalonde: Speak White

21 The Search for a Canadian Identity: The 20th Century 4. Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism, Changes to federal and provincial language policy and to French education across the country Federal Department of Multiculturalism Multiculturalism as a concept to counter biculturalism Refers to a society that is characterized by ethnic or cultural heterogeneity Refers to an ideal of equality and mutual respect among a population s ethnic or cultural groups Idea is seen constitutive of Canadian identity at many levels Official Languages Act, 1969 Requires all federal institutions to provide services in English or French on request Example: The official bilingual version of Canada s national anthem

22 Official National Anthem Oh Canada (FR/EN):

23 Canada s National Anthem Official Lyrics: Bilingual - English 4. O Canada! Our home and native land! True patriot love in all thy sons command, Car ton bras sait porter l épée, Il sait porter la croix! Ton histoire est une épopée Des plus brillants exploits, God keep our land glorious and free! O Canada, we stand on guard for thee. O Canada, we stand on guard for thee. O Canada! Our home and native land! True patriot love in all thy sons command. With glowing hearts we see thee rise, The True North strong and free! From far and wide, O Canada, we stand on guard for thee. God keep our land glorious and free! O Canada, we stand on guard for thee. O Canada, we stand on guard for thee

24 In Search of a Canadian Identity: The 20th Century 4. Multiculturalism Interculturalism Diversity, since the 1980s Charter of Rights and Freedoms, 1982 preservation and enhancement of the multicultural heritage of Canadians Canadian Multiculturalism Act, 1988 promotion of full and equitable participation of individuals and communities of all origins in the continuing evolution and shaping of all aspects of Canadian society Response and Criticism Development of an English-Canadian debate about identity Strenghthening of French-Canadian / Québecois nationalism and separatism Result Media and commercials support an image of white English-speaking Canada as the real Canada

25 The Search for a Canadian Identity: The 20th Century

26 Canadian Identity I Am Canadian 4. Beer Commercial- Molson: 1990s Identity discourse

27 Canadian Identity I Am Canadian (Molson Commercial)

28 Ambiguity as a Canadian Identity Marker? 5. Maclean s, 28 June, 2013: 99 reasons why it s better to be Canadian Results of our sixth Canada Day survey, from Life & Well-being: We live longer; we re more satisfied with our lives 2. Money & Work: less income disparity; lower unemployment rate than the U.S.; more social mobility 3. Art & Entertainment: Our opera house it tops; we re funnier; we are better at special effects; Canadian musicians rule the charts

29 Ambiguity as a Canadian Identity Marker? 5. Maclean s, 28 June, 2013: 99 reasons why it s better to be Canadian Results of our sixth Canada Day survey, from Sport & Leisure: We dominate hockey, better football, better at tennis, we have better skiing 5. Environment & Geography: Less spin, we help Americans to repopulate their endangered species 6. Politics: We re more peaceful; our election turnout is more fair; we have far fewer assassinations; we re fine with gay politicians; we attract more immigrants

30 Ambiguity as a Canadian Identity Marker? 5. Maclean s, 28 June, 2013: 99 reasons why it s better to be Canadian Results of our sixth Canada Day survey, from Science & Technology: We have the most social astronaut ; we lead in quantum computing; our dinosaur discoveries are cooler; we re more rational. 8. Crime & Calamity: We don t have out-of-control prison sentences; our government doesn t kill people; our judges are appointed, not elected; we are more relaxed about pot

31 Ambiguity as a Canadian Identity Marker? 5. Maclean s, 28 June, 2013: 99 reasons why it s better to be Canadian Results of our sixth Canada Day survey, from General Canadian Awesomeness: we re more popular backpackers knew it for years; our taste in chocolate is better; our national symbol is a worthier animal; roadside wonderland; our Canadian bacon is better than their Canadian bacon; up to 80 per cent of the world s polar bears are in Canada; our lobsters taste better; we have better sear monsters; we re record-setters; our national anthem is better

32 Ambiguity as a Canadian Identity Marker? 5. The Guardian Canada celebrates 150 but indigenous groups say history is being skated over Anniversary marks British North America Act of 1867, but many people are rejecting the official celebrations and instead highlighting indigenous resilience Every single time I see a Canada 150 logo I want to take a Sharpie and add a couple zeros to the end of it, Inuk filmmaker Alethea Arnaquq-Baril told a forum earlier this year. Asking me to celebrate Canada as being 150 years old is asking me to deny 14,000 years of indigenous history on this continent. Canada 150 Canada celebrates the General (white) Canadian awesomess and puts years of Canadian history full of conflicts, violence and hatred into oblivion

33 Ambiguity as a Canadian Identity Marker? Missing and mudered Indigenous women and girls: Stolen Sisters Open Letter to the Canadian government by the Native Women Association of Canada (22 Jan 2016), asked the government to Focus on the extreme violence faced by Indigenous women and girls and bring it to an end by setting out a clear plan of action for all levels of government Expose the systemic factors contributing to and perpetuating this violence Ensure the full and effective participation of affected families and communities Address the needs of Indigenous women and girls, and provide families the answers they need, across all jurisdictions in Canada

34 Ambiguity as a Canadian Identity Marker?

35 Ambiguity as a Canadian Identity Marker?

36 Celebrating Canada 150 Who and what?