UNIT 4: Defining Canada Chapter 7: The Emergence of Modern Canada

UNIT 4: Defining Canada Chapter 7: The Emergence of Modern Canada

Laurier: The Compromiser In 1896, 20 years of Conservative rule ended when the Liberals won a majority government in an election Wilfrid Laurier became the first French Canadian Prime Minister

What does compromise mean? A compromise is a way of settling differences by everybody making concessions. If you want to stay out until 10 and your friend wants to stay out until midnight, 11 is a goodcompromise. Compromising is meeting someone in the middle Everyone gets some things they want, but they don t get EVERYTHING they want.

Because of the Northwest Uprising and the execution of Louis Riel, tension between English and French Canadians became worse In the 1880s, the Manitoba Schools Act removed government support from Roman Catholic schools Laurier wanted national unity The Francophones were very angry

The Manitoba Schools Question Laurier wanted national unity He made a compromise with Manitoba s premier Thomas Greenway: French instruction would be allowed in any school with at least 10 French-speaking students No government funding (money) for a Catholic School Board Catholic religious classes would be allowed for 30 minutes at the end of the school day French speaking Manitobans were still unhappy and unsatisfied.

The Boer War In 1899, Britain tried to extend its control in South Africa because gold and diamonds were discovered there Descendants of Dutch (from Holland) colonists calle Boers resisted, leading to war

COLONIALISM

Britain called on its colonies for help Imperialist Canadians supported sending troops, but French Canadians did not want to get involved Laurier compromised again: he agreed to send only volunteer soldiers (soldiers that wanted to go)

The Naval Issue In the early 1900s, Britain was in a naval race with Germany Both countries were trying to have the most powerful navy Britain asked Canada to give money to help build warships

Again, there was a division in Canadian opinion: English Canadian imperialists wanted to support Britain French Canadians wanted Canada to have its own navy

Naval Service Act Again, Laurier would try to compromise He created the Naval Service Act in 1910 Canada would have its own Navy It could be used by Britain if there was an emergency Both English and French Canadians did not like the plan English Canadians thought the navy was too small and weak French Canadians worried about getting involved in a British war unrelated to Canada...

The Alaskan Boundary Dispute America was still expanding and Laurier was worried. Gold was discovered in the Yukon, and now the location of the border was very important In 1897, 100,000 miners came to the Yukon

To get to the gold fields by sea, you must cross American territory called the Alaska Panhandle Canadian s had to ask for permission to travel through American ports So a special court was created to solve the problem: 3 judges from America 2 judges from Canada 1 judge from Britain Alaska Panhandle

American President Theodore Roosevelt wanted the best result for America, and Britain did not want to make him angry The result was that half of British Columbia s coast was cut off from the sea Canada learned that it was powerless in international affairs!!!!!

The Last Best West Campaign

The Last Best West At the end of the 19th century, the Canadian economy was booming The global need for wheat and lack of free (homestead) land in the U.S drew people to Canada, especially the Prairies

Clifford Sifton was Laurier s Minister of the Interior and was in charge of immigration and bringing settlers to the Prairies To encourage immigrants from Europe, he used pamphlets, newspaper ads, posters, public lectures, etc.

Do you think these advertising posters showed the REAL Canadian west? Why or why not?

The REAL Canadian West

An Open Door Policy During the Laurier Era, most immigrants were from Britain, the US, and eastern Europe Because of Canada s open-door policy (was it really open door?), many settlers came to the prairies

The most successful immigrants knew how to farm in climates that were similar to the prairies (Eastern Europeans) Some Americans were very good at farming, and most chose to move to Alberta

Life in the Cities At that time, most immigrants moved to the Prairies 1/3 of immigrants moved to urban areas Many lived in ghettos: an area of a city populated by a minority group, usually with poor infrastructure and quality of life

Fighting for Labour Rights During the Laurier era, economic prosperity helped only the rich Canadian industry was controlled by a few corporations The gap between rich and poor was becoming wider

Many immigrants came from countries with unions, and tried to form unions here The Canadian Government and legal system was on the side of the employers Unions had a difficult time, and there were many violent confrontations between employers and workers

The Big Strike In 1910, coal miners on Vancouver Island went on a strike that lasted 4 years They suffered terrible, dangerous working conditions and poor wages They were thrown out of their company-owned houses, and strike breakers and Asian workers were hired for much less pay In 1913, the government sent a militia to stop a confrontation. 179 miners were arrested.

The Struggle for Human Rights The economic boom during the Laurier era showed the great divide between the wealthy and the poor Women, First Nations, and minorities did not have many rights The wealthy elite did not care about them

Rights for women The lives of women were very difficult at the end of the 19th Century Work was difficult: there were no washing machines, dish washers, electric stoves, etc. They had to raise their children (sometimes more than 10!) Women did not work after marriage and education was not considered important for them

When Laurier was elected in 1896, only male property owners could vote Women, First Nations, and immigrants were not allowed to vote This led to a campaign for women s suffrage

Suffragists Suffragist: someone who wants to extend the right to vote, especially to women Suffragists felt women could contribute important ideas and caring attitudes to Canadian government

Bad Romance: Give Us the Vote!

Nellie McClung (1872-1951) A teacher and author who fought for women s suffrage She was a good speaker: witty, humorous, intelligent

She later became a MLA in Alberta, and helped allow women into federal politics in 1928 (before that they weren t considered persons in the British North America Act of 1867!) *We are going to learn more about Nelly McClung

First Nations As more immigrants came to the West, First Nations farms were being taken from them They government thought they couldn t farm, so they gave the farms to European settlers They lost some of their reserve land too to make room for more immigrants

Residential Schools To try to assimilate native peoples, the government forced children into residential schools The wanted them to lose their culture and identity By 1910 more than 150,000 First Nations and Métis were forced into these schools It was a government policy of cultural genocide

The faced harsh discipline, were not allowed to speak to their families or speak their language Many children suffered physical and sexual abuse, and died because of terrible living conditions

Banning the Potlatch The potlatch was a an important First Nations ceremony, especially in BC It was gift exchanging ceremony for many special occasions Sometimes it lasted for days

The government banned the potlatch in 1884, and in 1914 it banned traditional Aboriginal clothing It was another attempt at cultural genocide

The end of the Laurier Era The Laurier Era was a great time for the Canadian economy, but a difficult time for women, minorities, poor people, and First Nations In 1911, he tried to negotiate a reciprocity agreement: western farmers could buy cheaper American goods

But Ontario industry owners were opposed to the idea, and caused Laurier to lose the election of 1911

Page 273: The Anti-Asian Riot 1907 What was the Asiatic Exclusion League? Why did they protest in 1907? What happened in the riot? What were the results of the riot?

Page 274-275: The Komagata Maru Define: The Continuous Passage Act Why did the government pass this act? What happened to the Komagata Maru? Why do we call this a racist incident?