Chapter 14: Canada Today Name: Chapter Inquiry How have citizens reacted to the social and political changes that have been taking place in Canada since the 1960s? Active Citizenship Every citizen has a role to play in a community. In a country every citizen plays a part in making it a better place to live. We all share an interest in improving our country. Vocabulary: Use the glossary or text to define the following words. 1. bicultural A country built on two cultures 2.bilingual 3.bilingual country 4.Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms 5.citizen 6.multiculturalism 7.Official Languages Act 8.Self government 9.unilingual 10.urbanization Fluent in two languages The government operates in two official languages A legal document created in 1982 that lists the basic rights that belong to every Canadian citizen A member of a society Government policy designed to promote cultural understanding and harmony in a society made up of people from varied cultural, racial and ethnic backgrounds A law passed in 1969 that restates that French and English are Canada s official languages at the federal level A form of government in which a group is able to make the decisions that affect their lives directly Use of one language The process of people moving from the countryside to towns and cities, causing an area to become more urban
A Diverse Society Early Cultural Diversity From early colonization to the Second World War, the majority of the people living here were of French or British descent. These two groups saw themselves as the foundings peoples of Canada but did not include the Aboriginal peoples as having been here first. As a result Canada was considered to be only a bicultural country. A New Immigration Policy During the 1960s things began to change. After the Second World War the government changed its immigration policy and stopped favouring immigrants from just Britain and the United States and opened its doors to people from other countries. Canada was still choosy about who they would let in and introduced a points system to help them decide who would be allowed to enter the country. Because of this system the number of people from Asia, Africa and the Carribean increased. Immigration Act of 1978 In the 1960s and 1970s Canada needed more immigrants to come and fill the many jobs created by the booming economy. The government introduced the Immigration Act of 1978 to help solve this problem. What were the four main aims of this act? 1. Attract skilled, educated immigrants 2. Reunite families that had been separated 3. Accept refugees who were in danger in their home country 4. Allow immigrants to become citizens of Canada
Multiculturalism New immigration policies made it possible for people from many different countries to move to Canada and as a result it quickly became a very diverse country and was no longer bicultural. Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau introduced the policy of multiculturalism in 1971. What were the three main ideas of the multiculturalism policy?(2 Marks Each) 1. Recognize that Canada is made up of many different cultures 2. Government should help citizens protect their culture 3. Government should promote respect and equality for all Citizens Rights Every Canadian citizen has the exact same individual rights. In 1982 the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms became the law. This document lists the basic rights of every citizen of Canada. Some of these rights include: Right to vote Right to belong to any organization/political party Right to a fair trial if accuse of a crime right to practice any religion Right to move freely in Canada Right to run for political office
First Nations and Métis in Western Canada In the early years of Canada the number of Aboriginal people went down for many years because of warfare, disease and poverty. During the 1920s however, the population began to grow faster than the non -aboriginal. Aboriginal Baby Boom Aboriginal youth make up the fastest growing population group in Canada today. This has strengthened their culture by renewing interest in their traditional arts and in learning their original languages. What has the increase in the Aboriginal population resulted in them needing? More schools and houses Better health care More jobs for young people Self-Government Until the 1950s the federal government had total control over the running of the Aboriginal communities. Aboriginals wanted to make some of the decisions that affected their lives. This is called self -government. Francophones in Alberta and Canada French and English in Canada Today one out of 5 Canadians are of Canadien descent. One in 4 people speak French as their first language. Many Canadians study French in French immersion schools. Official Languages Act In order to make sure that the federal government provided all services in both official languages they passed the Official Languages Act in 1969. This law states that both French and English are Canada s Official Languages. The Government must use them to serve its citizens when they are dealing with the Federal Government. This law gives both official languages equal status. Bilingual and Unilingual Provinces Canada is bilingual at the Federal level but New Brunswick is the only bilingual province. All of the other provinces are unilingual. French in Alberta In 2001 there were nearly 60000 people in Alberta who claimed French as their first language.
Urban and Rural Canada Before the 1930s most Canadians lived in small rural communities. Since then, people have been moving from the country to the cities. This process is called urbanization. New Resources On Feb. 13 th, 1947 oil was struck in Leduc, Alberta. Canada became one of the world s leading producers of oil. This changed the economy of the West and although wheat was still important, it was no longer the only major resource. Reasons for the Move to the City List and explain why so many people migrated from the countryside to the cities? 1. More jobs in factories 2. Larger farms with expensive machinery using fewer farmers 3. Rural towns shrinking 4. Newcomers (immigrants) preferred cities