Canadian Life 100 Years Ago

• In early 1900s, Canada was made up of only seven provinces

• (Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, British Columbia, Manitoba & PEI)

• Canada encouraged waves of immigrants to come and populate the land to the West

• Immigrants are people from other countries who come to live in another country (Canada)

• Eventually (in 1905) Saskatchewan and Alberta also joined into Canada

• By 1900, the population of Canada was

5 200 000 (5 million 2 hundred thousand)

• Toronto, Montreal and Halifax were the largest cities

• Edmonton, Vancouver, Winnipeg and Regina were all still small pioneer cities (rural cities)

• Most people made their living as farmers and completing hard manual labour

• Farming was the main job in 1900

• Also, logging, the railways and fishing were other popular jobs

• Construction jobs were available in the newly expanding cities and on the railways.

• Automobiles were very rare and people did not need drivers licenses nor speed limits, stop signs or traffic lights.

• Local communities were very important as people often stayed close to home.

• Life and activities revolved around such things as: the town band, local baseball or hockey teams and the Church.

• Communication - there were few telephones, no radios and no television.

• Most people did not even have access to newspapers or any news from around the world.

• People provided their own entertainment including sing-alongs, dancing, listening to bands, and family gatherings.

• Nights out would include watching local plays or concerts in the church halls.

• Families grew their own food – there were no supermarkets

• The Suffragette movement became popular in 1912 – this was women fighting for the right to vote

• Having political rights made women more equal in the law and society in general

Working Conditions in the 1900s — Canada’s Industrial Revolution

 • Factories began replacing the agricultural industries

• Most factory jobs involved hard labour, long hours, low pay…

• To save $ companies hired women and children

• Lighting and ventilation in factories were poor, work areas were dirty, machinery was dangerous.

• There was no job security & unemployment was common

• This allowed employers to pay lower wages and threaten workers if they didn’t work hard.

• Employers worked hard to stop any attempts at creating labour unions.

• Job instability was complicated by the huge flow of immigrants. Many were desperate for work.