The Emergence of

Modern Canada

Unit 6

Laurier is Elected Laurier - Liberal Party wins 1896 election first French-Canadian Prime Minister French Canadians happy – they want to

protect French language and culture and Catholic religion

Laurier sought to promote national unity and to protect Canada’s interest abroad

Manitoba School Crisis

1890 – Manitoba creates an English-only school system

This is against Manitoba Act of 1870 – which ensured English and French as the 2 official languages in Manitoba - schools were taught in both languages.

MacDonald refused to intervene on behalf of the French-speaking citizens in Manitoba and Quebec voted in favour of liberal party – this resulted in MacDonald losing the 1896 election.

Laurier’s compromise – if you want French schooling then you must live in a French-majority area.

Imperialism: A French-English Split English-speaking Canadians - loyal to the mother

country, Britain –proud to be part of the worldwide British Empire –known as imperialists

French-speaking Canadians felt isolated and less pride in Canada’s status as a self-governing colony of Britain.

Up until the 20th C., Canada relied on Britain for military protection but this changed as Britain looked to Canada for military help at the dawning of the 20th C.

South Africa War – known as the Boer War

Boer War 1899 – Britain controlled many parts of Africa

and they tried to extend their control to South Africa.

British settlers met resistance from the Boers – descendants of the early Dutch colonists.

Britain wanted to ensure equal rights for British settlers but the Boers saw it as British seizure of their land.

Britain seemed interested in the newly discovered gold and diamond mines

Boers declared war on Britain in 1899. Britain called on colonies for support.

Opposing views in Canada: English Canadians saw the war as a threat to the British Empire and supported sending troops

French Canadians were sympathetic to the Boer and did not think it was justified to get involved in imperialist war

Laurier compromised and announced that Canada would equip and transport volunteers to South Africa – They became part of the British forces.

Canada sent 7300 volunteers and spent $3 million on the Boer War

Bourassa – once Laurier’s ally - criticized his decision – he didn’t think it was necessary for Canada to involve itself in Britain’s war

Naval Issue Naval race between Britain and Germany and

Britain wanted Empire countries to supply ships or finance ship building

English Canadians were supportive but French Canadians wanted Canada to have its own Navy.

Laurier – “Naval Services Act” 1910 – Canada would have a Navy of its own that could be turned over to Britain in times of emergency.

Both sides opposed Laurier’s compromise but for different reasons.

Conservatives leader Borden knick-named Canadian Navy as ‘tin-pot’ navy

Quebecers opposed as it seemed to tie Canada too closely to Britain

French-Canadians – Bourassa – founded a paper Le Devoir to publically criticize Laurier’s naval policy

By 1914 Canada has no navy policy and its fleet consisted of 2 obsolete British warships

Reciprocity 1910 – Canadian farmers were tired of being

captive to Ontario and Quebec and wanted Canada to negotiate a reciprocity treaty with the US. They convinced the Liberal government to negotiate with the US

Business leaders and nationalists didn’t want reciprocity and feared cheaper American goods would hurt business.

Alaska Boundary Dispute

Alaska was purchased by the USA in 1867 and boundary was of little concern until gold was discovered in the Yukon in 1898.

Only access to the gold fields in Canada was through American territory.

1903 international tribunal to rule on boundary – 6 judges (3 American, 1 British and 2 Canadian)

Britain was dealing with another dispute with American regarding boundaries in South America and she didn’t want to anger the USA so sided with the USA on the Alaska boundary. Canada loses and was furious!

Canada called for greater independence (foreign affairs) from Britain because it felt like its hands were tied.

Yukon became an official Canadian territory in 1898 with Dawson City as its capital.

The Laurier Boom The worldwide economy booms during Laurier’s

time in office Canada is now trading lumber and minerals for

high prices Better shipping technology and lower freight rates

helps with resources and agricultural exports in world markets

Pulp and paper industry grows and newspaper industry follows suit.

More mining in the Canadian shield

CPR extends its lines into Kootenay region and opens Caminco mine

Lumber industry grows from $2 mil - $65 mil business from 1900-1910

Prairies become ‘the bread basket of the world’

Hydroelectric powers were harnessed to power new factories and mines.

The Last Best West More Money and More People became

hallmarks of the Laurier era 1867-1914 - Immigration boom in the

Prairies with Clifford Sifton’s , minister of the interior, open door policy. Prairies welcomed immigrants from Central & Eastern Europe (Hungry, Ukraine, Romania, Czech, Russia, Austria etc.). Concerns over new immigrants and their ability to ‘fit in’.

These farmers from Central and Eastern Europe were used to extreme climates and understood dryland farming methods.

British settler made up 1/3 of all new immigrants – factory work in larger cities.

1 million Americans came and mostly settled in Alberta – they brought money and machinery.

British children came to Canada as unwanted children from poor families. Canadian farmers took them in as ‘home children’ – adopted or used as cheap labour.

Push-Pull Factors of Immigration

Push factor – need to leave one’s homeland Pull factor – lure of opportunity in another

country Many Americans, Britons, Europeans and

Asians looked to Canada as a place to improve their quality of life

Ukrainians fled repeated crop failures, starvation and over population in their homeland

Adjusting to Life in the Prairies

Needed $500 to outfit their homestead. 1st 2 years were hardest

Comfort was traded in for crops – housing was poor quality – leaky, flee/fly infested and smelly.

Hard work and long hours. Winters were bitterly cold, diet was poor, natural disasters were common (hail, drought, grasshoppers).

Railways to Everywhere

2 New transcontinental railways during Laurier’s era: Canadian National – routes north from Quebec to Pacific, and Grand Trunk – coast to coast and eastern areas not serviced by the CPR and CN

The outbreak of WWI in 1914 saw railways not operated by the CPR consolidated with the CNR – a railway “to be owned by the people of Canada’

The Rise of the Unions

The division between rich and poor was widening and between 1890-1910 workers began to organize labour unions with 10% of the work force joining union.

Government and the legal system favoured employers rather than unions. Police and militia were called in when worker staged strikes.

Labour unrest in BC – read page 270. One of the largest arrest in BC history in 1913

when 179 miners were arrested.

Closing the Door to Immigration

Immigration become more difficult for Asian immigrants in 1906. Limits were imposed and provincial governments started to restrict Chinese, Japanese and South Asian immigrants. For example only 400 Japanese were allowed to enter Canada per year.

Canada tries to reduce immigration of East Indian immigrants but can’t because British subjects can not be denied entry to Canada

1906 – immigration act is amended to state that immigrants must travel via direct passage (non-stop) from their country of origin.

1914 - Gurdit Singh and the Komagata Maru challenge this law but are unsuccessful and escorted out of Vancouver harbour.

Those Less Equal Only land owning men could vote but

Laurier’s era see changes to voting practices Women’s Rights

Made up only 15% of undergraduates at Canadian Universities, but not eligible for scholarships

Barred from many professions

Campaign for women’s suffrage – the right to vote. Suffragists were mainly middle-class women devoted to social reform. Also known as “maternal feminists” because they were convinced that the skills of wives and mothers would bring fresh, compassionate perspective to male-dominated governments in Canada. They believed that feminine influence would improve the lives of women and children.

Women Suffragists were part of a world-wide movement. In Canada ladies like Nellie McClung and Landy Aberdeen (wife of Canada’s Governor General) made huge efforts to achieve reform.

1916 – Manitoba, Sask and Alberta were the first provinces to allow women the right to vote

1917 – BC women gain the right to vote and the right to hold political office

1940 – Quebec was the last

Famous Five Emily Murphy, Irene Parlby, Nellie McCLung, Louise

McKinney and Henrietta Edwards In 1927 The Famous 5 asked the Supreme Court ‘Does

the word ‘Persons’ in Section 24 of the BNA Act of 1867 include female persons?’ - Supreme Court’s answer was no (not eligible for appointment to the Senate of Canada)

They went to Britain and had the judgment overturned by the British Judicial Committee of the Privy Council on Oct 18, 1929.

Women were considered persons and eligible to hold any appointed or elected office

Rights of Native Peoples

Canada wanted to assimilate First Nations peoples into Canadian society and to make treaties that would free up land for European settlers.

The Native peoples wanted to retain their traditional territories and based their claims on the Royal protection of 1763 – recognized as ‘Nations or Tribes’ and under the protection of Britain.

1876 – Indian Act – First Nations on reserve land and children to residential schools

1910 – 60 residential schools Children receive tuition on manual, vocational and

religious instruction Forbidden to speak their 1st language and practice

culture Some saw value but others were traumatized Devastating impact on attempts on preserving

and passing on of culture to future generations

BC – only 15 treaties were signed (out of 200 bands). (James Douglas’ treaties)

Settlement pressure forced the issue. 1911 – Native chiefs from tribes in BC unite and

present government with treaties options. Government doesn’t know how to agree.

McKenna-McBride leads a Royal Commission in 1916 to determine Native reserve land. He gives 136 square miles but cuts off 74 square miles of better land. Natives have the right to object – and do, but government changes the law of consent.

Nisga’a Land Claim A 90-year long treaty – Nisga’a band had not

signed any treaties with the government. They wanted: honour aboriginal titles to the land, give Nisga’a larger reserves and compensate Nisga’a for any land they surrendered.

Laurier’s government encourage Nisga’a to seek clarification with the British Privy Council but Privy Council demanded it be heard in Canadian court first, but this never happened.

Nisga’a’s never abandoned their claims

Aug 4, 1998 – Nisga’a met with Federal and Provincial governments and signed. Historical event – 1st treaty concluded west of the Rockies in BC since BC joined confederation in 1871.

Treaty allocates $200 million in settlement funds, 1930 km2 of land in Nass Valley, and ownership of 18 reserve outside the area, entitles to all resources on Nisga’a lands, rights to timber outside of the settlement, guaranteed shore of 20% of allowable catch of salmon on Nass River., make laws consistent with Canadian Law, the Charter and Criminal Code.

Wonders of the Laurier Ages

Technological advances: travel by car and plane, communication by phone, motion picture.

1986 –1st public screening of moving pictures 1901 – First automobiles appear on Eaton’s

catalogue, 1908- PEI bans automobiles. Bought mostly by rich, well-to-do people (doctors, businessmen, politicians etc)

Canada’s first gas station opens in Vancouver in 1908.

First successful flight in Canada was in 1909 in Baddeck N.S. – it flew almost 1 km.

Telephone was popular in Canada and companies offered incentives for customers

1901 – Marconi receives 1st wireless transmission from England on Signal Hill in Newfoundland via Morse code. 1908 – transmission to Britain for public

1907 – 1st radio broadcast of music and voice – used in Titanic rescue in 1912, saving 700 people.

Sports are becoming more popular – Canada 1st participates in the Olympic Games in 1908, 1st Grey Cup in 1909.

Arts – Poets like Pauline Johnson becomes popular in Canada and abroad celebrating her native heritage, Lucy Maude Montgomery writes Anne of Green Gables, Emily Carr gains popularity and draws comics for Victoria newspaper.

Refrigerated rail cars make a variety of food available, 1910 Heinz creates processed foods like Ketchup, Soft-drinks hit the scene and Canada Dry Ginger Ale is developed, Coca-Cola is 1st advertised as a medicine then a soft-drink.