If you have ever moved to a new area or changed schools, you may know what it feels like to be a newcomer in a strange place. What would that experience be like if you felt very different from the other people in your new community? You might find yourself in a place where the climate, language, clothing, and traditions are completely different. This was the case for many immigrants who came to Canada from 1896 to 1914.

LIVING IN BLOC SETTLEMENTSBefore coming to Canada, many immigrants farmed communally, or cooperatively. They were promised they would be able to continue this practice in Canada. The farmland in the Prairies was divided into 65 ha land grants. The land was often distributed in a pattern of bloc settlements. This meant that a group of people from the same cultural group were allowed to settle on farms next to each other, forming small colonies. Settling in groups meant that new immigrants could help each other get their farms started. It also meant that new immigrants were surrounded by familiar people, languages, religions, and customs. Read the exchange between E.G. Prior, a member of Parliament, and Sifton in Figure 7.11 and Figure 7.12. How do the perspectives on immigrants differ between these two men?

WHAT WAS LIFE LIKE FOR

NEW IMMIGRANTS?

UKRAINIAN COMMUNITIESIt was hard work settling in a new country and building homesteads. Homes were often built in forests and swampy areas, using logs, clay, and sod. In some families, men had to leave for months at a time to work on other farms, mines, and the railway to make money.

Ukrainian immigrants often lived in bloc settlements on the Prairies. The largest Ukrainian bloc settlement was near Edmonton, Alberta. There is still a large Ukrainian Canadian community there today. Examine Figure 7.13, a photo of a Ukrainian homestead, and read Figure 7.14, an excerpt from Anna Bokla’s immigration story. Bokla’s parents immigrated to Saskatchewan from Ukraine in 1900 or 1901. In Bokla’s community, her closest neighbours lived about 8 km away. As more Ukrainians immigrated to the area, new immigrants gathered on weekends to spend time together. At the time, the only community centre in Bokla’s district was a small Ukrainian Orthodox church. What do these sources tell you about some of the challenges the early settlers faced in these communities?

bloc settlement a type of land distribution that allows settlers from the same country to form small colonies

FIGURE 7.11 Prior, a member of Parliament from Victoria, British Columbia, said this in a debate in the House of Commons on July 7, 1899. Analyze: What is Prior’s opinion about bloc settlements?

FIGURE 7.12 Sifton, minister of the interior, said this in a debate in the House of Commons on July 7, 1899. Analyze: What is Sifton’s perspective on Ukrainian immigrants?

FIGURE 7.14 This is an excerpt from Bokla’s immigration story. Analyze: What might have been the benefit of organized cultural or educational activities in these communities?

“The Galicians [Ukrainians] and

Doukhobors … are allowed to live in

communities. If they do that, they are bound to

perpetuate their religion and their habits – and

I must say that some of those habits are very

filthy – and will not, in any reasonable length of

time, assimilate with the rest of the population.

If these people must be brought in, for heaven’s

sake, let us have them distributed here and

there so that they may learn in a short time a

different way of living.”

— E.G. Prior, member of Parliament

“If we are ever going to have the

North-West populated, we shall not succeed

in doing it by standing on our boundary with

a club or putting the microscope on every

man who wishes to come into the country.…

[The Ukrainians] are people who have lived in

poverty. That is no crime on their part.… [They

are] of good physique, and they are people of

good intellectual capacity; and they are moral

and well-living people.”

— Clifford Sifton, minister of the interior

“There were no organized cultural or educational activities

in our district … Sheho, which was twenty-five miles [40 km] from our

district, had more Ukrainian people … the children were taught the

Ukrainian language.… Our parents wouldn’t let us go that far and we had

to grow up without the benefit of organizational activities.”

— Anna Bokla, Ukrainian Canadian

FIGURE 7.13 This photo from the early 1900s shows the homestead of a Ukrainian immigrant family in Stewartburn, Manitoba. Analyze: What work went into building this homestead?

Which aspects of the Ukrainians’ lives do you think they were able to continue in their new homes in Canada?

202 UNIT 2: Canada’s Changing Society: 1890–1914 CHAPTER 7: The New Canadians: 1896–1914 203NEL NEL

BROKEN PROMISESToday, most descendants of the original Doukhobors live in British Columbia. What could have happened to make the Doukhobor settlers leave the Prairies and move farther west?

In 1905, Frank Oliver replaced Sifton as the minister of the interior. Oliver wished to see British families move onto the farmland that had been cleared by the Doukhobors. Sifton had promised the Doukhobors that they would have the freedom to maintain their cultural practices in their new home. However, Oliver claimed that the Doukhobors had refused to sign an oath of allegiance, which was a condition for receiving a homestead. He also said they were not allowed to settle in communities. Oliver began the process of reclaiming 104 765 ha of land from the Doukhobors living in Saskatchewan. He claimed their communal farming practices meant they were not clearing the land fast enough.

James Mavor was a Canadian who had helped the Doukhobors initially settle in Canada. He wrote a letter of protest to Prime Minister Laurier. Read an excerpt from his letter in Figure 7.17. Mavor’s protests did not help; the government took away the Doukhobors’ land. In 1908, 6000 Doukhobors moved west to British Columbia, and the government opened up the cleared Doukhobor land to new settlers. What impact would this have on the Doukhobors and the communities that had been established?

HOME CHILDRENBetween 1867 and 1948, 100 000 British children were sent to live and work on farms in Canada. These children were known as “Home Children” because they were chosen from orphanages or “homes” for poor children in Britain. Typically, Home Children were between the ages of 8 and 16. Examine Figure 7.18, which shows a group of Home Children arriving in Saint John, New Brunswick. Why do you think settlers would want these children to work on their farms and in their homes?

CHALLENGES OF SETTLING ON FARMSIt was hard work to settle the land on the Prairies. The new farmers often came from poverty and had limited resources to help them get started. Everyone in the family had to work hard, often in isolation from their neighbours, with few tools and machines to help. Read the quote by a historian in Figure 7.15. Which of the three factors do you think had the biggest impact in the lives of new immigrants?

FIGURE 7.15 In this excerpt from his book, The Ukrainian Bloc Settlement in East Central Alberta, 1890–1930: A History, historian Martynowych explains how some immigrants could overcome challenges. Analyze: What could be other benefits to arriving in the early spring?

FIGURE 7.17 This is an excerpt from Mavor’s letter to Laurier, written April 13, 1907. Analyze: What does Mavor say the Doukhobors had invested in their land and been promised in return?

FIGURE 7.18 This undated photo shows British Home Children arriving in Saint John, New Brunswick. Analyze: What details do you notice about the children in this photo?

FIGURE 7.16 In this photo, Doukhobor women are shown manually pulling a plow in Manitoba, 1899. Analyze: What can you learn from this photo about the challenges of farming on the Prairies?

“[T]hree factors—money, contacts and time of arrival—

determined the ease with which the immigrants adjusted to the life of

homesteaders. Money allowed the immigrant family to subsist [survive]

from the time of their arrival until their first small crop was harvested. A

contact—a friend or a relative who had emigrated earlier—could orient

the new arrivals … and offer food and shelter for the first winter. Finally,

by arriving in the early spring the settlers would have enough time to

plant a few potatoes and sow some grain.”

— Orest T. Martynowych, historian

“That villages have been

built and common stables for the horses

of the villages, sheds for the agricultural

implements … and that more than the

necessary cultivation has been effected.

The people had also acquired a large

number of steam ploughs and had

installed flour mills, flax mills and stores

to a very large extent. All of this was

done on the promise of the responsible

minister [Sifton] that they should be

allowed to cultivate their land in their

own way.”

— James Mavor, supporter of the

Doukhobors

DOUKHOBOR COMMUNITIESIn 1909, in Saskatchewan, a friendship began between the Cree on the Muskeg Lake Reserve and the Doukhobors in the community of Petrofka. When the Doukhobors came to Canada from Russia, they did not have any horses to help them plow their land. A Cree farmer, Jim Greyeyes, saw Doukhobor women turning the soil by dragging a plow themselves. Look at Figure 7.16, which shows an example of the type of scene that Greyeyes would have witnessed. He provided four horses and his own worker to help the women. How did having good relations with the Cree help the Doukhobors overcome the challenges of new settlements?

What is the significance of

cooperation within and between different groups on the Prairies?

What challenges might immigrants to

Canada face today?

204 UNIT 2: Canada’s Changing Society: 1890–1914 CHAPTER 7: The New Canadians: 1896–1914 205NEL NEL

FOCUS ON

TRY IT 1. What conclusions can you draw about whether

the lives of the Home Children improved

in Canada? What evidence supports your

conclusions? Use the criteria on page 206 to

support your conclusions.

2. What other questions would you ask to help

you evaluate your evidence? Research to find

information that would answer these questions.

How does this additional information affect

your conclusions?

Dr. Thomas Barnardo, an Irish doctor, was one

of the individuals involved in the Home Children

program. From 1882 to 1939, his organization sent

about 30 000 Home Children to Canada. When the

children arrived, they were put in receiving homes

in Ontario until a family was found for them. Many

male children, like the boy in Figure 7.19, were

placed in a training farm near Russell, Manitoba.

Here, they learned farming skills. How old do you

think the boy in the photo is? Based on this photo,

how does his life compare with yours?

After you interpret and analyze your information,

you need to evaluate and draw conclusions

about your inquiry question. This means making

an informed and critical judgment based on

your evidence.

To draw conclusions about your inquiry question,

• use your new understanding and what you

already know

• evaluate your evidence to see if it does or

does not support your conclusions

• determine whether you have enough

evidence—you may need more sources

CASE STUDY: HOME CHILDRENThe immigration program to send Home Children

from Britain to Canada and other parts of the

British Empire began with the best of intentions.

Most people involved believed that this program

was saving children from the poverty in British

cities and giving them a chance at a better life.

Did life improve for Home Children in Canada? Use

this inquiry question to help you understand the

experiences of Home Children.

To answer this inquiry question, you need to

determine how you will evaluate or measure

improvement in Home Children’s lives. You might

consider the following criteria or create your own:

• What were some advantages of immigration for

Home Children?

• What were some disadvantages of immigration

for Home Children?

• What were some short-term effects of the

immigration of Home Children?

• What were some long-term effects of the

immigration of Home Children?

EVALUATE AND DRAW CONCLUSIONS

FIGURE 7.19 This photo, taken in 1900, shows a boy plowing at Dr. Barnardo’s Industrial Farm in Manitoba. Analyze: How difficult do you think the farming tasks were for Home Children?

FIGURE 7.21 A Home Child shares her experience in 1912. She and her sister were sent to Canada while her two brothers remained in England. Analyze: How does this testimonial help you answer your inquiry question?

FIGURE 7.22 In this quote, Gough describes her experience as a Home Child in Whitby, Ontario. Analyze: How does Gough’s experience compare to the intentions of the immigration program for Home Children?

“I got more beatings in Canada

than I ever got.… One spring we were rounding

up the cattle and the cattle get in the right

place between me and the farmer. He took the

bamboo rod to me…. I have a spine injury and I

blame it on that man.”

— Anonymous Home Child

“We were not allowed in the main

part of the house … only the kitchen and where

we slept. I shared a room over the kitchen

with the other girl.… Even though there was a

bathroom in the house we were never allowed

to use it.… We ate in the kitchen, alone.”

— Helen Gough, Home Child

FIGURE 7.20 Hutchinson became a Home Child after the death of her father. In this quote, she recounts her experience as a Home Child in 1909. Analyze: What assumptions may have been made about Home Children?

“My first assignment was at a

minister’s house. I did not like his wife. She

told me all Barnardo Children came from the

slums and I replied that I had as good a home

as she. She did not send me back to Hazel

Brae [home in Peterborough, Ontario] but

sent me to a farmer down the road where

I was happy.”

— Edith Hutchinson, Home Child

Some children were adopted into loving homes

in which the family fulfilled the obligation to provide

shelter, food, clothing, an allowance, and schooling.

These children achieved a good life, which was

the goal for all child immigrants. However, most

often, Home Children were taken to farms as

workers. Many farmers, who learned about the

children’s arrival in newspaper advertisements, saw

Home Children as cheap labour. They overworked,

abused, and neglected the children. They failed to

provide them with the support that was promised,

particularly when it came to education. Often, the

farmers’ own children were able to attend school

because the farm work they had been responsible

for was now being done by the Home Children.

This immigration program came to an end in

Canada in 1948. Today, more than 10 percent

of Canadians are descendants of Home Children.

Canada and a number of other countries

commemorated these children by declaring 2010

the Year of the Home Children. A few of the Home

Children still living at the time were interviewed about

their experiences. Read Figure 7.20, Figure 7.21, and

Figure 7.22, keeping in mind that children in the past

did not receive the same rights and treatment as

children today. What similarities and differences in

their experiences are evident in these quotes?

207NEL206 NELUNIT 2: Canada’s Changing Society: 1890–1914 CHAPTER 7: The New Canadians: 1896–1914

JEWISH COMMUNITIESAs you learned earlier in this chapter, most Jewish immigrants to Canada lived in cities. Most new immigrants spoke Yiddish and did not know English or French. They found work as peddlers (salespeople who travel selling goods), tailors, and shopkeepers, and established synagogues, schools, sports facilities, and newspapers. Their lives were still difficult and anti-Semitism was also present in Canada. You will learn more about the effects of discrimination in Chapter 8. Many Jewish families ended up living in slums, overpopulated and run-down parts of the city. In Winnipeg, most Jewish immigrants lived in poverty and ended up finding homes in the overcrowded slum area just north of the Canadian Pacific Railway track. This neighbourhood became known as “New Jerusalem.” Examine Figure 7.25, a photo of New Jerusalem. What challenges do you think new immigrants faced living in New Jerusalem? Today, Winnipeg is still a large centre for the Jewish community in Canada.

1. CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE What might be some of

the intended and unintended consequences of

bloc settlements?

2. CONTINUITY AND CHANGE How did Canada’s

immigration practices change when Oliver took

over for Sifton? Who benefited the most from

those changes?

3. COMMUNICATE Imagine you were a Home Child

working on a new farm. Write a postcard

home telling the recipient of your impressions

of Canada.

4. EVALUATE AND DRAW CONCLUSIONS Which immigrant

group do you think had the most challenging

circumstances to overcome in Canada? Why?

CHECK-IN

CHINESE COMMUNITIES Although settling in rural communities was encouraged, about 50 percent of immigrants coming to Canada during this time settled in cities. As you learned in Chapter 3, 15 000 Chinese people moved to Canada in the 1880s to work on the Canadian Pacific Railway. After the railway was completed, most could not afford the cost to travel back to China. Instead, they moved to cities across Canada to find work. People from Eastern Canada and Europe were arriving in Western Canada on the new railway, also looking for jobs in industries such as mining and logging. Chinese immigrants who continued to arrive in Canada mostly settled in the West. Read the excerpt from a news article in Figure 7.23. (Note that the quote uses the term Chinamen, which was common at that time. Today, it is considered offensive.) Why were the Chinese recruited to work in Canada to build the railway but were not welcomed at this time?

Many Chinese people became entrepreneurs to improve their lives. They worked in laundries, cafés, and restaurants. It did not cost a lot of money to open a laundry or café business. Lem Wong was 14 when he immigrated to Canada from China in 1897. Wong would work in laundries for 14-hour days for $4.00 a week. By 1914, he had saved up enough money to open his own successful restaurant in London, Ontario, called Wong’s Café.

Starting in the 1890s, cities across Canada began to develop their own Chinatowns. These areas were a safe place in cities for Chinese people to live and work. They could attend social gatherings, buy Chinese goods, and send money back to their families in China. Vancouver’s Chinatown is the largest in Canada. Until the 1930s, Chinese people in Vancouver were allowed to buy property only in Chinatown. Today, approximately 70 percent of Chinese Canadians live in either Toronto or Vancouver. Look at Figure 7.24, which shows Vancouver’s Chinatown in 2014. How do you think communities like Vancouver’s Chinatown have changed Canada?

FIGURE 7.23 This is an excerpt from an article entitled “No Chinese Wanted Here,” printed in the Whitehorse Star on June 28, 1902. Analyze: What does this excerpt tell you about the attitudes of some Canadians toward Chinese people at this time?

FIGURE 7.24 This photo, taken in 2014, shows dancers in the Chinese New Year Parade in Vancouver. Analyze: What can you learn about the current Chinese community in Vancouver from this photo?

“On the

train last night … were

among the passengers

five Chinamen from

Victoria.… Early this

morning a committee of

young citizens waited

on them and told them

they were not wanted

in Yukon Territory and

they had better make

arrangements to return

from whence they

came … they would have

to leave on the freight

train … in an hour’s time

to which they agreed.”

— Whitehorse Star

slum a highly populated and run-down area of a city

FIGURE 7.25 This photo from 1904 shows Winnipeg’s New Jerusalem neighbourhood, where many Jewish immigrants lived. Analyze: How do you think people felt living here?

208 UNIT 2: Canada’s Changing Society: 1890–1914 CHAPTER 7: The New Canadians: 1896–1914 209NEL NEL