Being Canadian - Where it all fits together today Lesson 5

Unit Agenda Canadian symbols. Different communities throughout Canadian history. Interactions between communities. Different perspectives about same event(s). Canadian Identity today, Inclusiveness, Diversity, and Charter of Rights and Freedom.

What is Canada? A huge country with great mountains, lakes, rivers, prairies, and coastlines. A country of big cities, small towns, tiny villages, and rural areas. Second largest country after Russia (land area is almost 10 millions square kilometers). Some people find it hard imagining Canada’s freezing winters, but surviving its cold weather is an experience that almost all Canadians share. Winter weather forms part of the Canadian identity. Canada is a country composed of people from many different backgrounds. Together, all of Canada’s people help to form the modern Canadian identity.

From History Founding our Nation

Throughout history – Shaping our nation

Multicultural Canada Canada today is a multicultural country made up of people who came from many different backgrounds. Canada has a long history of immigration. Just as first settlers from Europe sailed to North America hoping for a better life, so do people who move to Canada today. People coming to Canada today may be searching for freedom, safety, work opportunities, change in lifestyle, or to be with other family member who already live in Canada. Newcomers helped share the nation today with their ideas, hard work, and readiness to try new things. Together with Canada’s Aboriginal population and the ancestors of European settlers, newcomers to the country contribute to Canadian society and identity.

Timeline – who came to Canada? Early day: Aboriginals. French settlers (most now in Quebec). British settlers. Loyalists from the United States (wanted to remain loyal to Britain and many moved into Ontario) s – More newcomers. Immigration from Ireland, Scotland, and England increased. 1840s – Irish people settled to escape famine in Ireland. They mostly worked as laborers and so helped in building Canada’s economy and growth. Scottish people contributed to Canadian business and politices, many started schools. English people immigrated too especially since Canada’s legal system and governnment are based on the English system.

Chinese Canadians: Many Chinese people moved to British Columbia in the 1800s to help build the railway connecting Canada from east to west. After finishing it, they struggled with a lot of discrimination but today many of them persevered and are a very important part of Canada’s multicultural society. World War II – Thousands of Europeans people were displaced and their homes destroyed during the war, so Canada loosened its immigration policities to help these people and also because Canada itself needed more workers to build it economy. War brides also came to Canada as newcomers and they brought their children with them. Refugees in Need Refugees are people who leave their home country in search for safety and protection in another country. Canada now has a good reputations as a welcoming country for refugees. It has accepted Hungarian refugees in 1956, Vietnamese refugees in 1979, and every year is offers protection to around refugees.

Different Perspectives – National identity but Regional differences

Your task You will take one of five sections. Each section has a part of Canada with one or more provinces. Your jobs is to find two things: 1)What is the area special for (ex: agriculture?) 2)Is there any particular group living more in that area?

What is the province or the provinces you have? What are your provinces special for? (write a basic summary in point form). Is there a specific group that is living more in that area? (ex: Metis, French Canadians…)

Canada – A path to Citizenship What makes people feel as if they belong to one nation? What does it mean to be a citizen? It took a long time for Canadians to feel like they belonged to one nation. It also took many years for some Canadians to be given the right to vote. It even took almost as long for people born in Canada to become Canadian citizens.

What defines Canadian citizen? A Canadian citizen is a person who either: Was born in Canada or has been naturalized (i.e. been made a citizen). A citizen has the right to live in Canada and be protected by the government. Being citizen is not only about having rights, but also about responsibilities.

Timeline – Right to Vote 1800s – 1940: Voting rights for Women – 1800s: women who owned property can vote only in municipal elections. They could not vote in provincial or federal elections. – 1918: Women were given the right to vote in federal elections after they fought for it. – Provincial level differed (wonen were given right to vote in Manitoba in 1916, but Quebec was the last to give women the right to vote in 1940) – 1960: Voting rights for everyone Women had won the right to vote but still some other Canadians did not have it. Metis men got the vote at the same time as male settlers. Inuit were not allowed to vote till Before 1960, First Nations people had to stop being status Indians if they wanted to vote in federal elections. In 1960, the law was changed and First Nations people no longer had to give up their status in order to vote. By 1947, Chinese Canadians got the right to vote. !948 – Japanese Canadians got the right to vote.

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom + Citizenship Responsibilities

Your task Each student gets a table about being a Canadian citizen: 1)Fill in the ‘Freedom column’. 2)Fill in the ‘Rights’ column’. 3)Fill in the ‘Responsibilities’ column.

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom

Citizenship Responsibilities

Unit Agenda Canadian symbols. Different communities throughout Canadian history. Interactions between communities. Different perspectives about same event(s). Canadian Identity today, Inclusiveness, Diversity, and Charter of Rights and Freedom.

Culminating task reminder & Presentation – DUE Tuesday 1)You will choose a group who migrated to Canada. 2) You will go to the library and find a book or resource to help you with your project to find information about the group you chose. 3) You will do a poster or a model (you can choose) to represent the group you chose. 4) Your poster or model needs to include the items we mentioned throughout our Social Studies unit ‘Canada Heritage – Past and Present’: Canadian symbol(s). Describing the group throughout Canadian history. One or more interactions with another group. Effect of the interaction on the group you chose or the different perspectives. Whether and how the Charter of Rights and Freedoms is inclusive to this group today. Resources you can use: Flip side books (shown in class). Discover Canada book: you go on Google, type ‘Discover Canada pdf’ and choose the first or second link that comes up. You already used this book in class so you know what it looks like. If you have questions, just ask me. Books or resources from the library. Internet (one site is