First Nations People in Eastern Canada (Before 1600)

Why did people choose Canada as their home? Freedom: religious freedom, political freedon Safety: From war, political conflict, religious or ethnic persecution Opportunities: Better life, better jobs, better education, etc.

Who Came to Canada, and Why? 1800-1900 Scots – Red River Colony, Manitoba 1812 Established by Lord Selkirk, owner of Hudson’s Bay Co. British Army soldiers – after the War of 1812 Encouraged to stay by the British Gov’t Chinese – hired to help build the CPR railroad Hired because they would work for less money than “whites” Yukon Gold Rush – Gold is discovered in 1897 Thousands rush to “strike it rich”

Spotlight on Black Loyalists During the American Revolution, many Blacks stayed loyal to King George, and fought on the British side Black Loyalists were promised to be freed from slavery, and were to be given a farm after the war 100 hectares in size After the British lost the war in 1783, many Black Loyalists moved to what was still British North America (Canada) Blacks often faced discrimination and/or violence from racists and many didn’t get the land they were promised By 1812, conditions were improved for them

Who Came to Canada, and Why? 1800-1900 Farmers – Canada has a LOTS of good farmland. Immigrants came from all over the world to get it Forestry Workers – Canada also has LOTS of trees This wood was in high demand Teachers – Quickly growing population means many new families That means many more school-age kids

Who Came to Canada, and Why? The Great Potato Famine Between 1845 and 1851, hundreds of thousands of Irish immigrants came to Canada Potatoes - a big part of the common Irish family’s diet Potato crop fail several years in a row. The potatoes would rot in the ground because of a disease Huge numbers of Irish people left Ireland to live elsewhere

Who Came to Canada, and Why? 1900 to Today Influencing Factors: World Wars – The two World Wars devastated much of Europe and South Pacific. Refugees came to Canada to start over Political Unrest – Rebellions and revolutions in various countries caused people to flee to Canada or other places Other Wars – Wars in southeast Asia (ex. Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia. About 70 000 refugees came to Canada Also, 50 000 to 125 000 Americans moved to Canada to avoid being drafted into the US military

Looking for Work In the 1900s, especially after WW II, our economy grew very quickly, opening up job opportunities People came from around the world to find work Construction – increases when the economy grows Manufacturing – increases when the economy grows Garment Industry – increases when the economy grows

How Can We Treat Each Person as Part of a Family & a Community Only 1st Nations Peoples can say they are NOT immigrants, or descended from immigrants. The rest of us need to be welcoming and supportive of immigrants as they seek to build better lives for themselves, just as we have done