Canada at the Turn of the Twentieth Century 1900-1914

Important Themes for this Unit 1. Sir Wilfrid Laurier 2. The Canadian Railroad: Boom to Bust 3. Women in the Early 1900s 4. Life in Canadian Cities 5. Growing Industries in Canada 6. Early Big Business: Employment and Unions 7. Aboriginal People and Residential Schools 8. Political Issues in Canada 9. The Boer War 10. The Naval Crisis 11. The Alaska Border Dispute 12. Canada and the US: Reciprocity

Sir Wilfrid Laurier (1841-1919) Canada’s first French Canadian Prime Minister Issues with being a French speaking PM ruling a predominantly English speaking nation Brought Alberta and Saskatchewan into Confederation Was responsible for settling the Canadian West Established the Canadian Navy Member of the Liberal Party His politics caused many problems and divided French and English speaking Canadians on a number of issues. However, he was still elected for four consecutive terms.

Laurier

Canadian Railroads: Boom to Bust In 1900, many new Canadian immigrants were arriving The demand for rail transport increased. The primary transportation link was the Canadian Pacific Railway. Due to the number of immigrants, more trains were needed. Laurier gave subsidies to build more railways and service more towns More rail lines meant increased competition, lower fares, and increased jobs Three independent companies were formed: The Grand Trunk Railway (from Prince Rupert, BC to Winnipeg) The National Transcontinental Railway (from Winnipeg to Moncton, NB) The Canadian Northern Railway (Vancouver to Montreal) In 1867 Canada had 3666KM of railways and by 1914 there was 49588km. By 1914, decreased travel due to WW1 meant the rail companies fell into financial trouble and the government took over

Building the Railway https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EE3ISzalVuo

Women in the 1900s Most women worked in the home. It was acceptable to work outside of the home but only if you were unmarried. However, some mothers had to in order to supplement the family income. Women were employed in low-skilled jobs which paid far less than that of a mans job Women made up 13% of the job force in 1901 Common jobs for women were: servants, factory workers, and sweatshop employees By 1914, more women were attending high school and university and they made up 21% of the workforce (teaching, sales, clerical positions) More and more women supported the struggle for women’s suffrage (the right to vote and hold office) Dr. Emily Stowe- Canada’s first women doctor

Nellie McClung https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdbG6EIHrbs

City Life With the increase in immigration in the early 1900s , cities experienced rapid growth Many farmers moved into the cities in search of jobs and money With the rapid growth of cities, housing, jobs, and proper sanitation lagged behind Slums were a result of overcrowded, inadequate housing for immigrants who had no money With the growth of cities, many new jobs were created (building sewers, streets, factories, homes) Although cities continued to grow, much of the economy still depended on natural resources (forestry, mining, fishing)

City Life Year Montreal Ottawa Toronto Vancouver 1891 217,000 44,000 181,000 19,000 1911 471,000 87,000 377,000 100,000 1921 619,000 107,000 522,000 117,000

Growing Industries Canada’s Farm-based economy soon changed to a capitalist system where investment decisions were made based on the demands of the consumer As more people moved to cities, fewer people were self sufficient. They now bought manufactured items instead of making them or buying them locally Products that were once home made were being replaced with mass produced items made in huge factories Primary Industries: industries that gather natural or raw materials. Large scale production and export of items like wheat, mining resources, and trees for pulp ad paper mills became an important part of the economy Secondary Industries: Industries that produce finished products from primary goods. E.g.. Pots, pans, tractors, nails, railway tracks, cars, stoves, canned meats and veggies Tertiary Industries: Industries that provide a service. E.g. financial services, trade, public administration

Big Business New technology played an important role in the development of big business. Electricity, refrigeration, typewriters and telephones all fueled this boom Mass production of goods meant that more goods could be produced quicker and at a lower cost. This meant that products could be sold at lower prices The result…Bankruptcy for small businesses. Large Corporations (Labatt, Molson, Stelco, Robin Hood Flour, Schneider's, Eaton's) emerged during this time Problems: Wages were low Factories were dark and poorly ventilated Hours were long and repetitive Few safety measures on machines No minimum wage or labour laws

Marconi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YohYd9iTfy8

Employment and Unions To gain better pay and working conditions, workers joined unions In 1901, 1078 people in Canada were members of a union. By 1911, 130 000 were members of a union. Child Labour: employers could pay children less than adults for the same jobs In 1908 the first labour laws were in place to protect children and prevent them from taking away adult jobs. However, even with these laws, the number of children under 10 working in Canada increases from 1900-1910.

Unions

Aboriginal People and Residential Schools Before Confederation, Native people had moved freely across land that had always been theirs Native people were pushed onto reserves and to the margins of Canadian society. Natives were given false promises of food, clothing, and shelter on these reserves. Conditions were bad! The Indian Acts of 1876 and 1895 encouraged Native people to give up their culture and traditions and assimilate into the new culture of Canada The Government believed that education would “cure” the Natives and thus sent Native children to residential schools. These schools were often far from home and children were not allowed to practice any of their Native culture

Residential Schools https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_tcCpKtoU0

Political Issues In 1900, the world began to notice Canada for the following reasons: Number of immigrants Amount of exported goods Laurier gaining control of Canada’s foreign affairs British imperialism still controls Canada’s foreign affairs and debate begins over whether Canada should become more independent English Canadians: IMPERIALISTS Support imperialism and see its benefits Some think Canada should be more independent Some think Canada should join the US French Canadians: NATIONALISTS Proud of French roots and feel isolated in Canada Should become their own country (want autonomy or separation) International issues fuel the debate over Imperialism and Nationalism

The Boer War 1899-1902 The colony of Cape Town, South Africa had originally been settled by the Dutch (Boers). When diamonds and rich gold fields were discovered, British interest and settlement in the area increased. The Boers saw Britain as a threat and told them to leave, Britain ignored and war broke out. The British suffered humiliating defeats in the beginning and thus asked Canadians (and other colonies) to send troops. Laurier had a dilemma: send troops and lose French support or do not send troops and lose English support. Compromise: Laurier did not make Canadian troops go to South Africa. Instead, he allowed troops to volunteer to serve in the British army (Britain would assume all expenses) 7300 Canadians volunteer and 2.8 million dollars in spent in their support Neither French nor English Canadians were happy with Laurier’s decision

The Boer War http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0i-hy_0VWZ8&feature=PlayList&p=0938039297A66447&index=0

The Naval Dispute Laurier opposed Britain's requests for a unified foreign policy and rejected the idea of financial contributions to the British navy Britain and Germany were engaged in a naval race. Who could build the biggest navy in the fastest time Canada’s defense depended on the British navy so Laurier felt he needed to do something. He introduced the Naval Service Bill in 1910 which stated that Canada would not contribute to the British navy but instead would create its own. This would protect Canada’s coasts and could be placed under British command in times of war. English Canadians wanted to offer more support French Canadians felt this would force Canada into any of Britain’s wars

The Canadian Navy Today http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_8-CCMVHpg

Alaska Border Dispute The Americans purchased Alaska from the Russians in 1867 and left the southern panhandle border between it and Canada unclear. This became a problem during the Gold Rush Canada and the US each claimed different borders. 3 Americans, 2 Canadians and 1 British representative were in charge of settling the dispute. Britain needs the US to go to war if needed against Germany so it votes against Canada The US claim won and Canadians were outraged with both Laurier and the commitment of the British to Canadian affairs

‘The Dispute’ in the eyes of some Grade 10s http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIaOstgVcd0

Reciprocity High tariffs on foreign (US) goods benefited many people in Central Canada but hurt other parts of the nation. Farmers in the west were forced to buy goods from central Canada and pay to ship them They began to become angry as to why they couldn’t just simply cross the border and purchase the same farm equipment in the US. The US was eager to gain access to Canada’s markets and agreed to free trade on a number of products. Canadian companies would be encouraged to improve the quality and price of their products because their was now more competition. Laurier allowed reciprocity and many say this caused him to lose the 1911 election.