LAURIER ERA 1896 - 1911 ELECTION OF 1891 MACDONALD’S CONSERVATIVES & THE ‘NATIONAL POLICY’ PROTECTIVE TARIFFS SETTLING THE WEST TRANS-CONTINENTAL RAILROAD JOHN A. MACDONALD WILFRID LAURIER LAURIER’S LIBERALS AND ‘UNRESTRICTED RECIPROCITY’ FREE TRADE WITH THE UNITED STATES CONSERVATIVES WIN BUT THE COUNTRY SLIPS INTO ECONOMIC DEPRESSION

4 SHORT-TERM CONSERVATIVE PRIME MINISTERS FOLLOW MACDONALD’S DEATH LIBERALS WIN THE ELECTION OF 1896 NO RECIPROCITY SOME LOOSENING OF TARIFFS WORLDWIDE ECONOMIC BOOM GOLD DISCOVERED IN SOUTH AFRICA AND THE KLONDIKE MOST CURRENCIES ARE ON THE ‘GOLD STANDARD’ SO MORE GOLD MEANS MORE MONEY FOR INVESTMENT GROWING EUROPEAN CITIES NEED CANADIAN GRAIN CANADA IN 1905

UKRANIAN FARMER IN ALBERTA 1907 MACDONALD’S ‘NATIONAL POLICY’ NOW BEGINS TO TAKE OFF RAILWAY IS USED SO MUCH THERE ARE BOTTLENECKS TWO NEW COMPETING LINES ARE ALLOWED TO PROGRESS – OVER THE RESIGNATION OF LAURIER’S TRANSPORT MINISTER TARIFFS BRING AMERICAN ‘BRANCH PLANTS’ HOMESTEADING FARMERS CAN’T KEEP UP WITH THE DEMAND FOR THEIR WHEAT CLIFFORD SIFTON, MINISTER OF INTERIOR SEEKS ‘QUALITY’ IMMIGRANTS WHO CAN FARM THE PRAIRIES NORTHERN EUROPEANS AND UKRANIANS NOT ASIANS OR AFRICAN AMERICANS UKRANIAN FARMER IN ALBERTA 1907

FIRST NATIONS, CONVINCED TO TURN TO AGRICULTURE DID NOT SHARE IN THE RURAL PROSPERITY SETTLERS COMPLAINED ABOUT COMPETITION FROM SUCCESSFUL NATIVE FARMERS BY 1880s NATIVE PRODUCE WAS WINNING AWARDS AT REGIONAL FAIRS GOVERNMENTS SWAPPED TREATY LANDS SO THAT NATIVES ARE FARTHER FROM RAIL LINES NEW REGULATIONS PROHIBIT THE PURCHASE OF FARM MACHINERY GOVERNMENT WANTS NATIVES TO PRACTISE ‘PEASANT AGRICULTURE’ NATIVES REQUIRED TO HAND MAKE HAY FORKS, CARTS AND OTHER IMPLEMENTS NATIVES WERE NOT ALLOWED TO HOMESTEAD BUT WORKED 40 ACRE PLOTS ON RESERVE DEPARTMENT OF INDIAN AFFAIRS TO DISMANTLE ‘TRIBAL’ OR ‘COMMUNIST’ SYSTEM IN FAVOUR OF INDIVIDUALISM

RESOURCE EXTRACTION EMERGES AS A MAJOR INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT OF HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER IN ONTARIO AND BRITISH COLUMBIA ALLOWED INDUSTRIES TO LOCATE CHEAPLY IN CANADA MINING ORE COULD BE PROCESSED AND SMALLER VOLUME FINISHED PRODUCT SHIPPED TO CUSTOMER FORESTRY POWER NOW EXISTED FOR SAWMILLS CLOSER TO THE TIMBER SOURCE COPPER CLIFF SMELTER, 1892

THE WEST PRIOR TO 1900 HAD A SIGNIFICANT FRANCOPHONE ELEMENT VOYAGEURS METIS IN MANITOBA AND SASKATCHEWAN WORKING LANGUAGE AT HUDSON’S BAY FORTS, INCLUDING FORT VICTORIA MANITOBA SCHOOLS QUESTION 1896 MANITOBA GOVERNMENTABOLISHED THE CONSTITUTIONAL GUARANTEE OF SEPARATE SCHOOLS FOR CATHOLICS ONCE IN POWER LAURIER REACHES A WEAK COMPROMISE THAT DOES LITTLE TO PROTECT THE METIS & FRENCH CANADIENS ALBERTA AND SASKATCHEWAN 1905 LAURIER BACKS DOWN FROM HIS PROPOSAL TO PROTECT FRENCH IN THE NEW PROVINCES UNDER PRESSURE FROM HIS CABINET

MORE BRITISH TROOPS DIE OF DISEASE THAN WOUNDS BOER WAR 1899 – 1902 DUTCH SETTLERS IN TRANSVAAL AND ORANGE FREE STATE ATTACK THE BRITISH IN SOUTH AFRICA CANADIAN PARTICIPATION DEMANDED BY MOST ANGLOPHONES, CONDEMNED BY MOST FRANCOPHONES LAURIER COMPROMISES BY SENDING ONLY VOLUNTEERS AND HAS BRITAIN PAY THEIR WAY INTRODUCTION OF GUERILLA WARFARE (DUTCH) AND THE CONCENTRATION CAMP (BRITISH) MORE BRITISH TROOPS DIE OF DISEASE THAN WOUNDS 20,000 BRITISH KILLED 25,000 BOER CIVILIANS DIED IN CAMPS 15,000 AFRICANS KILLED 7300 CANADIANS WENT TO SOUTH AFRICA 245 DIED (OVER HALF FROM DISEASE)

HMCS RAINBOW AT ESQUIMALT FOREIGN POLICY AND DEFENCE 1903 THE ALASKAN PANHANDLE HAD NOT BEEN DEFINED WHEN THE UNITED STATES PURCHASED IT IN 1867 TO REACH THE YUKON FROM THE PACIFIC CANADA WANTED A BOUNDARY THAT LEFT THE TIP OF SOME INLETS WITHIN CANADA THE DISPUTE GOES TO A TRIBUNAL - 3 AMERICANS 2 CANADIANS AND 1 BRITON BRITISH MEMBER SIDES WITH THE AMERICANS RESULTING IN TODAY’S BOUNDARY CANADIANS FELT BETRAYED AND BECAME DETERMINED TO HAVE THEIR OWN SAY IN FOREIGN AFFAIRS 1905 CANADA ASSUMES RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE NAVAL BASES AT ESQUIMALT AND HALIFAX FORM A CANADIAN NAVY OR CONTRIBUTE TO BRITAIN’S ROYAL NAVY? MANY FRENCH CANADIENS WANTED NEITHER LAURIER COMPROMISES BY INTRODUCING A SMALL CANADIAN NAVY HMCS RAINBOW AT ESQUIMALT

SOME AMERICAN BOASTED THAT RECIPROCITY WOULD LEAD TO ANNEXATION ELECTION OF 1911 PROSPERITY HAD PASSED RURAL QUEBEC BY IN THE CITIES OF QUEBEC WEALTH AND OPPORTUNITY WENT TO ANGLOPHONES FARMERS ARE CALLING FOR AN END TO TARIFFS ON RECIPROCITY RENEWED AMERICAN INTEREST IN FREE TRADE ALLOWS LAURIER TO OFFER RECIPROCITY AS A POLICY IN THE UPCOMING ELECTION IN FACT MANY CANADIANS DID NOT WANT FREE TRADE BRANCH PLANT WORKERS FARMERS WHO FEARED AMERICAN COMPETITION SOME AMERICAN BOASTED THAT RECIPROCITY WOULD LEAD TO ANNEXATION BORDEN WINS THE ELECTION ENDS UP KEEPING CANADA’S NAVY LEADS CANADA THROUGH NEW DEPRESSION AND WORLD WAR 1 ROBERT BORDEN