1. Chapter 13: Visions of Canadian Identity
By:Youness, Sami, Adil, Ikra and Ayah

2. Stories and National Identity
In a country as big and diverse as Canada it is difficult to find a single/strong national identity.
People usually define themselves in terms of the nation or group to which they feel most comfortable with, such as a First Nation, or even a language community.
National Identity also consists of stories, which helps define the certain individual such as how they live, their humour, and their shared concerns.
Stories and National Identity

3. Changing Visions Of Canada
Before Confederation, Canadians have been attempting to define Canada’s national identity.
By including certain beliefs,values,and tradition, and also including many identities
Canadian identity begins with the country’s Aboriginal, French,and British roots
Canadians generally defined themselves by what they are not, such as “not British” and “not American”.
Canada has a state of mind which enables many people to imagine themselves in another person’s “shoe”.
Changing Visions Of Canada

4. Voices That Have Shaped Canadian Identity
As you mature and as time passes by you start to become wiser and gain more experience which causes your personal identity to change.
Your National identity also changes as time passes, this happens because of the changes that occur within society.
These changes in society occur because of certain events that may happen such as a natural disaster, journalists or leaders that have become influential which usually tends to change people's opinion.

5. A Vision of a Responsible Government
In the early 19th century Canada which was known as British North America was controlled by Britain. But the people of the colonies that made up Canada wanted more freedom and wanted more say in their own affairs.
In 1841 the British government decided to merge upper Canada which consisted of anglophones and lower Canada which consisted of francophones into one province called Canada.
The Province was made up of an equal number of representatives one from both East and West of Canada, even though more people lived in the East.
English was the only language allowed in the legislature because the British wanted the Francophones to assimilate into anglophone culture. This led to the alliance of Louis-Hippolyte LaFontaine of Canada East and Robert Baldwin of Canada West in order to obtain a government which only answered to Canadians not to the colonies British governor.

6. The Confederation of Canada
Back in 1861 after the end of the American Civil War, America wanted to take over Canada in after they passed an act proposing that the US can take over all colonies of Britain.
The economy was also doing very bad due to the US restricting trade between themselves and British colonies.
Canada was also facing the problem of many anglophones outnumbering the francophones so the francophones believed their voices would no longer be heard.
To deal with these issues a new political leader was made, John Macdonald and George Cartier made their goal to make Canada a independent country that promoted Canadian Heritage and the language of the Francophones. Canada was finally created in 1867.
The Confederation of Canada

7. Evolving Visions of Canada
John Macdonald's dream of stretching his country from sea to sea was finally able to come true when BC agreed to a confederation in 1871.
When BC decided to join he was finally able to make the Canadian Pacific Railway which would join Canada’s east and west coasts, when it finished Canada could secure and populate the west.
The train was able to transport supplies, food and people.
Although to get this land the Canadians had to first negotiate with the First Nation people. First Nation people were moved to many reserves and the land became government land after that.
Evolving Visions of Canada

8. Evolving Visions of Canada continued...
At first many people did not want to move to the west and adapt a farming lifestyle so Wilfred Laurier was assigned to making people want to move west.
He set up immigration offices in non-english speaking countries and soon many Polish, Norwegian and Germans moved into the west and many Canadians believe that these people were the farming type of people. Immigration made Canada more multicultraland the anglophones were no longer dominate over the francophones.
Evolving Visions of Canada continued...

9. Immigration in the New Canada
Canadians policies until 1970 favored many immigrants from Europe and the US
Many of the people from around Italy, China and other more foreign countries felt as if they were excluded from the Canadian culture even though they may have lived there for many years

10. When the Pacific railway was being built Canada allowed a huge swarm of Chinese workers to come into Canada but with them a 50 dollar fee and as time went by this became 500 dollars and Canada came to ban all immigration from China
As time went by Canada did not allow them to vote or hold certain jobs until after WW2
Many Africans were also excluded and were racially excluded until finally in 1962 the Immigration act was passed which allowed immigration into Canada in order for Canada to become more cultural.
Not Wanted in Canada

11. Asserting Aboriginal Rights
In 1870 when John A. Macdonald bought the Hudson Bay company he did not realize that over half of the land was Metis people.
Metis people were in uproar because they felt that there land was being robbed from them so in order for peace to happen there had to be a agreement
John made acres of land only allowed for the Metis people but even after this the Metis people still felt cheated
Many of these disagreements caused new immigrants to move in and take over the metis land which led to many more uproars.
Asserting Aboriginal Rights

12. A New Era In Quebec (The Quiet Revolution)
Quebec nationalism is rooted back to the Québécois desire to affirm and promote their identity and French heritage.
Until the 1950’s Lionel Groulx led a national movement that believed that sovereignty is necessary to achieve independence from Quebec. By % of Canadians were moving to cities, including Québécois.
The premier of Quebec Maurice Duplessis carried on the ideas of Groulx and wanted a more independent Quebec, mostly focusing on the traditional values of church and community.
The Quiet Revolution took place from Québécois wanted to modernize Quebec. They planned to improve social program and the education system and affirm and promote Francophone culture in Quebec. Some Québécois believed the only way to do this is to achieve sovereignty. In 1968, Rene Levesque and others founded the Parti Québécois to promote independence for their Canadian province.
A New Era In Quebec (The Quiet Revolution)

14. Immigration and the New Canada
Until the 70’s, the Canadian government favoured the immigration of migrants from the USA and Northern Europe.
During the construction of the CP Railway, Chinese people were welcomed to Canada to help build it. The Canadian Government introduced the Chinese Immigration Act in 1885 which imposed a head tax of $50 for any Chinese person that wanted to come to Canada. The tax rose to $500 in 1904, and the Chinese were actually banned almost all immigration from China in 1923.
African Americans and Chinese immigrants that came to Canada along with many other foreigners experienced discrimination.African Americans were banned for one year by Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier. Immigrants that experienced discrimination usually turned to one another and settled together, for example Chinatowns.
In 1962, the Immigration Act changed and Canada opened its doors to people around the world.
In 1972, Canada adopted a policy of “multiculturalism within a bilingual framework.
Immigration and the New Canada

16. Asserting Aboriginal Rights
In 1870, the Canadian government purchased Rupert’s Land from the Hudson’s Bay Company, but Macdonald’s vision ignored the Metis in Manitoba in the Red River Area. Louis Riel and the Metis forced the government to hear their voice by taking up arms in 1869 and Macdonald quickly passed the Manitoba act through Parliament and created Manitoba, the province. This provided hectares of land for Metis people, however delays happened and Europeans began to outnumber the Metis. In 1885 Riel led a second resistance but was executed, and the Metis’ self determination was destroyed.
In 1876, Parliament passed the Indian Act. This act gave the government full power over the First Nations. This act defined who was “Indian” and denied them full citizenship, unless they gave up their treaty rights. In the 1970’s FNs united to fight the government’s plan to abandon treaty obligations. Since then land claims have been settled all over Canada.
Asserting Aboriginal Rights

18. The founding nations debate is a debate about who founded Canada
The founding nations debate is a debate about who founded Canada. Some believe it was solely the French and the British who created Canada. Others say the Aboriginal were here first and they are one of the three who founded Canada, but it is argued that the Aboriginals did not help develop the nation-state that is Canada like the French and the British did. This also ignores the contributions from immigrants not among the Aboriginals or the French or the British.
The multiculturalism debate is one that argues about if multiculturalism is beneficial for Canada. Some people like John Ibbitson argue that the policy has and will continue to be a key to Canada’s prosperity, while others like Neil Bissoondath do not believe in the term of multiculturalism at all. Neil does not believe in “transplanting” cultures on a large scale. He believes that two different cultures are incompatible on a larger scale like a country like Canada.
Debates