1. Canada at the Turn of the 20th Century (1900- 1914) Sir Wilfred Laurier, Prime Minster of Canada 1896-1911

2. Settling the West  Laurier and the Liberal party governed the country for 15 years after the election of 1896.  Clifford Sifton ( Minster of the Interior ) was appointed to find ways of drawing settlers into Canada West.  The prairies were open for settlement. They needed someone to farm them!

3.  Sifton attempted to persuade settlers from other countries to move to the prairies.  Advertizing campaigns in Britain, Europe, and the United States described the opportunities available in Canada.  Eventually, the plan worked and people came to the west in the tens of thousands.

4. Immigration Poster

5. Why people immigrated to Canada  Free land was the big attraction. 160 acres!  Not much land left for farming in the United States.  Demand for Canadian wheat in Europe increased.  Canada now had a railroad for trading and shipping.  Technological innovations ( steel ploughs, tractors) that would make farming a much easier job.  Millions of Europeans were looking for a place to go.

6. Sifton’s immigration policy  Sifton’s policy was rather selective and excluded or discouraged certain groups  restricted entry of non-white and non English people, including many minority groups.  Mainly interested in white English- speaking farmers.

8. Growth of the Nation - Immigration and Urbanization  Immigration is the movement of people into a country from other lands.  Almost 2 million people immigrated to Canada in only ten years (1901-1911).  These immigrants came from many different places, primarily the US, Britain and Europe.

9.  As more people came, the ethnic diversity also increased. By 1912, almost 1/5th of the population was neither British nor French in origin.  As per Sifton and Laurier’s plan, most of the settlers moved to the west.  In 1905, Alberta and Saskatchewan become the newest provinces of Canada.  In 1912 the boundaries of Manitoba, Quebec, and Ontario were extended.

10. Urbanization  Urbanization is the movement of people into cities and towns.  Urbanization was of great concern to Canada in the early 20th century  With all of the new immigrants arriving, places to live were very difficult to come by.  Moving to Canada to find a better life was the goal of the immigrants and many of them decided to settle in cities.  Conditions were at the poverty level as overcrowding and unemployment quickly became a major problem.

11. WOMEN in the 20 th Century:  The mentality of the time was that men were people and women were “Baby- makers”.  Their main function was to cook, clean and have children.  Any sign of independence, including going out in public on their own, was a sign of disgrace for a proper woman about 100 years ago.

12.  Job options for women who wanted to work were very limited:  the poor worked as servants and factory workers ( textiles ).  The rich attended school and became either nurses or teachers.

13.  Emily Stowe( Canada’s first women doctor) formed the Toronto Women’s Literary club in 1876 to help win the right to vote.  Adelaide Hoodless formed the first Woman’s Institute in 1897. It promoted the value of country living and good home management.  The Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU)was formed to improve the lives of women, children, workers and the poor.  - one member of the WCTU, Nellie McClung, led in the fight for women’s rights.

14. Adelaide Hoodless Nellie Mcclung

15. Review Questions  Questions page 47  2 and 4  Read Pages 48-50

16. Imperialism  Imperialism is when powerful nations extend their control over weaker nations or peoples.  Most English Canadians supported the imperialist movement and the British Empire..  French Canadians felt a stronger sense of pride and loyalty in their own culture and country which is referred to as nationalism.

18. The Boer War 1899 - 1902  Broke out in 1899 in South Africa  This created a crisis in Canada that was centered around imperialism.  Started because the British were after gold and diamonds that was discovered in 1885-86.  Tensions increased and the Boers( descendents of Dutch settlers) declared war on Britain

19.  Did not directly concern Canada but because of our ties with Britain, they called for us to help them  English Canadians agreed, but the French Canadians did not.  Wilfred Laurier played a big part ; he sent 7000 volunteers and spent 2.5 million dollars in their support.  Laurier didn’t fully satisfy anyone, imperialists felt that Canada had let Britain down. The French Canadians had felt that Laurier had done too much.

20. Review Questions  Questions Page 52  1, 2 and 3

21. The Alaska Boundary Dispute of 1903  A dispute developed over the border between Alaska and Canada  The United States had purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867.  The Canadians argued that the boundary should be measured from the mountains nearest the ocean.

23.  Americans were determined to keep as much land as they could.  President Theodore Roosevelt threatened to send troops to Alaska to protect the American Claim.  Eventually, the dispute was submitted to a tribunal of six judges (3 Americans, 2 Canadians and 1 British[ Lord Alverstone]).  After a full month of discussion, the tribunal decided 4:2 against Canada.

24.  When the decision was announced, Canadians were outraged. The British voted against Canada’s claim.  In 1909, an International Joint Commission was set up to settle peacefully any Future disputes between Canada and the United States.  Canadians were becoming more determined that Canada must make its own decisions in the future.  Question P. 56 # 3

25. The Naval Crisis  There was a very real possibility of war between Britain and Germany.  They were in a race to have the largest navy in the world.  Britain wanted Canada and other colonies to contribute money to help build more ships for the British Navy.  Britain would soon fall behind in the naval race without help from its colonies.

26.  Laurier offered a compromise again - the Naval Service Bill of 1910.  Canada would have a navy of its own under the control of the Canadian Government.  In time of war Britain could use Canada’s navy.  Service would be voluntary

27.  Henri Bourassa and some French Canadians Nationalists complained that the policy meant that Canadians could be sent anywhere at anytime to fight the British Imperialist wars

28.  The Conservatives, led by Robert Borden, accused Laurier of setting up a “tin-pot Canadian Navy” when an immediate contribution of money to the British Navy was urgently needed.  This resulted in further tensions between English and French-speaking Canadians.

30. HMCS Rainbow

31. Reciprocity ( Free Trade)  Farmers in Western Canada demanded lower tariffs on goods traded between Canada and the United States.  Farm machinery in the United States sold for half the price in Canada.  The high costs were blamed on Ontario and Quebec who grew rich because of the tariffs which kept competition out of Canada.

32.  Laurier dealt with the issue by working out the Reciprocity Agreement.  The agreement was to trade certain products without taxes.  It was a deal every Canadian Government had tried to make with the United States since confederation.  At first this agreement seemed to ensure Laurier would win the next election.

33.  Clifford Sifton a liberal cabinet minster opposed reciprocity.  Business people fearing competition from cheap American products fought the idea.  Canadian Nationalists did not want to see Canadian resources to leave Canada.  An American’s Journalist declared he looked forward to the day the American flag would fly all over North America

34. Anti-Reciprocity Poster

35.  These issues were enough to defeat the Laurier’s Liberal Government in 1911 thus ending the “Golden Age of Laurier”.  Reciprocity was killed  The two issues that helped defeat Laurier’s Liberals were:  The Naval Service Bill  The Reciprocity Deal  Laurier died later, on February 17, 1919

36. Review Questions  Questions Page 56  #2 & 4