THE DEVELOPMENT OF CANADA’S CULTURAL DIVERSITY (Waves of Immigration)

ABORIGINAL PEOPLES 20 000 – 10 000 BC Aboriginal traditions say that they were created in North America and have always been here. They have many creation stories. Social scientists believe that First Nations people came from Asia – by crossing the land bridge from Siberia into Alaska or by crossing the ocean in boats.

Aboriginals have many different ways of life depending on environment Aboriginals have many different ways of life depending on environment. They formed many national groups each with its own distinctive culture. There were approximately 500 000 Aboriginal people living in what is now Canada.

THE FRENCH (1600-1760) The French hoped to find riches in Canada (gems, silks, spices) but they found fish and furs. Port Royal was the first permanent settlement in 1605 and Quebec was established in 1608. The French worked with the Montagnais, Mi’kmaq, and Huron First Nations to exploit the fur trade.

Gradually more and more French settlers arrived in New France and married some Aboriginals. The Métis culture was born. In 1666 there were 3215 people and by 1759 there were 65 000! In 1763, the colony of New France surrendered to Britain and Canada become a British colony known as British North America.

THE LOYALISTS (1776-1786) In 1775 a rebellion broke out in the 13 Colonies (United States). They were fighting for their independence from England. Not all colonists agreed with this rebellion and those people were called “loyalists” because they were loyal to the King of England. After the American Revolution about 50 000 of these loyalists came to Canada. They are known as Canada’s first refugees.

THE GREAT MIGRATION (1815-1850) There was high unemployment caused by the Industrial Revolution (machines replaced people) and people in Britain were poor so many of them decided to come to British North America. Many Irish came here when their major crop (potatoes) failed so they immigrated to Canada as well.

During this time period, Canada’s population increased from 500 000 to 2.5 million. Sixty percent of the new immigrants were of British descent.

POST-CONFEDERATION IMMIGRATION (1867-1914) Canada signed a series of treaties with Aboriginal people to get their land so that land could be offered to settlers. To attract more people to come to Canada it offered free homesteads to new immigrants, build the CPR and established the Northwest Mounted Police.

At first people did start coming here in great numbers At first people did start coming here in great numbers. But after 1896 more and more people started to come here because: most of the good agricultural land in the U.S. was already taken a more suitable wheat for Canada’s climate was developed Clifford Sifton, the Minister of the Interior had organized an aggressive campaign to attract immigrants Steamships became faster and cheaper

As a result, the Prairies were rapidly settled As a result, the Prairies were rapidly settled. Many of these new immigrants were from Britain, but for the first time there were immigrants from non-British and non-French backgrounds. The Prairie provinces became the most culturally diverse area in Canada including - Ukrainians, Mennonites, Jewish people and Icelanders.

POST-WAR AND MID-TWENTIETH-CENTURY (1919 – 1969) There was little immigration to Canada because of WWI (1914-1918), but after the war, people who wanted to escape hardships came here. About 1.5 million people arrived in the 1920’s. During the Great Depression (1930s) and WWII (1939-1945) there was little immigration. After the war, people came here from all over.

RECENT IMMIGRATION PATTERNS (1970-Present) By the late 1960’s, Europe’s economy recovered from WWII and fewer Europeans immigrated to Canada.  Canada was in need of technical workers and began to accept large numbers of people from the Caribbean, Latin America, Africa and new areas of Asia.

Most of these new immigrants came here on the point system and were professionals, technicians, managers and entrepreneurs. In 1981, refugees made up 25 percent of all immigrants who came to Canada.

In your booklets, do the page entitled “Waves of Immigration” You must write the name of the group, the years of immigration and draw a symbol or cartoon for that particular group Due tomorrow!