1. The Laurier Era:
A Review from Grade 10

3. Challenges Faced
Manitoba Schools Question – resolved by Laurier/ resulted in loss of faith in Conservatives and demise or party’s government rule
Immigration & Aboriginal issues
Canadian expansion
French-English Relations
Movement towards autonomy from Britain
Conflict on the horizon

4. Immigration Issues
English – wanted to keep a “White Man’s” Canada and fear of lack of jobs
French – fear that immigrants would make them a smaller minority in Canada
Immigrants often preferred to learn English over French
Increase in immigrants at end of last century – Sifton’s “Last Best West”
Non-white immigrants increasing – CPR, economic reasons
Anti-immigration groups created eg. Asiatic Exclusion League

5. Conflict over Immigration
Vancouver Riots – September 7, 1907
Asiatic Exclusion league encourages riot; 30,000 people smash and loot China town and Japanese areas
Laurier passes continuous passage laws and negotiated near-end to Japanese immigration in near future
Continuous Passage Laws – ships had to sail directly to Canada without stopping
Komagata Maru – 1914
East Indian ship not allowed to dock/ sent back to India for failing to follow continuous passage laws

6. Chinese Immigration CP pgs 10-11
From you knowledge of grade10 Social Studies & your text, give the occupations the Chinese immigrants were brought to Canada to fill
List the complaints that the Chinese immigrant would have against the Canadian government
List the complaints the white Canadians would have against the Chinese immigrants
What is meant by a “head tax” & how much did a Chinese immigrant have to pay
Should the Canadian government give money to Chinese- Canadians to make up for the head tax charged to them in the early part of the 20th century?

7. Conflict Boer War: 1899-1903 Alaska Boundary Dispute
Britain vs. Transvaal & Orange Free State in South Africa (supported by Dutch Boers)
Britain wanted help of Dominions – Laurier sent ‘volunteer’ army to appease all Canadians
Established precedent for supporting Britain in time of war (WWI) but no one was happy
Alaska Boundary Dispute
Lord Alverstone (British rep on tribunal) ruled that Lynn Canal belonged to Americans
Canadians questioned colonial status of Canada

8. Laurier – Political Cartoon

9. Other issues for Laurier
Language Rights – French was no longer the automatic language of instruction in Catholic schools (Manitoba Schools Question compromise)
Expanding territory – two new provinces
Alberta & Saskatchewan (Sept, 1, 1905)
No control over own resources (cash payment)
Autonomy bill – guaranteed place for Catholic Schools and French-language teaching
Aboriginal peoples
Loss of land, diminished population, residential schools

10. The Naval Issue - 1910 Arms race in Europe – Britain vs. Germany
Britain wanted Canada to contribute to their navy
Conflict between nationalists (Canada-first) vs. imperialists (wanted to support Britain)
Laurier’s compromise – Canadian navy to defend coast that could help Britain if war declared
Two ships (Rainbow and Naiobi) seen as a joke – “Tin Pot Navy” and compromise satisfied no one

11. End of the Laurier Era
1911 – Laurier’s Liberals governed a country with a healthy economy (results of the Laurier boom) 1866 – Canada’s reciprocity treaty with the US had ended; by 1911 US President Taft offered Canada a reciprocal trade agreement on raw materials and natural products Reciprocity = “freer trade” For: western farmers (did not want to pay high tariffs on US-made machinery) Against: eastern manufactureres (did not want to compete with US products) & French Canadians (did not want to be under thumb of Americans)

12. Reciprocity Cartoon

13. 1911 Election
Laurier called an election with reciprocity as one of his main issues
Conservatives questioned Laurier’s loyalty to Britain; played on fears of economic and political annexation
Conservatives (under Borden) won the election and became our new Prime Minister
French Canadians were angry over naval issue and felt they had not benefitted from Laurier boom
English Canadians opposed reciprocity and feared losing identity to Americans