1. Canada at the Turn of the Century
State of the Nation
Canada at the Turn of the Century

2. Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier
Well respected politician, aware of what his country needed
French-Canaadian
Master of compromise
Had a vision for what he wanted Canada to become

3. Laurier’s Vision
Canada, a HUGE landmass, needed a big population to farm, build and develop
In order to link Canada and move people and products, a railway was needed
Canada was a divided nation between the French and English speaking people. An understanding needed to be reached
Canada, still very attached to its mother country needed to break these bonds, create a relationship with the United States and prepare to join the international stage.

4. Immigration
Raw materials and natural resources such as pulp and paper, fishing, farming and mining were plentiful, but Canada needed people to reap the benefits from it
Laurier appointed Clifford Sifton to be the Minister of the Interior
His job was to bring immigrants into Canada
He did two things:
1. Identify “desirable” countries in which to advertise
2. Flood those countries with pamphlets, posters and advertisements of free land

5. Push and Pull Factors Push Factors: Pull Factors: War torn homeland
Forced military enlistment
No land available or too costly
Religious, ethnic or cultural discrimination or persecution
Pull Factors:
Free land
No military conscription
Freedom of language, religion and culture
New farming techniques and technologies

6. Clifford Sifton Established an “Open Door Policy” on immigration
In theory this meant all were welcome to come to Canada to start a new life. But Sifton specifically targeted Britain, the US, Scandinavia, the Ukraine, Germany and Austria
The majority of these immigrants settled in English speaking parts of the country.
This scared the French speaking population because it threatened the survival of the French language and culture

7. French Nationalism Quebec was feeling threatened because:
All business was conducted in English
Immigrants were being encouraged to learn English and not French
Industrialization was against the French Canadian way of life because they were farmers
Henri Bourassa was the leader of the Nationalisme which focused on preserving French Canadian culture and way of life

8. Uniting Canada Canada was very fragmented because of its sheer size
Laurier knew if he wanted to build a successful country, he had to unite it geographically
The Canadian Pacific Railways was begun to link British Columbia with New Brunswick
Chinese and Italian labourers were brought over to do this hard work, but were not encouraged to stay
An unfair head tax was placed on Chinese immigrants wishing to stay that increased over time

9. Canadian Pacific Railway
The railway was important because
It created new industries such as manufacturing
New cities sprung up across the country
It allowed trade within Canada

10. Status of Women
Laurier’s vision for Canada had not accounted for women, and few were prepared for how determined some Canadian women would be
At the turn of the century, women’s rights were almost nonexistent.
They were considered the property of the husband or father, stayed at home, and did not have the right to vote or hold office
Women such as Emily Murphy, Henrietta Edwards and Nellie McClung crusaded through meetings, speeches, rallies and Women’s Groups Organizations in order to win their rights

11. Canadian and International Relations
Before 1900 Canada had very close ties with Great Britain, and its foreign policy was controlled by Britain
As Canada continued to grow, it started to want some more independence
The US was geographically closer, increasing in power and a better trading partner
Three main issues arose that challenged Canada’s relationship with the world around it:

12. The Boer War
In 1806 Britain had taken over land in South Africa, this was contested by the Boers who lived there
Diamonds were discovered in the area, causing the war to escalate
Britain expected Canada to send troops as it had been a loyal colony, but this caused conflict in Canada
British Canadians: wanted to help the Motherland
French Canadians: not our war
Laurier: Compromise – he sent a voluntary force of soldiers that became Britain’s responsibility
In the end, 7300 Canadian soldiers and nurses took part in the 3 year war

13. The Alaskan Boundary Dispute
In 1825 a poorly worded treaty created a vague boundary between Canada and Alaska
For a long time no one was concerned, but then gold was discovered in the Alaskan panhandle and the boundary became very important
The issue was to be settled in court – 3 American judges, 2 Canadian judges and 1 British judge were to decide on the boundary line
The British judge sided with the Americans much to Canada’s dismay. Reasons cited are:
Americans were pushy
American relations were important to the British
British might have still been upset over Boer War involvement

14. The Naval Crisis
Britain and Germany were the two strongest countries in Europe and both wanted powerful military
Britain had invented a ship called the Dreadnought- the most advanced battleship
In 1909 British spies discovered Germany was building four of its own Dreadnoughts
Britain wanted to compete and build more ships, but wanted money from its dominions
English Canadians wanted to support
French Canadians didn’t want to support
Naval Service Bill: Canada would build a small navy of its own that could be placed under British control