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The Laurier years were a
time of rapid economic
growth for Canada and
were often called the
“Golden Years”.
The global economy was
booming and naturally,
this benefited Canada..
Wheat, minerals, and
lumber were in demand
By 1910, most of the
Prairies were settled and
being farmed
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It was also a time of industrial/urban growth,
fueled by immigration
However, prosperity was not evenly
distributed for all Canadians
Not all regions benefited from the boom and
the gap between rich and poor widened
Regional Disparity
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Laurier seemed like the perfect politician and PM –
charisma?
He was bilingual and moved with ease between both
cultures: many thought he could solve the deep
rivalries between the French and English...
He came to be known as the “Great Compromiser”,
an approach that had both advantages and
disadvantages…
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French and English in Manitoba
disagreed over funding for Roman
Catholic schools. French Catholics
had been guaranteed bilingualism
and a right to their religion under
the Manitoba Act of 1870.
But in 1890, Manitoba passed the
Manitoba Schools Act, cutting off
money from French Catholic
schools, making English the only
language of instruction.
F-C’s in Manitoba appealed to
Ottawa and John A. Macdonald for
help.
Macdonald decided to ignore the
issue, afraid of alienating his
English supporters.
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In 1896, when Laurier came to power, the issue
was still simmering. He looked for a way to give
something to both groups and eventually he
struck a compromise:
• Manitoba would not have to pay for separate
Catholic schools but the public system would
provide a half hour of religious instruction at the
end of each school day
• A French speaking teacher would be provided,
whenever ten or more students spoke French.
The compromise was accepted, but did not satisfy
everyone completely…
Clifford Sifton was appointed
Minister of the Interior in 1896,
and he decided on an “Open
Door” immigration policy.
Sifton wanted farmers to settle in
the Prairies and avoided
recruiting urban workers.
First, he pinpointed desirable
countries –
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he preferred immigrants from the
United States, Britain, and northern
Europe.
Everyone else was discouraged
from immigrating.
He flooded these areas with
pamphlets, posters, and
advertising.
He promised free land in
the “Last, Best West” and
promoted the idea that
Canada was the “last
frontier” and the land of
opportunity.
Thousands came over -
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These people were escaping
from overcrowded cities,
expensive farmland or a lack of
land, crooked landlords, and
poverty…
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Not everyone was pleased with the
open door policy— English
Canadians only wanted immigrants
from Britain
The French worried about their
status. They feared that the
demands of other minority groups
might drown out their demands for
cultural equality.
Frank Oliver became Minister of
the Interior in 1905.
In 1910, he changed the
Immigration Act in order to slow
down the migration of non-English
speaking immigrants.
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Cda’s eco. was booming
overall, as was
immigration, but “Mac”s
National Policy was not
entirely successful and
regional disparity
persisted…
The Prairie Economy The boom in the Prairies
was the result of the hard
work of settlers and
railway expansion reduced the time and cost
of transporting produce.
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Sodbusters: Canadian
pioneers who first
ploughed prairie soil for
farming
• built a “soddie” and
would try to raise at least
one small crop
re-invested money earned
into improving
tools/mechanization
worked other jobs for
additional income (railway
construction)
those who made it one
year were “old-timers”
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The economy here grew in much the same way as
Ontario
Hydroelectricity, mining, factories and cities expanded
But many Quebeckers felt that industrialization
threatened the nature of F-C society
• traditional rural (agricultural) French culture was
slipping away
• many moved to larger cities.
They feared loss of culture and language
many F-Cs also felt “left behind” as the economy grew
Que. business leaders encountered language barriers in
the new economy - based on English business exchanges
Quebeckers felt trapped between a fight to save their
culture and adopting English ways to get ahead in the
business world.
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Nationalisme in Quebec:
Quebeckers were feeling
isolated from the rest of the
nation - they felt Canada
was not "Canada for all
Canadians"
French Canadians were
intent on "La Survivance"the preservation of French
society, language, and
culture in Quebec.
A number of groups
emerged to help mobilize
this sentiment…La Ligue
Nationaliste Canadienne
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Henri Bourassa was their
unofficial leader.
Grandson of Louis-Joseph
Papineau
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had led the rebellion in Lower
Canada in 1837
Bourassa led the fight for the
rights of the French Canadian
minority and became more
influential in Quebec as
French Canadians looked for
leaders who would fight to
protect their distinctive
culture.
He was the founding editor of
Le Devoir and warned his
fellow French Canadians to
avoid British imperial matters
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Factories replaced
cottage industries
Most factory jobs
involved hard
labour, long hours,
low pay…
To save $
companies hired
women and
children
Lighting and
ventilation in
factories were poor,
work areas were
dirty, machinery
was dangerous.
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There was no job
security &
unemployment was
common.
This allowed
employers to pay lower
wages and threaten
workers if they didn’t
work hard.
Employers worked
hard to stop any
attempts at creating
labour unions.
Job instability was
complicated by the
huge flow of
immigrants. Many were
desperate for work.
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Living and working
conditions continued to
worsen for the industrial poor
Laurier’s laissez-faire
government did little to
remedy worker exploitation,
poverty, crime and
disease...therefore a number
of reform movements
arose…
The Social Gospel: these
reformers wanted to improve
peoples’ quality of life –
many were motivated by
religion (they were like
missionaries)
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groups included the Women’s
Christian Temperance Union
(WCTU),
the Young Men’s Christian
Association (YMCA),
and the Salvation Army.
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Women were often
leaders in these
movements.
They pressed for
better wages and
safety standards in
the workplace, and
for the prohibition
of child labour,
prostitution and
alcohol.
They demanded
changes in
education and
health care.
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major Canadian cities
like Montreal, Toronto,
Edmonton, and Calgary
experienced explosive
growth
little thought was given
to proper housing,
schools, parks, water
supply and sanitation
systems  this led to
unsanitary conditions.
No public health
programs were in place
and child mortality rates
skyrocketed.
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JJ Kelso was a police
reporter for the Toronto
World who was worried
about street children.
He set up the Childrens’
Aid Society shelter in
Toronto in 1892 (would
care for homeless children
until they could be
adopted into stable
families)
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Herbert Ames wrote The
City Below the Hill about
working class life in
Montreal. He became
head of the city’s Board of
Health and worked hard
to implement health
reforms.
Reformers worked
towards urban
improvement, inc. water
and gas lines, sewage
plants, telephone and
electrical wires, and
public transportation
(TTC)
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Nationalism:
For E-C’s nationalism was based on
celebrating Victoria Day and some (like the
members of the British Empire League)
believed that Canada was destined to become
one of the most powerful nations in the
world, following in G.B.’s footsteps
Others favoured greater Canadian
independence. Canada should break ties with
Britain and avoid living in the shadow of the
United States.
F-C’s disliked the strong ties to Britain. Their
deep patriotism was rooted in Quebec and the
French language.
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A Time of Imperialism
European rivals were in a race to win more colonies.
Even the U.S. was becoming imperialistic, establishing strategic bases .
Laurier did not want to be dominated by either G.B. or the U.S.
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Laurier and other Cdns began to
feel that Canada should govern
its int’l affairs, as well as its
internal ones.
Laurier’s reluctance to create ties
with Great Britain became
significant in 1898 when G.B.
went to war against the Boers
(Dutch setters and farmers) in
South Africa over colonial and
territorial disagreements.
J. Chamberlain expected Canada
to send troops, but Laurier
wanted Canada to make its own
decision. He realized the Fr.Eng. split on the issue.
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Fr-Cdns were not interested
in fighting G.B.’s colonial
wars, whereas Eng-Cdns still
felt loyalty to G.B. and
thought Canada should send
troops.
Once again, Laurier decided
to make a compromise
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Canada would send no official
armed forces to South Africa
But the government would
equip and transport a volunteer
force to serve in the British
army. 7300 Canadian volunteers
enlisted to fight for G.B.
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In Quebec, Laurier could say that he
hadn’t sent an army and therefore,
Canada would have no ties to G.B. in
future wars
in Ontario, he could stress that he had
sent 7000+ volunteer soldiers to aid G.B.
in the Boer War.
Laurier was trying to build up Canadian
nationalism by appealing to both
sides…this proved to be very difficult…
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In 1902, Laurier attended another Colonial Conference, where
once again Chamberlain proposed closer connections with G.B.
Laurier opposed this, seeing that G.B. was fearful of a Euro. war
and wanted greater mil. support. This became apparent after both
Br. and Ger. began a naval race (known as the Dreadnought
Affair).
G.B. asked Canada for $ to help build battleships
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Laurier told Chamberlain that Canada could
best help G.B. by strengthening itself first.
Henri Bourassa feared that such a show of
support for G.B. could drag Canada into a war.
Laurier chose to compromise and he intro’d the
Naval Service Bill
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Intro’d into the H. of C., it called for the creation of a
Canadian navy (Royal Canadian Navy, or RCN).
This would appeal to the Fr. and non-empire
supporters, but an important clause was added:
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A Canadian war ship could go to war for Britain and
be placed under Br. Command only if the H. of C.
agreed
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Neither side of the debate was pleased w/ Laurier’s Naval Service Bill
Everyone ridiculed Laurier’s “Tin Pot Navy”, which consisted of 11small
ships by 1911
Laurier’s loyalty to both Eng. and Fr. grew into a key issue in the 1911
election – he tried to appeal to both sides, but was “attacked from all
sides”
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Laurier lost the
election in 1911
because of a # of
issues:
– The Naval Bill
– Reciprocity
In 1911, proBritish Canadians
voted
Conservative, and
Robert Borden
became the new
PM.