Canadian History: Wilfrid Laurier Era

Part 1: Wilfrid Laurier

• First French Canadian prime minister.

Part 5: Second Phase of Industrialization

Natural Resources

• Exploitable natural resources in Quebec, Ontario, and British Columbia provided abundant raw materials.
• Rivers in Quebec offered strong hydroelectric potential.
• Copper, water, timber, silver, gold, zinc, and asbestos were important natural resources in Quebec.

Growing Sectors

• Ore processing
• Pulp and paper
• Hydroelectricity
• Electrometallurgy
• Electrochemistry

Manufacturing and Domestic Production Factors

• Wilfrid Laurier maintained a protectionist policy with high customs duties on imported products.
• A large influx of immigrants created a large labor force and market for manufactured goods.
• Wheat became a significant export from the prairies.
• Increased foreign trade with the USA and UK.
• First World War created a profitable wartime industry.

War Industry

• Canadian industrial sector increased military equipment production.

Part 6: Urban Areas

Public Health

• High child mortality rate due to overpopulated working-class neighborhoods and poor water quality (unpasteurized milk).
• Water chlorination and filtration system implemented.
• Clinics (milk stations) distributed quality milk and hygiene information.

Infrastructure and Services

• Cities improved hygiene in working-class neighborhoods through garbage collection, sewer and aqueduct construction, and accessible green spaces.
• Electricity and public transit (trams and street lighting) were introduced.

Part 7: First World War

European National Interests

• European nations sought to increase power and influence at the beginning of the 20th century, leading to increased military budgets, larger armies, and an arms race.
• Canada, as part of the British Empire, joined the war in 1914 after Germany declared war on Russia.

Major Alliances

• Triple Entente: France, UK, and Russia
• Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Ottoman Empire

Beginning of 20th Century

• Rising tensions and conflicts among European countries.

Start of the War

• Conflict between Austria-Hungary and Serbia, funded by Germany (Kaiser Wilhelm II), driven by Austria-Hungary's desire for more land.

Robert Borden

• PM of Canada in 1911.
• Almost single-handedly pushed for British recognition of Canadian political sovereignty.

Part 8: Wartime Government

• Canada adopted the War Measures Act in 1914 to intervene in economic and social affairs, including censorship, price and wage control, and factory redirection to war production.
• Immigration was reduced, and those from enemy countries were required to register.
• Internment camps were established for suspected spies.

Factories Focused on War Production

• Weapons production
• Ammunition manufacturing
• Food provisions
• Textiles

Conscription Crisis

• English Canadians supported the British Empire and wanted to fight, while French Canadians considered it an imperialist war.
• The Military Service Act of 1917 imposed conscription on single men between 20-45 years of age.

Division between French and English Canadians

• English Canadians strongly affiliated with the British Empire.
• French Canadians largely opposed to the war.
• French Canadians largely served in infantry roles which generally had poorer combat conditions.

Victory Bonds

• Canada’s war effort needed funding, so Victory Bonds were sold to the public.

Part 8: War Effort and Contribution of Men and Women

• Significant labor shortage in many industries due to men leaving for war.
• Women increased their role and presence in the workforce due to labor demand.
• Women's contributions boosted their political power and strengthened demands for greater gender equality.
• Right to vote for certain women in 1917, all women in 1918.

Wartime Production

• Canada mobilized all its resources to support the Triple Entente (Allied powers in WWI).
• The Canadian industrial sector significantly increased its military equipment production.
• Factories worked at full capacity to bolster the Canadian economy.

Part 9: Canadian Expeditionary Forces

• 600,000 Canadian men served in the war.
• 150,000 returned with injuries
• 60,000 died in combat.

Soldiers' Civil Re-establishment

• After WWI, Canada reduced its military personnel.
• Soldiers were provided with land and pensions to aid with reintegrating into civilian life.
• Many demobilized soldiers returned to factory jobs which took away jobs from women.
• Soldiers who were damaged during the war struggled to reintegrate and find employment.

Enemy Aliens

• Imprisonment of “enemy” aliens, as justified though the War Measures Act.
• Detention camps were constructed.
• Identification cards necessary for certain nationalities.
• Canadians of German, Austrian, Turkish decent were targeted.

League of Nations

• Created following WWI as an international organization to facilitate worldwide peace.
• Canada was represented at the League's creation.
• Canada was recognized as a distinct entity at the League, opposed to being viewed as part of another nation.

End of the War/Treaty of Versailles

• WWI concluded in November 1918.
• High casualties (approximately 15 million deaths).
• Canada was celebrated for its war efforts.
• Soldiers' demobilization and return to society was a major goal.
• Many men struggled to readjust to civilian life after being injured during the war.
• Canada gained greater autonomy.

Part 10: Greater Autonomy for Canada

• Due to significant wartime contributions, Canada was granted greater autonomy from the UK.
• Canada participated in the Treaty of Versailles as its own nation and a country with a unique voice amongst the global community.

Part 11: The Great Depression of 1929

• Post WWI prosperity, with increased consumption and entertainment.
• Periods of prohibition.
• Consumption of goods led to easy access to credit and significant debt.
• Overproduction and surplus of goods led to decrease in market demand for consumer products.
• Stock market crash of 1929 initiated a global economic downturn.

Socio-Economic Problems

• Reduced exports to the United States due to the economic crisis of the US impacting the Canadian economy.
• Canadian factories' imports of natural resources from US decreased.

Colonization

• Quebec's "return-to-the-land" policy to address unemployment and poverty during the Great Depression.
• The Quebec Government, along with the clergy and many French Canadian nationalists implemented new colonization programs.

Federal and Provincial Government Measures

• Programs to assist the unemployed were largely nonexistent in 1929.
• Religious communities and charities tried to support the people in need, but their efforts were insufficient to handle the situation.
• Quebec's government, with the support of the clergy and French Canadians, supported a "back-to-the-land" policy.
• New colonization programs were put in place to support the people.

Part 12: Capitalism

• People were seeking economic prosperity after WWI.
• Capitalism and laissez-faire principles were promoted.

Laissez-Faire Capitalism

• Overextended credit
• Easy money
• Heavy debt
• Ineffective financial regulations
• Public panic

Keynesianism

• Significant critique of prevailing capitalist economic model due to the large repercussions of the Great Depression.
• Political parties that emphasized economic policy change.

Maurice Duplessis

• Premier of Quebec in 1936, attempted to curb the Great Depression's economic impact.
• Promoted a rural way of life for French-Canadians.
• Introduced several anti-union laws, including the Padlock Act, leading to police intervention during labor disputes.

Part 13: Educational and Technical Training

School Attendance

• Anglophones attended school at a higher rate than Francophones.
• Mandatory school attendance was introduced but faced opposition and resistance from the church.

Improvements to Agricultural Practices

• Agriculture schools were created due to the introduction of advanced agricultural technologies.

Explore the pivotal role of Wilfrid Laurier as the first French Canadian prime minister and how his policies influenced the industrialization of Canada. This quiz covers topics such as natural resources, growing sectors, and manufacturing during the early 20th century. Test your knowledge on how war industries shaped Canada's economic landscape.