Chapter 2: Laurier's Liberals

Chapter 2: Laurier's Liberals

• Nationalism and Autonomy of Canada: A chapter focused on Canada's relationships with Britain and internal nationalistic feelings.
• Sir Wilfrid Laurier: Canada's Prime Minister (1896-1911) from the Liberal party. First French-Canadian Prime Minister.
• Attempted Unification: Laurier tried bringing together French and English Canadians.
• British Imperialism: The imposing of British culture, values, and political structures on other regions (in this case, Canada).
• English Canadians: Proud of their ties with Britain, wanting Canada to grow the British Empire.
• French Canadians: Felt they didn't fully belong to the British Empire. Wanted more autonomy and more distance from the British Empire.
• Nationalism (French Canadian): Strong attachment to French Canadian identity. Defending French language and rights.
• Henri Bourassa: An anti-imperialist journalist/politician. Advocated for French-Canadian nationalism.
• Laurier's Policy of Compromise: Tried to find a balance between imperialists and French Canadian nationalists. Wanted close ties with Britain while promoting Canada's independence.
• Colonial Conference in London (1897): Laurier attended a conference to strengthen ties with the British Empire but rejected the proposal for a permanent imperial council.
• Boer War (Challenge #1): Britain wanted land in South Africa (Dutch settlers were there); Britain attacked the Boers. Canada was asked to help with the war. Laurier supported but opposed conscription.
• Navy (Challenge #2): Britain asked Canada for money. Laurier created its own Canadian navy in 1910 to give Canada more control. He worried that involving themselves in every British war would be draining.
• Immigration Policy (1879 onwards): Continued Macdonald's policy but with greater resources. Attracted immigrants with brochures, posters, land offers, and paid passage on ships.
• Origins of Immigrants: Mostly from United Kingdom, the USA, and mainland Europe. Limited restrictions on Europeans and Americans.
• Effects of Immigration Policy: Led to more agricultural land with the distribution of land in townships. Alberta and Saskatchewan formed in 1905, growing as provinces.
• Abitibi Colonization (1910): French still left Quebec for the USA. Quebec relaunched the program to settle Abitibi. Railroad access. Natural resources drew folks in.
• Impact of Immigration in Western Canada: Rise of xenophobia (dislike of foreigners). Western provinces had difficulties with immigrants from Europe, which led to conflict with established communities.
• Chinese and Japanese Immigrants: Settled in neighborhoods to maintain their culture; there was fear that the immigrants would outnumber British citizens and take over culture. Later, restrictive measures were enacted.
• Francophone Catholic Minorities: The massive influx of immigrants to Western Canada decreased the population weight and political power of Francophones; limited their ability to defend their rights.
• Manitoba School Question and the Laurier-Greenway Compromise (1890s): A struggle over the use of French in Manitoba schools. Laurier attempted a compromise to address this.
• Regulation 17 (1912): In Ontario, French-language instruction limited to the first two years in elementary school.