Canadian Confederation: Causes and Effects - PDF

What was happening in 1867? What were the causes of confederation? - In 1840 Quebec and Ontario were founded - Area was divided in half into western and eastern sections with one governor - Currently there is one colony as the Canadas during this time, but it is still separated into...

What was happening in 1867? What were the causes of confederation? - In 1840 Quebec and Ontario were founded - Area was divided in half into western and eastern sections with one governor - Currently there is one colony as the Canadas during this time, but it is still separated into Upper and Lower Canada - Extent of the colonies were created by the extent of their economies - Nova scotia: timber, fishing, shipbuilding - Ontario and Quebec: agriculture, timber, wheat exports Causes of confederation: External reasons: - U.S threat in the post-civil war era (war ended in 1865, huge army with not much to do and would be shortly expanded to the west. Was felt in 1867 from the ongoing resentment America felt toward Canada because Canada was being used as a launch point for spies from the British to wreak havoc.) - British political and financial interests in union (Britain had moved into an era of free trade, Britain invested in railways, streamlines, they were very wealthy, so they invested in many different projects. They sought interest in London and felt that it was difficult to launch investments from the colonies, so they wanted to launch from a united colony.) - Economic crisis – abrogation of the Reciprocity Treaty with US in 1866. (All of the colonies depended on export staples, most of the revenues in the colonies depended on export of wheat, timber, fish, where a lot of money was being made. After the civil war, Britain punished America for their disloyalty and rewarded those that were still loyal. Tariffs were placed on American areas. The end of the treaty was insignificant; timber, fish, and wheat continued to grow) - Canadian timber was cheap because of the vast forests within the country. Internal reason: - Canadian interest: western expansion, end internal political deadlock, railway expansion, to create free trade between the colonies (create own tariffs and restriction of goods), industrialize economies (shipping goods and creating railways. They hoped railways would help economies that largely depended on staple exports to transfer into communities. More manufacturing, more assuring) - Canadians wanted a union, in the Canadas there was a lot of interest in western expansion. - Canadians wanted to solve their own internal problems in upper and lower Canada. - There was a drive to assimilate French-Canadians. - British thought that the French Catholic people in Canada were a problem (Quebec) they only wanted English law, English language, appointing only protestants to the assemblies.  - British government recognized French language in the courts, allowed continuation of French civil law, business law was included in French, allowed for the continuation of a French land system that is very different from English land system, allowed Catholics to hold public office and could sit in the governor's personal assembly. - The French population has never forgotten the fact that they were conquered. There were rebellions in the 19th century. - The British thought that the only way to bring peace was to assimilate the French Canadians. British North American Union Terms of confederation - 50% of Canada's exports were going to US - 38% of exports were going to Britain - Most imports were from Britian because the US was very protective of its own economy, specifically its own manufacturing. - US used tariffs to obstruct competitors to its own industry - 1828 “tariffs of abomination”: US raised tariffs to 62%. The year after they dropped to 51%. - US wanted to fish in the Canadian areas and wanted to condition that they would face no higher tariffs from the colonies Canada – still a colony - Imperial government power through governor general (face of King in Britain): Foreign policy (Canada would not have any diplomatic capacity or rights), declaring war and making peace (British government would declare war and making peace on Canada’s behalf. Canada had no say until 1931 in the Treaty of Westminster, meaning Canada was still a colony up until that year. After that date was when Canada could form their own treaties. In 1871 the Treaty of Washington, British allowed SJAM to sit as a member of commission) - Indian treaties (in 1763 (royal proclamation) British government would only allow taking of Indigenous land through the British Crown. “Indian Territory” allowed the land of indigenous people be a recognized sovereignty. Indigenous were paid with reserves or money for their lands. The indigenous groups would simply move off the lands when loyalists wished to claim them. At this point the government would allow its people to move into the lands and begin mining. Indigenous people were dealing with the Crown through the governor general. - Final court of appeals: judicial committee of the privy council. Any decision of the supreme court could be appealed by the Privy Council of London. The final court of appeal was to Britain until 1949. 1949 - Nova scotia and more provinces responsible government was established. - All local matters are controlled by the colonial government. The British North America Act 1867 - Modelled British legislative union but applied as well American model of Federal State - Central government powers: (s. 91 “peace, order and good government clause; general powers + residual powers) - Provincial powers: (s. 92 “specific powers + generally all matters of a merely local or private nature in the province.”) (s. 93 education) - Bicameral government: house and senate. Two competing views of confederation Centralist view: confederation destroyed colonial legislatures and created one union of them - Macdonald and other saw this as the spirit of confederation Compact theory: confederation created a central government but preserved colonial legislatures as provinces (nothing changed) (colonies would be giving up certain powers to the central government, but would still be quasi-sovereign states) - Colonies joined a compact, and offered only limited power to federal government - Remained quasi-sovereign entities. Treaty of Washington: treaty between America and Britain and was significant because it allowed the Prime Minister of Canada to be in attendance. - Confederation and Nature of Union Transcontinetal nation - 1887: Interprovincial Conference, Quebec - Resented Macdonald’s federalism. Interprovincial conference was held to promote and defend provincial rights. SJAM Vision of strong central government - National Policy Tariff: remained popular in Canada to protect interests against America - Acquistion of Rupert’s Land: wasn’t enthusiastic about expanding westward, he saw more benefit in Canada going coast to coast as an advantage for the empire. Connecting Britain and the British empire from Atlantic to Pacific. - Immigration: The final say of immigration will be with the federal government. - NWMP (northwest mountain police) federal government wanted to create police force that made an army unit (NWMP) to police Northwest Territories. - CPR (Canadian Pacific Railway) deeply affected national and provincial development, deeply influenced natures of communities.  - NW Field Force, 1885 rebellion - SJAM: 1867-1873 Acquisition of Rupert’s land - Imagined the west as an agricultural zone - Treaties would extinguish Indigenous rights - A British land rush would follow (Canadian government didn’t understand issues in the west) - Indigenous people would be self-sufficient while settlement occurred - would give some goods to Indigenous people, involved with vaccination against smallpox against indigenous people - Maintained trade with reciprocity - Had to sell furs at a low price - HBC understood that they had to work with indigenous people if they’d be taking the fur of the animals that they ate. - Area given over for largely fur-trading. - Divided territories into districts - British government was concerned the HBC would be lost to the Americans. “Trade doesn’t count when you’re debating sovereignty” - Expansionist wanted the vast space that could be farmed - Acquisition of Rupert’s land was written in BNA Challenges with purchase of Rupert’s Land 1869 - The sheer size of Rupert’s Land - Little land rush - Growing food insecurity (bison decline) while treaties were signed. Required rationing because of the amount of starving Indigenous people by the federal government that lacked the money to do it. - Indigenous people starved on their reserves and had poor rations from the government. - (Bisons were gone by 1879, railway started construction in 1886) - Indigenous people killed Canadian bison in Canadian territories. - Metis political organization (wanted political rights, not treaty rights. Demanded provincial representation) federal government had not anticipated the origin of the Metis people organization. Confederation and Nature of Union Transcontinental Nation and Party Politics 1869: William McDougal sent as first governor of Rupert's land. Came against the resistance of Metis at the red river. Company (maybe Hudson’s Bay or CPR) was in talks with London to sell the Metis land without their consent. Louis Riel came into the picture.  - A delegation was sent to Ottawa to determine terms regarding the Metis land. Canada was under pressure to accept the terms. Official transfer July 14, 1870 - Northwest territories established - Provinces withheld resources until 1930 from Manitoba and northwest territories and other western provinces - A small province of Manitoba (separate schools, French language rights and land grant to Metis families, and a senate) - Metis wanted a senate in case things went against them in the legislature BC joins in 1871 - Transfer of debt (in order to administer the colony, the colonial government had to build railways inward and roads, everything is expensive in BC) - Responsible government - Railway in ten years after signing (actually took 16 years) Polarizing politics in Big Canada - In 1873, liberals and conservative parties at the federal level - Liberals: low taxes, deregulation, small government, free trade, provincial rights - 1873 onwards: conservatives: economic nationalism, All Red Route for CPR, and national policy 1878. Confederation and nature of union Transcontinental nation and policy - John A. Mcdonald is known across Canada as the founder of the transcontinental nation - This ignores the fact that the indigenous was here before the white man come about Under his government the Indian affairs and residential system was implemented Indigenous weren't British subjects, they were wards of the state until they agreed to the Indian affair terms 1985, he made it so that only Ontario and Quebec could vote Even though at this time it was the specific province that determined the people's rights Asserted the federal right to make it that indigenous couldn't vote Brokerage politician, pragmatic in the context of the colony (believed that there was a place for political philosophy but in the colony, legislature was a place to get work done), and believed in light conservatives in Britain Attuned to economic responsibility  Believed in a natural ranking of rights There'll always be poor and the wealthy in society, it's the job of the higher ups to take care of the poor Conservative views Macdonald was popular among the working class, seemed apathetic. He understood the ranks of society and believed in supremacy of the British constitution and empire. The working class needed the recognition of the class difference and the liberty of being British subjects 1873 was the first real financial depression of north America * Economies because increasingly unstable Cause of financial falling of the British economy and USA Anneal to the voter of national policy Protectionism in Canada o Debate whether it was a good thing or not o Did provide an increase of manufacturing in Canada o American investment in Canadian exports o Instead of going over a tariff wall, make a Canadian branch plant in the south o Didn't take much to convince Americans to move to Canada through geographical differences o Wood market, many more trees in Canada o Britain was a free market o 60% going usa and 40% going to britain, by 1800 it was flipped Political tolerance in an intolerant age - Separate school debates in early Canada Macdonald conservatism - Pragmatic brokerage politics - Conservative philosophy - Primacy of British constitutional “liberty” and British empire Tariff for national development - 1878: national policy vs reciprocity - 1891: national policy vs unrestricted reciprocity (free trade) and commercial union  - Conservatives of MacDonald ran on protectionism - Removing all barriers of commerce Impact of tariffs - Raised home industry - Encouraged American branch plants (encouraged them to invest) (pulp and paper mining) - Reversed trends of exports - 1867 50% to US, 37% to Britain - 1900 38% to US< 52% to Britain The reality of intolerance - Religion, ethnicity, and culture dominated regions and communities in Canada - Most support found within these affiliations - They often drove political questions of the day - Became familiar with who counts for what in your community Dominant political blocks - English protestant (saw themselves as the Church of England) (dominated provinces except for Quebec) (Baptists, Congregationalists, Presbyterians, orange lodge – organism (anti-Catholic) established to protect protestant monarchial protection, Orangemen would rally under “no-popery” in Canada often, Orangemen were also fraternal, almost everyone was an Orangeman in Ontario) - Irish catholic - French catholic Block brokerage in schooling - Canadian separate schooling - New Brunswick schools' debate, 1871 (caraquet riots 1875 and fed compromise) - Manitoba schools' question, 1890 (“sunny ways” and the Laurier-Greenway Compromise 1896) - Gave power over schooling to provinces in section 93 of ____. And, in section 93 it says where there were not separate schools by law existing, the French or English minorities could appeal to the government for legislative repress. - 1905 Alta and Sask separate schools - Eradicated French school systems in any catholic content because of the Catholics running the country. Disallow teachers from wearing religious clothing - 1875: riots broke out, 2 Acadians shot dead - This led McKenzie to strike out a compromise and he said to change the New Brunswick schooling. These schools could be taught by priests, could be taught in French. - Politics shifting to support protestants - Public school meant to reform education Limits to political intolerance Assimilation and exclusion in early Canada - Mid 1880s is when the development of more intolerance occurs New imperialism - 1885-1914: growth of American, French, German, Empires as rivals - Britain was promoting the idea of “peace on Earth” - You need vast amounts of cheap labour in order to get jobs done, like the railway. - The labour forces did not have equal rights, basically paid slavery to the empires - Defence of the White Empire Limits to political intolerance - Quebec nationalism - The hanging of Riel 1885 (Quebec hired lawyers to go and defend Riel) NB and man schools' debates (compromised settlements, government was prioritizing British immigration) ; limited French-Canadian settlement of the west (large section of population was going to be settled in with large numbers of anglophones, Quebec doubted the value of being in confederation, by the 1880s the provinces had power from the crown but Quebec was a large nation and didn't have the rights to the large imports in their province, meaning they were losing money) ; small transfer payments; honore Mercier in Quebec (became a nationalist politician in the province, SJAM idolized modern conservative element in Quebec, growing support for liberals and conservatives were losing their base in Quebec because of how the conservative party was splitting up) - The conservative party split: Macdonald pragmatism vs. new imperialism (orange lodge was popular, protestant rights were jealously protected in Ontario, - Riel rebellion 1885; Jesuit Estates Bill 1888 (Honore Mercier sought to compensate the Jesuits estate, the bill went back to the seizure of the lands, their land was seized by the British government, when the Jesuits returned in the 1840s for teaching it sought compensation from being away at the time from the British government, Mercier felt he needed to settle this claim, not paying directly to Jesuits but paid the funds to the Vatican, 400k dollars to the Vatican in restitution, provided 60k dollars to support English schools in Quebec, the passing of this act imposed great protests, the pope was deciding how to use its funds in Canada, Specific Ontarians were frightened of growing catholic practice in their province; catholic rights in Ontario - Dalton McCarthy (natural successor to Macdonald as leader of conservative party, was also leader in the Orange Lodge (anti-Catholic)) and the equal rights league (Jesuits estates act helped found this league, deeply supported Greenaway laws on public schools in 1889, McCarthy justified a law that would illegalize the use of French language in the  Northwestern provinces, thought an English only speaking country would bring unity; the imperial federation league (the hope Britain would demand colonies in Canada to build up nation for use by Britain in times of war, make empire stronger and more unified) - Assimilate newcomers to British law and English language only (dominating in Canada’s school systems and legislatures) - Exclude the unassimilable (unable to assume the true mantle of British unity and civilization) Chinese question in Canada - “Gold Mountain” immigration to Australia, New Zealand, California, BC gold rushes by early 1860s. - Both American transcontinental railways and CPR needed vast amounts of cheap labour - CPR spurred Guangdong Cantonese immigration (1882-1921: 100k immigrants) - “Debtor immigration” - “Bachelor society” - Chinese labour contractors (Yip Sang, and Chinese Benevolent Association for Chinese) Backlash - 1882 US Chinese exclusion act - 1885 Canadian head tax 50 dollars - 1900 100 dollars - 1903 500 dollars - 1923 Chinese immigration act (exclusion) Economic expansion and regionalism in Laurier Era (1896-1911) - Undefended border - Mutual comparative advantages (1909 boundary waters treaty, and international joint commission) - Integrated economy - No tolerance for Japanese people - Anti-Asian movement focusing on Chinese Crisis in the British empire - 1890-1911: Rise of Germany - British Fair-trade movement: imperial federation (joseph chamberlain) - Calls for imperial federation and “defense of the empire” in English Canada Crisis in American relations - McKinley tariff 1890 - Franco-Canadian trade agreement 1893 - Trade commission service 1894 - Ottawa colonial conference 1894 - Dingley tariff 1897 - Ontario “manufacturing condition” 1898, 1900 on nickel ore, pulp wood, and sawmill wood. - Canadians were seeing protectionism against their raw, natural products The fielding tariff - Imperial preference - Two tier tariff: general and British preference tariff - Didn't change anything between Canada and Britain and pleased certain groups - The tariff that broke the British empire - 1907 three-tier tariff: general, MFN (most favourite nation) and British - 1909 department of external affairs - Midterm: short answers at the beginning, his questions will be mostly based on lectures, ex: (how Canada's constitution set itself up to meet the needs of minorities) Canada, the US, and British Empire in the Laurier Era (1911 election downfall) - The Boer war compromise 1899 (Henri Bourassa) - Naval service act 1910 (Laurier was in a bad spot about the call to service, when Britain was at war, Canada was also at war, Britain had to ask for aid of colonies to come to defend the empire) - Free trade 1911 (Max Aikin (Lord Beaverbrook) in London - 1911 election was complicated by free trade - Maintained tariffs - Gave Americans access to soft wood lumber - Gave more free access into Canada on coal on the American side - Eastern provinces were quite conservative - Duff Roblin, Manitoba Canada and the First Nations in the Laurier era (Treaties and confederation effects of Indian act change in the Laurier era)  - Treaty meant “cost to government” - Treaties were not part of the discussion in BC - “Paid in goods/kind” not cash for treaties Land treaties: Numbers 1-7 (1871-1877) - Reserves - Annuities (always apart of these agreenments, lands were small enough that the government would pay one time, land was $5 per person, paid in cash, Indigenous people wanted cash for their annuities - Continued access to crown lands Resource Treaties: Numbers 8-11 (1899-1911) - Annuities - Access to crown lands - Reserve in severalty Impact of Indian act 1876 and its revisions - Sovereignty without self-government - Democratic form of government in parallel with traditional authority - Government fiduciary resp in hands of Indian agents (indigenous people were not regarded to function independently. Incapable of understanding their best interests) - Treaty Indians did not own their own means of production - Decisions to use reserve property - Buy and sell reserve products - No bank financing (mortgages) - Wealth held in band account (run by the Indian agent) Freedom within a surveillance state - Indigenous people being surveyed all the time - Restrictions on assembly (more restrictions on Indigenous people than Canadians) - 1881 on-reserve treaty payment - Restricted movement - Pass system 1885 (required Indian agent’s permission to leave the reserve), prohibition of Sundance - Treaty days, Banff Indian days, secret sun dances - In Banff, the people in charge would bring around the Indigenous people to “please” the tourists In Laurier land rush: - Land treaty Indians: - Most crown lands filled - Annuity cash lost value - Without bank financing, reserve agriculture remained ‘peasant’ agriculture - Depopulated “unproductive” reserves targeted for surrender - Frank Oliver - 1896-1909 725,500 acres surrendered In Laurier era Resource treaty nations: - commercial fishing, logging, clear0cut pulp and paper, and mining fragmented. - Widespread moose and caribou crises - 1894 northwest territories game act - Provincial trapline registrations and furbearer conservation Change in fur trade: - From incidental to integral to subsistence hunting - Emergence of distinctive trapping dependent culture - Industrialized fur production and international markets - Boom and bust pricing - Fox trade failed, seal trade failed, indigenous people get wages here and there - “Made beaver” money to Canadian dollar - Beaver was still being used in McKenzie valley in 1920s - Hudson’s Bay Company made their own currency “beaver tokens” Studying: In 1879, SJAM introduced the national policy