Modern Canada PDF

24 Your Canadian Citizenship Study Guide Modern Canada Trade and economic growth Postwar Canada enjoyed record prosperity and material progress. The world’s restrictive trading policies in the Depression era were opened up by such treaties as the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), now th...

24 Your Canadian Citizenship Study Guide Modern Canada Trade and economic growth Postwar Canada enjoyed record prosperity and material progress. The world’s restrictive trading policies in the Depression era were opened up by such treaties as the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), now the World Trade Organization (WTO). The discovery of oil in Alberta in 1947 began Canada’s modern energy industry. In 1951, for the first time, a majority of Canadians were able to afford adequate food, shelter and clothing. Between 1945 and 1970, as Canada drew closer to the United States and other trading partners, the country enjoyed one of the strongest economies among industrialized nations. Today, Canadians enjoy one of the world’s highest standards of living—maintained by the hard work of Canadians and by trade with other nations, in particular the United States. As prosperity grew, so did the ability to support social assistance programs. The Canada Health Act ensures common elements and a basic standard of coverage. Unemployment insurance (now called “employment insurance”) was introduced by the federal government in 1940. Old Age Security was devised as early as 1927, and the Canada and Quebec Pension Plans in 1965. Publicly funded education is provided by the provinces and territories. International engagement Like Australia, New Zealand and other countries, Canada developed its autonomy gradually with a capacity to make significant contributions internationally. A medical researcher The Cold War began when several liberated countries of eastern Europe became part of a Communist bloc controlled by the Soviet Union under the dictator Josef Stalin. Canada joined with other democratic countries of the West to form the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a military alliance, and with the United States in the North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD). Toronto’s business district: Canada’s financial capital Canada joined international organizations such as the United Nations (UN). It participated in the UN operation defending South Korea in the Korean War (1950–53), with 500 dead and 1,000 wounded. Canada has taken part in numerous UN peacekeeping missions in places as varied as Egypt, Cyprus and Haiti, as well as in other international security operations such as those in the former Yugoslavia and Afghanistan. Canada and Quebec French-Canadian society and culture flourished in the postwar years. Quebec experienced an era of rapid change in the 1960s known as the Quiet Revolution. Many Quebecers sought to separate from Canada. In 1963 Parliament established the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism. This led to the Official Languages Act (1969), which guarantees French and English services in the federal government across Canada. In 1970, Canada helped found La Francophonie, an international association of French-speaking countries. The movement for Quebec sovereignty gained strength but was defeated in a referendum in the province in 1980. After much negotiation, in 1982 the Constitution was amended without the agreement of Quebec. Though sovereignty was again defeated in a second referendum in 1995, the autonomy of Quebec within Canada remains a lively topic—part of the dynamic that continues to shape our country.