Life in British Canada. Urbanization Urbanization – The trend to move from the farm into cities and towns Why ? Employment Get off the farm Immigrants.

Life in British Canada

Urbanization

Urbanization – The trend to move from the farm into cities and towns

Why?

• Employment

• Get off the farm

• Immigrants moved to where relatives were

• Excitement

• Something to do

• Friends had moved

Urbanization

• Especially in the West – the Prairies

• Opportunities for growth

• business to support farmers

• Eastern cities well settled

• Few opportunities

• no ‘excitement’

Where?

UrbanizationProblems in fast-growing cities

• Lack of Facilities

• Roads, sewers, water, etc

• Creation of Slums

• Poor or inadequate housing

• Poor health care

• Unsanitary conditions

• But - affordable

• Much poverty

UrbanizationProblems

• Try to ‘escape reality’ – bad working conditions

• Alcohol cheap and easy to get

• Usually men

• Paid in cash – drink the pay on the way home

• No food, no rent

• Family neglect, physical and mental abuse

Alcoholism

UrbanizationProblems

• Prohibition

• To stop the manufacture, sale and consumption of alcohol

• Movement by women and ministers

• Women were not taken seriously

• They could not vote

• Women demanded Suffrage – the right to vote

Alcoholism

Urbanization

Roman Catholic Church in Quebec

• Feared that movement of farmers to cities would damage the French traditions

• “Paid” farmers to remain on the land

• To cultivate crops and maintain culture and tradition

• Feared that ‘citification’ would cause people to turn away from the Church

UrbanizationTechnological Advances

• Electricity

• Offices and factories

• Streetcars

• High rise buildings – elevators

• Wireless telegraph – radio transmission

• Telephone

• Automobiles – mass production

• Air travel

Urbanization

Working Conditions

• Poor working conditions

• Dirty, dangerous factories

• Low wages

• Few safety precautions

• Long hours

• Low pay

• Weak or no unions or worker organizations

Urbanization

Working Conditions (Children)

• Farm children must help with all farm work

• City children often had to work to help support the family

• Few and weak child labour laws

• Long hours with very low pay (much lower than adults)

• Very strict discipline – whippings

Urbanization

Entertainment

• Still mostly local and Church oriented

• Family picnics and outings

• Little travel for entertainment

• City people (Toronto) could go to movies by streetcar

• Spectator sports becoming important

• Especially baseball and hockey

• Brantford Red Sox would have 5000 spectators

UrbanizationEducation

• Mandatory to age 14 by 1914

• Became more academic

• Mostly British literature (for a ‘British’ nation)

• Some Canadian writers

• Pauline Johnson (poet)

• Lucy Maud Montgomery (Anne of Green Gables)

• Stephen Leacock (Humour)

• Canadian artists

• Group of Seven – unique Canadian style

Franklin Carmichael “Bay of Islands”

Tom Thomson “Early Spring”

Lawren Harris “Maligne Lake”

Emily Carr “Totem Poles”

Canada in the British Empire

• Canada was the senior member of the British Empire

• Britain imported natural resources from the colonies and sold manufactured goods back to the colonies

• British Navy was world’s largest (to protect the colonies)

• British Empire like a large family

• Each member has responsibilities

• Senior member – more is expected

• Loyalty is owed because Britain created the country

Canada in the British EmpireThe South African War – The Boer War

• Settled by the Dutch

- Their descendants were the Boers

• Britain had some territories, especially Cape Town

• Discovery of gold and diamonds

• Boers wanted their homeland territory

• British wanted more ‘British territory’, - greed for riches

• War began in 1899

Canada in the British EmpireThe South African War – The Boer War

• English Canada

• Wide support

• Loyalty to Britain “thanks for all Britain has done”

• War went badly for Britain

- Boers used guerilla tactics (small groups attack and run)

- Britain asked for help from the Empire

• French Canada

• Felt “why fight Britain’s Imperialistic war”

• Boers are fighting for language and culture, same as us

Canada in the British EmpireThe South African War – The Boer War

• Laurier had to act – but not annoy either English or French

• Compromise – 1000 volunteers, under British command

• English Canada felt Laurier had not done enough to help Britain

• Should have sent more troops, and under Canadian control

• French Canada felt Britain had no right to try to defeat a small army trying to protect its way of life

Canada in the British EmpireAlaska Boundary Dispute

• Gold discovered in 1890’s - Boundary in dispute

• Britain responsible for Canadian foreign affairs

• Britain voted with U.S. – Colonial concerns of little importance to Britain

• Why?

• Britain’s bad loss in Boer War – decrease in world prestige

• Britain needed to trade with U.S. – world’s largest trading nation

• U.S. policy of Manifest Destiny AND the US Civil War

• US would go to war to get what they want

• Britain upset with Canada since not enough help in Boer War

Canada in the British Empire

The Naval Problem

• All members of the British Empire protected by Britain in the event of war

• British Navy largest and strongest in the world

• British built largest, fastest battleship – The Dreadnought

• To maintain superiority

• Germany started to build same type of ships

• Britain wanted colonies to help pay for the ships – loyalty and protection

Canada in the British Empire

The Naval Problem

• Britain wanted funding from all colonies

• English Canada demanded immediate donation of funds

• loyalty to Britain, thanks for everything ever done

• French Canada refused

• why pay to attack Germany and not defend Canada

• Created a problem between French and English

•Laurier proposed small Canadian Navy to protect Canada – but could be used by Britain if necessary

• Canada bought 2 used British ships

ReciprocityEconomic Prosperity

• Immigration increased population on the Prairies

• improved economics because of good wheat crops

• World market for grain increased

• Much farm equipment bought from Eastern Canada

• Prosperity in Central Canada

• High preferential tariffs

• Tax on foreign goods

• Raised prices in the West (forced to buy from Central Canada)

•g

ReciprocityTariffs

• Tax on imported goods

• Protects the local economy as foreign goods now more expensive

• Advantages

• Creates booming economy for manufacturers

• Disadvantages

• Raises price of manufactured goods to farmers

• Farmers MUST buy from Canadian firms

• Prairie farmers learn to dislike the East

Reciprocity

• the term used to describe the concept of Free Trade with the United States

• Free Trade - trade of goods and services between countries with no tariff or tax barriers

• Prairie farmers could buy cheaper, better quality US products

• Eastern manufacturers must improve quality and lower prices

• Canadians could have a wider choice of products

• U.S. firms could gain access to the growing Canadian market

The 1911 Election• Many people thought Reciprocity would win election for Laurier (Liberal)

• Greater prosperity for the country

• Conservative (Borden) policies

• Huge U.S. companies would undersell Canadian firms

• U.S. branch plants in Canada would close

• Bankruptcy for Canadian firms

• Reciprocity would be disloyal to Britain

• Talk of free trade within the British Empire

• U.S. policy of Manifest Destiny

The 1911 ElectionLaurier Loses the Election

• Central Canadian manufacturers promoted ‘pro-Empire’

• Warned that Reciprocity would mean job losses

• Quebec (had always voted Liberal)

• French Nationalists joined with manufacturers

• warned voters that the U.S. would take over Canada economically and then

politically and then assimilate Quebec

• Possible loss of French culture cost Laurier many votes