HIST-1400-A01 – Sept.

8, 2023
Week 1: John A. MacDonald and laying the foundations for the new country
(1867-1891)
 Challenges to confederation, some that still permeate into today
o Threat of American expansionism grew fears within the Canadian government,
especially with westward expansion through the Oregon Trail
o French-English relations were strained due to original colonial backgrounds,
particularly between British Anglophones in Ontario and French Francophones in
Quebec, Upper and Lower Canada respectively
o Maritimers were reluctant for a variety of reasons due to their trade relations
with Britain and New England, with their own unique identity, culture, and
history
 Large population of Francophones in New Brunswick, Prince Edward
Island, and Nova Scotia
 Only New Brunswick and Nova Scotia joined, with Newfoundland and
Prince Edward Island refused to join until later
 After they joined in 1867, they wanted to immediately leave the
confederation, with their provincial governments voting to leave
but remained due to threats of invasion
 Nova Scotia sent delegates to renew and revise the British North America
Act, who would threaten the Nova Scotians of no support unless they
remained with Canada
 MacDonald would increase the annual grant to Nova Scotia to
foster better relations and remain within confederation
o Canadian government and their relationship with the indigenous and Metis
peoples
 The Metis were mixed indigenous and colonial blood, who were
particularly housed in Manitoba
 Neither of them was consulted about confederation or any other
Canadian affairs, ignored by the federal government even though they
had been granted responsibility over them in the BNAA (Indian Affairs)
 The British had established by 1867 of making Treaties, with the
Proclamation of 1763
 The Proclamation quoted that no whites would be able to settle in
indigenous territories until treaties had been written
 The treaties had no proper respect for the natives in those lands
but the principle was started
 The British would backstep on it, and the Americans would not
recognize the issue after independence
 o Determining the Canadian nation’s identity
 The Anglophonic settlers had made assumptions without question that
Canada would be an Anglocentric nation, with Anglocentric law and
institutions
 Quebeckers had issue with these settlers’ goals, and outside of
Francophonic province, there were federal pushes towards Anglophonic
domination
o Forging a strong Canadian economy
 MacDonald recognized this and had pushed for self-sufficiency within
Canada
 Canada in the early confederation period had major exports of grain and
timber, but had to rely on manufacturing imports, especially from the
United States
 This had also threatened livelihood security and caused an exodus
of those seeking to better their lives
 The Canadian population had still continued to grow steadily due
to large household numbers
o Federal-provincial relations within Canadian confederation
 Under the constitution, there are some concurrent powers where both
the federal and provincial governments have precedence in particular
issues
 The federal government can overrule and disallow the provincial
government in any of their legislation it deems unconstitutional, well into
the 1940s
 This would be very controversial and strain the government ties to
the provinces, which it has not been invoked since the 1940s and
similar issues are handled by the Supreme Court
 Addition of new provinces and territories to confederation
o The question of Rupert’s Land and Northwestern Territories
 The Canadian government would buy the rights to Rupert’s Land from the
Hudson’s Bay Company, who still retained their trade rights with the
natives in the area and maintain their trading posts, costing them in $1.5
million (with British loans) in 1869
 MacDonald would believe this would be pivotal to maintaining the
Canadian position against American expansionism
o Manitoba (1869-1880) was known as the “key to the West”, which became the
question of whether western Canada would become Canadian or American
 The indigenous peoples, the Metis population between fur-traders and
natives, and by 1869, 1500 white settlers had lived in Manitoba
 The Metis had established themselves as a separate identity and
developed their own traditions (i.e., bison hunts, small-time farmers),
language (Michef), and culture
 Their farms spanned along the triple river areas, as far as Portage
la Prairie westward
 Kildonan had the majority of white settlers
 60% Metis were French-speaking, while 40% were English-
speakings
 There were 12000 people living along the Assiniboine and Red
Rivers, making up the Red River Community
 They were quite willing to join confederation only if their rights
were assured and lands were protected
o In contrast, the federal government had exercised, like
many imperialist governments, social Darwinism whereas
some races were superior and thus had the right to rule
the world as they saw fit, creating a hierarchy of race
o In the hierarchy, the Metis being mixed was seen as
“mongrel” and seen at the bottom
o MacDonald did not believe that the Metis would make
good farmers in large-scale, and wished to open the doors
to Manitoba to white farmers; otherwise ignoring the
Metis until Louis Riel and their forcing federal hands
 MacDonald assumed, after having bought Rupert’s Land, that all of its
territory had under Canadian control, even with a loose territorial
government appointed by Ottawa
 He would appoint William MacDougall as governor of this new
western territories
 He commissioned surveyors and prospectors into Manitoba and
further to establish Canadian townships for settlers, in contrast to
Metis strips along the rivers
o By July and August of 1869, they would mark lands and
dividing sections of Manitoba, beginning in St. Norbert and
angering the Metis
 Metis responses included appointing a new leader, Louis Riel, born to
Roman Catholic parents, training to become a priest but eventually
worked in a law firm
 Louis Riel would study for pastorship in Quebec, eventually
dropping out and working in law, studying law but not becoming a
lawyer
 He would be romanced with a Quebec girl, with their marriage
annulled by the parents due to Metis prejudice, forcing his return
to Manitoba
 Metis bison trade to the American fur-traders had people
concerned for American usurpation
 Louis was deemed as a natural leader to best combat the surveyor
issue for the Metis, and by October 1869, threatening to stop their
surveys at gunpoint
 He would also realize the Metis needed a provisional government
to establish law and order, as well as recognition by the federal
Canadian government to leverage better negotiations
o He demanded that the federal government recognized
Manitoba as a province, not a territory
o MacDonald would take Upper Fort Garry, the headquarters
of the Hudson’s Bay Company in the area
o Louis’ provisional government included English and French
Metis as well as white settlers to represent themselves
 MacDougall arrived in Fort Pembina at the Pembina-North Dakota
border, but would be stopped by Louis’ troops to prevent his
arrival at Upper Fort Garry and to maintain their negotiation
powers