Chapter 1

A Review...
 Timeline
The Act of Union - 1840 The Indian Act + Indigenous
Path to Confederation - 1867 Peoples
Merged Upper and
Lower Canada Numbered Treaties
1) End of Reciprocity Metis Uprisings
Created a single
legislative assembly Treaty with USA
Creation of Reserves
2) 10 gov’t in 10 years
Aimed to assimilated Indian Act works to assimilate
Francophones
3) Fear of American First Nations
Invasion

1840

Road to Responsible The First Phase of National Policy

Expansion of
Government 1848 Industrialization Canada First PM: John A. Macdonald
Anglophones and Francophones Steam Engine!
Unite to achieve responsible 1867 - 1 - Build Railway
government Confederation 2 - High Tariffs
Mechanization + Division
of Labour 3 - Colonization of Western
Baldwin and Lafontaine - Reformers Canada
Alliance 1970 - Manitoba
Economic Liberalism and NWT
British Free Trade -1846
Driven by British Capital
1871: BC

1873: PEI
Act of Union 1840
The Act of Union was far-reaching in
that, it aimed at changing the political,
economic, territorial and linguistic
makeup of Upper and Lower Canada.

Lord Durham, and politicians in

London, believed that the root of the
problems in the colony were the fact
that TWO DISTINCT peoples had to
coexist.

Solution: Work towards

ASSIMILATING the French Canadian
peoples
Assimilate
Verb

Absorb and integrate (people, ideas, or culture) into a

wider society or culture.
Territorial

Combined UPPER and LOWER Canada

into a single colony.

The PROVINCE OF CANADA or

UNITED CANADA
Economic

In becoming one larger province,

London also decided to combine the
DEBTS of the two colonies as well.

Problem: Unfortunately for the people

of Lower Canada, the debts of Upper
Canada were nearly TEN TIMES as
large as their own.
Political

The newly formed “Province of Canada”, also

combined the previously separate Legislative
Assemblies of Upper and Lower Canada.

This new combined assembly would be made

up of 42 REPRESENTATIVES from Upper Canada
(Canada West) and 42 REPRESENTATIVES from
Lower Canada (Canada East) .
 Problem!
1) The population of Lower Canada was significantly larger than Upper
Canada at this time. This equal split was another attempt to limit the
political power of French Canadians
2) English was to be the only OFFICIAL language in this new assembly
The Assimilation Game
Lower Canada, specifically the French Canadians within this region saw their
influence decrease dramatically. While they had consistently been a majority
in Lower Canada, and were able to push for their rights, they were now cast
into the corner politically.
Contents: Breaking Down the Chapter
1) Power
a) Achieving Responsible Government
b) Establishing “The Dominion of Canada”
2) Territory
a) Changing Borders
b) Western Expansion
3) Economy
a) Economic ties with the Mother Country (United Kingdom)
b) Industrialization
4) Society and Culture
a) The “working class”
b) Religion and Society
Power
The Road to Responsible Government
When the Act of Union was designed, there was an expectation that the voices
of French Canadians would be silenced because politicians would group
together based on what language they spoke...

This way, English interests would always win!

Politics in the Province of Canada

Conservatives (Tories) Reformers

● Position/Demands: Wanted to maintain the ● Position/Demands: Demanded the

status quo. They did not seek political change establishment of “responsible government”.
because they had influence over the The reformers of Lower Canada also wanted to
institutions with appointed members. protect the rights of French Canadians.
(Governor and Council) ● Makeup:
● Makeup: Also exclusively made up of English ○ Lower Canada: Mostly French Canadian
Canadians from Upper and Lower Canada. members and a few English Canadian members.
○ Upper Canada: English Canadian
Only two French Canadian members.
 Understanding they had a common goal:
The Reform Alliance Responsible Government.

Reformers from Upper and Lower Canada join

forces to form the majority in the Legislative
Assembly

From 1842 until 1848 the Reform Alliance

pressured the British to grant the colony
responsible government
Nice Try, Losers... Until 1846, Great Britain needed to ensure that
IT controlled the decisions being made in the
colony because it relied on Canadian products
(Lumber).

However, that year, Great Britain decided to try

a new approach to trade and adopts a policy of
Free Trade.

As a result, in 1848, they finally allow the

Province of Canada to have a system of
Responsible Government.
 Important!
In 1848, London granted the Province of Canada Responsible Government
What is “Responsible Government”?
How does it work?
In the early 1850s, infighting starts to break down the reform alliance....

Radicals: Moderates:

We need to do We only teamed

MORE!!!!! up for
Responsible
Government!
 Ten Governments in Ten Years!
From 1854 to 1864, the two party system and the constraints of a double
majority created ministerial instability in the Province of Canada
 Double Majority
In order to form a majority government. Ruling parties needed to win a majority of
both the 42 seats in Upper Canada and the 42 seats in Lower Canada.

Between 1854 and 1864, the Conservatives formed the majority in Lower Canada,
but the minority in Upper Canada, while the opposite occurred for the Liberals. It
was therefore impossible for a party to win a double majority
The Grand Coalition
In 1864, the Conservative (Macdonald and Cartier) and
Liberal (Brown) leaders formed a Great Coalition in order
to try and fix ministerial instability.

The Great Coalition proposed a union with other British

North American Colonies.
Why join the Colonies?
1 2 3

The Economy would stabilize Threat of US Invasion- Ministerial Instability must

if British North America divided we cannot defend be resolved
colonies relied on each each other
other.

(Deals broke down with UK

and USA)
British North
America
Charlottetown
Conference
In 1864, the Charlottetown
and Québec conferences
were an opportunity for the
representatives of several
British North American
colonies to agree on the
principles of a federal
union.
Creating Canada

In 1866, the representatives of the British

colonies met in London to draft a bill and
have in approved by the British Parliament

In 1867, London adopted the **British

North America Act (BNA Act)** which
became the first constitution in the
Dominion of Canada
Federalism: The Basis of Canada ● The Dominion of Canada adopted federalism as
its political system.
○ Power was divided between two levels of
government: a federal government (central
government) and separate provincial
governments
○ In theory, the federal government and provincial
government would have mostly separate
responsibilities - meaning that provinces could
retain some power over themselves in certain areas

● However, The distribution of power between the

two levels of government established by the BNA
Act favoured the federal government
○ (The Federal Government had the last word)
Protecting their autonomy
In 1887, Honore Mercier organized the
first interprovincial conference to
defend the autonomy of the provinces.

Following a series of court judgments

that limited federal encroachment on
provincial jurisdictions, the Canadian
federation became a little less
centralized.
Territory: 1840 - 1896
Main Themes...
1) Changing Borders
2) The Expansion of Canada
1840: The Act of Union

The Act of Union (1840) formed a new

colony: The Province of Canada.

This was divided into two regions: Upper

and Lower Canada
The Dominion of Canada: 1867 When it was created in 1867, the
dominion of Canada comprised of four
provinces: Ontario, Quebec, New
Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

The Dominion expanded in following

years…
Expansion

1869: The Dominion of Canada purchased

“Rupert’s Land” from the Hudson’s Bay
Company for 1.5 million dollars

1870: North West Territories

1870

Manitoba joins the

Dominion of Canada in
1870 → However, this
was not without
controversy!

The Expansion of
Canada’s territory
West led to the Metis
uprisings, led by Louis
Riel (1869 and 1885)
Metis Uprisings
1871: British Columbia
British Columbia joined
the Dominion.

The federal government

promised to build a
railway line to link it to
the other provinces and
take over its debts.
1873: Prince Edward Island

Prince Edward Island, also indebted,

agreed to join the federation.
Numbered Treaties
As of 1871, the Canadian
government signed a series of
treaties with First Nations of the
West in order to obtain the
permanent transfer of their
lands.

In return, it proposed to create

reserves. It also promised to offer
certain services and farming
equipment to encourage them to
adopt a sedentary way of life.
The Indian Act

In 1876, the Dominion of Canada

adopted the Indian Act, which was
part of a decades-old effort to
assimilate Indigenous people.

The main objective of this act was to

encourage the enfranchisement of
First Nations people and,
simultaneously, to accord the status of
minor and ward of the state to those
who refused to enfranchise.
Economy
Main Themes…

1) Canada’s Foreign Trade

2) The First Phase of
Industrialization
Protectionism → Free Trade

As of 1846, the United Kingdom abandoned

protectionism and adopted a free trade policy.

This decision forced the British Colonies to find

new trade partners and develop a domestic
market
Now what? The Reciprocity
Treaty!
From 1854 to 1866, the Province of Canada
and the United States were bound by the
Reciprocity Treaty that facilitated trade
between them

The decision not to renew to the Reciprocity

Treaty was one of the push factors which lead
the BNA colonies to consider Confederation
The First Phase of
Industrialization
The first phase of
industrialization (around
1850-1896) was marked by
the mechanization and
division of labour: in
factories workers usually
performed the same simple
and repetitive task on the
assembly line
A system of “Industrial
Capitalism”

The business class possessed the capital

and the means of production.

Its members became wealthy through the

work and the labourers they hired, and they
reinvest their profits → This system is
called industrial capitalism
 Primary Industries
The main sectors that experienced growth
during this first phase of industrialization were
food, textiles, lumber, iron and steel
Rail Network: Building a
Domestic Market
The development of the rail network
was a key factor in the first phase of
industrialization.

It enabled the transportation of raw

materials and goods, and linked the
provinces in order to create a domestic
market
Farming?
Canadian farmers diversified
their crops.

The dairy industry became

the leading agricultural sector
at the end of the 19th century
Macdonald’s
National Policy

From 1873 to 1878, Canada

faced a serious economic
crisis, which Prime minister
John A. Macdonald tried to
resolve by adopting the
National Policy of 1879
Dominion Lands Act

The act gave a claimant (160 acres, or

65 hectares) FOR FREE.

Any male farmer who was at least 21

years of age and agreed to cultivate at
least 40 acres (16 ha) of the land and
build a permanent dwelling on it
(within three years) qualified.

From 1870 to 1930, roughly 625,000

land patents were issued to
homesteaders.
Society
Main Themes...

1) The Working Class

2) Migration Flows
3) The Catholic Church
The Creation of the
Working Class

Industrialization transformed
society.

It caused population
movements and created a
new social class, the working
class.
The Struggles of the
Working Class

Workers living and

working conditions
were very difficult.

The desire to improve the

lives of the working class
led to the beginning of
unionism and the
emergence of social
reformism, to which
many women contributed
Migration
Industrialization led to urbanization and
the displacement of populations to
cities, where most of the factories were
situated

Many French Canadians emigrated to

industrial cities in the United States.
The Quebec government and the
Catholic Clergy, attempted to slow
emigration with the development of
new regions of colonization
The Role of the Church
The Catholic Church played an
important role in Quebec society.

It ran hospitals, schools and

charitable organizations
Culture
Main Themes
1) Role of the Church in Culture
2) Nationalism of Survival
3) Anticlericalism → Alternate Worldviews
Ultramontanism
Ultramontanism was a dominant
ideology in Québec in the second half of
the 19th century.

Ultramontanism is a political and

religious doctrine according to which the
Catholic Church exercises control in all
spheres, particularly with respect to
political power.
 For the proponents of nationalism of
Nationalism of Survival survival, only the Church’s protection
could safeguard the main
characteristics of French Canadian
identity, namely:

1) The Catholic faith

2) French culture and language
3) A traditional way of life, rooted in
farming and rural life
4) A traditional family structure, where
the father was considered the
authority figure
Response: Anticlericalism
In response to the powerful influence
of ultramontanism, some defended
anticlericalism, a position adopted by
the members of the Institut canadien.

The members of the Institut canadien,

a forum for intellectual discussion and
debate, were advocates of
anticlericalism.

They sought to make available

newspapers and books on various
subjects, including some banned by
the Vatican. They advocated freedom
of thought.
Patriotic Literature
In the second half of the 19th century, many
literary works were inspired by a nationalism
of survival.

They formed what was called patriotic

literature.