Canadian Life 100 Years Ago. In early 1900s, Canada was made up of only seven provinces (Ontario,...
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Transcript of Canadian Life 100 Years Ago. In early 1900s, Canada was made up of only seven provinces (Ontario,...
Canadian Life 100 Years Ago
• In early 1900s, Canada was made up of only seven provinces
• (Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, British Columbia, Manitoba & PEI)
• Canada encouraged waves of immigrants to come and populate the land to the West
• Immigrants are people from other countries who come to live in another country (Canada)
• Eventually (in 1905) Saskatchewan and Alberta also joined into Canada
• By 1900, the population of Canada was
5 200 000 (5 million 2 hundred thousand)
• Toronto, Montreal and Halifax were the largest cities
• Edmonton, Vancouver, Winnipeg and Regina were all still small pioneer cities (rural cities)
• Most people made their living as farmers and completing hard manual labour
• Farming was the main job in 1900
• Also, logging, the railways and fishing were other popular jobs
• Construction jobs were available in the newly expanding cities and on the railways.
• Automobiles were very rare and people did not need drivers licenses nor speed limits, stop signs or traffic lights.
• Local communities were very important as people often stayed close to home.
• Life and activities revolved around such things as: the town band, local baseball or hockey teams and the Church.
• Communication - there were few telephones, no radios and no television.
• Most people did not even have access to newspapers or any news from around the world.
• People provided their own entertainment including sing-alongs, dancing, listening to bands, and family gatherings.
• Nights out would include watching local plays or concerts in the church halls.
• Families grew their own food – there were no supermarkets
• The Suffragette movement became popular in 1912 – this was women fighting for the right to vote
• Having political rights made women more equal in the law and society in general
Working Conditions in the 1900s — Canada’s Industrial Revolution
• Factories began replacing the agricultural industries
• Most factory jobs involved hard labour, long hours, low pay…
• To save $ companies hired women and children
• Lighting and ventilation in factories were poor, work areas were dirty, machinery was dangerous.
• There was no job security & unemployment was common
• This allowed employers to pay lower wages and threaten workers if they didn’t work hard.
• Employers worked hard to stop any attempts at creating labour unions.
• Job instability was complicated by the huge flow of immigrants. Many were desperate for work.