UNIT 2 A NATION IS BORN

DURHAM REPORT AND RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT

The British Government was not yet ready to give the colonies responsible government

Lord Russell who was the secretary of the colony did not feel that colonies needed to be treated the same as countries.

He thought the wishes of an elected assembly in a colony might go against the wishes of the British Parliament

As a result the British Gov’t rejected most of the ideas of the Durham Report.

Russell did support the Act of Union which unified the Canadas into one colony.

The Act of Union was passed by British Parliament in 1840

Other than uniting the colonies it did not change the government established in the Canada Act of 1791

French Canadians were very vehemently opposed to the Act of Union

Responsible Government first was achieved in the Atlantic Colonies

Responsible Gov’t is a system of Gov’t in which the executive must have the confidence of the legislative body

Led by Joseph Howe they had argued peacefully for a greater say in government but it had not grown violent

They were rewarded in 1846 when Sir John Harvey was named Governor and was told to avoid involvement in local politics

Harvey asked the winners of the election to form the Executive Council

RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT ACHIEVED IN THE CANADA'S

This was followed by New Brunswick, PEI and NFLD being allowed to practice responsible government by 1855

In the United Canadas the process was slower

They went through three governors whose mandate was to improve the economy and prevent responsible gov’t

Finally Lord Elgin is appointed governor in 1848 and he asks the head of the elected assembly to name the Executive Council, thus turning over control to the people

The question in both Nova Scotia and the United Canadas was would the Governor sign in to law bills that he disagreed with.

Elgin passed the test when he signed the Rebellion loses bill and responsible government had arrived in Canada

CHANGES IN THE MID CENTURY The middle of the 19th Century saw the

country grow greatly The advent of trains helped move people

and goods around the country, which greatly improved the economy

The United States and Canada signed a deal of Reciprocity (basically free trade) that greatly benefitted both countries

As well the Industrial Revolution continued to drive people out of Britain to Canada

ROAD TO CONFEDERATION Politically in the 1850’s all of the colonies

began to experience problems In the Canadas the problems centered

around the distribution of electoral seats The English majority wanted “Rep by Pop”

while the French did not. The unified Canadas had not worked as

Durham had envisioned as the French dominated Canada East

Political alliances sprouted up between English and French parties that would share similar ideology and goals

The Conservative Party, led by John A. MacDonald and the Bleus, led by Georges Etienne Cartier, joined to promote industry and mercantilism

The Liberals led by Francis Hincks, and the Clear Grits led by newspaper publisher George Brown.

These alliances and the large number of independents led to chaos in the government as no one could get a clear majority

A particularly contentious issue became the choosing of a capital city.

Eventually Ottawa was chosen in 1858

THE GREAT COALITION Eventually George Brown proposed a

solution to the political problems He headed a committee to study the

problems of the deadlock Brown believed that the deadlock could

only be broken by a Confederation of all colonies in British North America

He proposed that each colony would have two levels of gov’t, federal and provincial

To allow these things to happen, Brown agreed to ally with the Conservatives and the Bleus and a leading independent Alexander Galt to form what was known as the Great Coalition

The Great Coalition was dedicated to establishing a union of all the Canadian colonies

They were led by John A. Macdonald who distinguished himself as a great politician who tactfully kept the coalition together

CHALLENGE OF CONFEDERATION The movement towards Confederation

had begun and was about improving the political process and gaining autonomy from Britain, but other factors played a role

The United States was going through a volatile period in their history and were talking about annexing Canada

CHARLOTTETOWN CONFERENCE The Atlantic colonies were experiencing an

economic depression as a result of the end of the American Civil War

They were interested in establishing a inter colonial railway with Canada which would improve the economy

The leaders of the Great Coalition asked to present their ideas on Confederation and the railroad at the Maritime Union Conference

The date of the Conference was Sept. 1st 1864 and was held in Charlottetown, PEI.

The delegates defeated the idea of a Maritime Union but were optimistic about joining a greater Canadian Union

They believed that joining Canada would provide them with more markets to stimulate their economy

They agreed to meet again in Quebec City

O H

QUEBEC CONFERENCE The Quebec Conference started on

Oct.10, 1864 The Maritime Colonies wanted

reassurance that the railway would be built

Much of the discussion centred around how the government would be formed

Having learnt from the USA they decided to have a strong centralized gov’t

And the provinces to have limited power and a clearly defined set of responsibilities

Federal responsibilities included tax collection, creation of a civil and criminal law code and the military

Provinces were responsible for running the law courts, education, roads, transportation

The French Canadiens wanted guarantees that their culture would be protected

EXTERNAL PRESSURE ON CONFEDERATION

There were also a large number of threats from outside sources to Canada

The British had supported the Confederates in the Civil War which had angered the United States government

Many Americans believed it was their manifest destiny to rule all of North America and thought they should invade Canada

A group of Irish Americans called the Fenians decided to raid Canada as it was the closest place to attack the hated British

These raids were largely ineffective but did help to increase the desire of some provinces to join Confederation

Also the United States ended the Reciprocity trade agreement with Britain, this increased pressure from merchants to speed up confederation

CONFEDERATION ACHEIVED After the Quebec Conference it took

two years two finalize confederation, during that time it was debated across the country

In N.S. and N.B. it took awhile but the Legislative Assemblies finally passed the bill to join confederation

The last remaining step was to get the British to sign off on the creation of Canada

LONDON CONFERENCE Held in London through the winter of

1866-67 delegates worked with British Parliament to create the British North America Act

It passed on March 28, 1867 creating the Dominion of Canada

The BNA Act created the system of government we live in today

It most closely resembles the British Parliament

Canadian Government

House of Commons

British Monarch

Governor General

Senate

Opposition Government Members

The People of Canada

Executive Council

It also established the responsibilities of the federal and provincial government

The new country would have four provinces Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia

The BNA Act remained a piece of British Legislation until 1982

Any changes to our constitution had to go through British Parliament

JULY 1ST, 1867 The Dominion of Canada was officially

created on July 1st, 1867 There were celebrations across the

country to mark the birth of the country John A. Macdonald was elected as the first

Prime Minister of Canada and was knighted by Queen Victoria

The country spread from the shores of the Atlantic to the edge of Lake Superior but the founding fathers had bigger dreams

REVIEW6 Reasons for Confederation1. War and Expansionist ideals in the US2. Fenian Raids3. British Trade Policy4. End of Reciprocity5. Failure of the Railway6. Political Deadlock

QUESTIONS1. In the formation of Canadian

Government which influences were stronger- British or American? Explain

2. Compare the American and Canadian systems of government.

3. What was the significance of Canada being created by a British Act of Parliament? What did it mean for Canada heading forward?

4. What obstacles existed to Confederation?

WESTWARD EXPANSION

MACDONALD’S NATIONAL POLICY In the years following confederation

Macdonald spent a great deal of time developing and promoting the National Policy

At first it centered around re-establishing reciprocity with the United States

Over time it grew to include the construction of the railroad, the settlement of Western Canada and the addition of new provinces

THE MOVE WEST The development of Western Canada

was spurred on by the fur trade Traders had to move further and further

away to find furs As well land was available and settlers

started to move west in search of land There were a few problems however, as

the land had been promised to the First Nations

THE SELKIRK LAND GRANT Thomas Douglas, Earl of Selkirk in Scotland

wanted to create a new life for poor Scottish and Irish peasants on the banks of the Red River in Rupert’s land

He was granted land in 1811 totalling 44 million acres (160,000 square miles) in the Red River district which would remain property of the HBC

He was able to do this because he lead a group of Scottish investors who had control of the Hudson’s Bay Company.

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Settlement began immediately but harsh conditions threatened to starve out the settlers

They were saved by the Métis even though the settlement threatened their way of life by driving the Buffalo away

In 1814 this leads to the first conflict as Governor Miles Macdonell bans the sale of Buffalo and pemmican

THE BATTLE OF SEVEN OAKS

This hinders the economy of the Métis and prevents the traders of the rival NWC from eating

So the Métis arrested Macdonell and destroyed the settlement

This was known as the Battle of the Seven Oaks

This paves the way for the HBC to amalgamate the NWC

THE RED RIVER REBELLION Canada buys Ruperts Land from the

HBC for 300,000 pounds It gives Canada 2.8 million hectares of

Prairie and was renamed the North West Territory

This brought Canada a huge area that was rich in resources and farmland and also prevented the USA from moving North and staking claim to this area.

The Métis and their leader Louis Riel were infuriated as they had been promised this land as well most of the Métis were French and Catholic and the settlers were mainly English and from Ontario

They felt that their traditional way of life was under siege they gave a list of grievances to the government called the Métis List of Rights

The list included things like bilingualism, tolerance of Catholicism

Things take a turn when the Métis take over Fort Garry and established a provisional government in the territory

They were attempting to ensure that the rights of all people in the area were protected.

The reaction to this event was mixed. In Quebec the french supported the Metis, Ontario was pro government on the issue

Manitoba becomes the fifth province on May 12, 1870 and included many of the items on the Métis list of rights

Including language and both Catholic and protestant school systems

THE DEATH OF THOMAS SCOTT It was during this time that Riel made a critical

error The Métis detained members of the Canadian

party who wanted English rule in Manitoba The Metis detained the most aggressive

members of the Canadian Party in Fort Garry The most vocal of these was Thomas Scott

who tormented his guards, publicly threatened Riel’s life and tried to incite riots in the Fort Garry jail

He was tried and found guilty of uttering threats to Riel and was executed by a Métis firing squad on March 4th,1870

The news of this reached Ontario where it nearly incited riots as angry members of the Orange Order demanded justice

In Quebec it was seen as an unfortunate cost of protecting Métis rights

Macdonald bowed to pressure and sent 1200 troops west to assert a strong Canadian presence in the region

When the troops arrived the Fort was abandoned and Riel had fled to the United States

THE NORTHWEST REBELLION March 1885 saw tensions that had begun

in the Red River Settlement had carried over into Saskatchewan

Many of the Métis from the Red River Settlement had moved west when Europeans moved into Manitoba

The head of the NWMP in Battleford contacted Ottawa on March 13th, 1885 saying revolt was brewing and that the Métis would be joined by the First Nations population

Five days later acting on the rumour that 500 NWMP were on their way, the Métis captured a small community in Batoche

They held several government workers and were gathering supplies

Blood was first shed on March 26th ,1885 when Superintendent Crozier of the NWMP led a force of 98 men to attack the Metis near Duck Lake

Crozier’s party was poorly prepared and trained

They were surrounded by Gabriel Dumont and several hundred armed Metis

Crozier and Dumont met peacefully but as they retreated shots rang out and a battled ensued

The Metis had a much better position and killed 12 of the NWMP force losing only four of their own. Had the Metis pressed their advantage and attacked the retreating NWMP force the numbers would have been higher

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Duck Lake forced Riel to change strategy as he had hoped that the mere threat of violence would be enough to achieve what they wanted

The railway had changed this as it became easy for the government to send troops westward

Riel realized that he needed to be more aggressive

The Metis were also able to attract allies in the Plains Cree who lived in Saskatchewan

Chief Poundmaker attacked the town of Battleford on March 29th looking for food, clothing and ammunition

The residents of Battleford holed up inside the fort for nearly a month until the Cree left as a party of Canadian Militia approached

The Cree then attacked and captured a small NWMP outpost at Fort Pitt. It was the last major victory for the rebels

A large force of 5000 troops was sent from Ontario and Quebec

With the aide of William Van Horne the railway tycoon, the troops were able to arrive in Saskatchewan in 5 days

The value of these troops was immediately clear at the Battle of Fish Creek.

Dumont and 150 of his men attacked General Middleton and his Canadian Militia, they held the advantage and would have won until Middleton was re-enforced and the Métis withdrew

On May 12th,1885 after a four day assault on their headquarters at Batoche, the Métis were defeated, Riel and Dumont both escaped capture

Dumont fled to the United States where he played a role in Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show

Riel was captured by two NWMP scouts and sent to Regina to await trial on charges of treason

The Northwest Rebellion proved the value of the railway and led to financing for the completion of the sea to sea railway project

It also did not address or remedy any of the existing complaints held by the Metis and First Nations people of Saskatchewan

THE TRIAL OF LOUIS RIEL The Trial of Riel captured the attention of the

nation Riel was charged with treason resulting from

the Rebellion English Canada wanted Riel found guilty and

executed while French Canada saw him as a hero

Riel’s lawyers hoped to win an acquittal using a defence based on Riel’s apparent madness

Riel’s lawyers encouraged him to accept the plea of insanity but he undermined this defence by making an impassioned speech insisting that he was sane

Riel told the judge that he led his people into rebellion only because the Canadian government had done nothing to help the Métis

Riel was tried by an all white, all protestant jury and they found the catholic French speaking Riel guilty after an hour of deliberation

Riel was hanged on November 16th,1885 after trying to get John A. Macdonald to intervene

Protests swept the province of Quebec as they mourned their fallen hero

The French-Canadians accused the government of betraying the rights of all Canadians

The hanging of Riel remained a contentious issue in Canada for years to come

LEGACY OF RIEL The North West Rebellion left many bad

feelings, specifically toward the Métis and the French Catholics

In 1890 the Manitoba government created an English only school system without including a separate school system

Macdonald was helpless to stop although it violated the Manitoba Act

This ultimately led to the election of Quebecer Wilfrid Laurier and his Liberals

THE BUILDING OF THE RAILROAD In 1871 the Dominion of Canada added British

Columbia as its sixth province PEI joined Canada in 1873 creating a country

from sea to sea in a political union The problem was other than political

connections they really had nothing tying them together

The last part of Macdonald’s Nation Policy was the construction of the railroad which would connect the country physically and economically.

STARTING THE RAILROAD Canada had promised BC they would begin to

build the railway within two years of them joining Canada

There were some significant obstacles such as the Rocky Mountains which stood in the way of the completion of the Pacific Line

Also the financing of the Trans-Canada railway was also contentious

Macdonald knew he would need to raise taxes which would anger the east so he looked for an alternative way to finance the railway

Macdonald thought that private investment would be an excellent way to finance the railroad

There were several American groups interested in building and financing the railway but Macdonald wisely realized this might lead to America claiming the west

Sir Hugh Allan, a Montreal financier, agreed to take on the construction of the railroad, he also secretly paid money to many of the prominent politicians of the day to ensure this would happen

Eventually these payments became public knowledge and the Macdonald government was forced to step down in 1873, this was known as the “Pacific Scandal”

They were replaced by the Liberals of Alexander Mackenzie whose views on the construction of the railway differed from the Conservatives

In the first two years the Liberals were in power they built two small rail lines but did not start the line to BC

THE CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY In the fall of 1877 the first steam locomotive

the Countess of Dufferin arrived in St. Boniface MB, and marked the beginning of the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway

People across the west were excited at the notion of the railway finally being built

Still there were many critics in Eastern Canada and in Britain who believed the railway a waste of time and money, and the west as unliveable.

Mackenzie’s Liberals were voted out of office in 1878 as Macdonald was again elected to complete his vision of the “National Policy”

Macdonald sent Charles Tupper and Leonard Tilley to England to ask for help financing the construction of the railway

Britain said no and Macdonald faced a serious crisis as British Columbia was threatening to secede from Canada unless the promises they had been made were kept

He realized that Canada would have to build the railway herself.

Macdonald committed Canada to building the railway from Port Arthur (Thunder Bay) to Winnipeg

They contracted out the construction of the Pacific portion to American Andrew Onderdonk

Onderdonk started construction in 1880 but encountered many roadblocks as many workers died and by 1881 they had only completed 400km

The government turned to private investment to help get the railroad built.

The investors incorporate the Canadian Pacific Railroad Company in February of 1881

The group was led by George Stephen The CPR was given 10 million hectares

along the rail line and 25 million dollars to complete the line from Manitoba to British Columbia by 1890

The CPR hired experienced American Rail man to oversee the construct the line

William C. Van Horne was hired and became the saviour of the railway

Van Horne was a tough, unyielding man who possessed boundless energy

Under his direction, 6km was built everyday across the prairies

By 1885 the CPR was on the verge of bankruptcy as the line was costing an average of $300,000 a kilometre through the Rockies

The government floated the CPR a couple of loans to keep them solvent

The Northwest Rebellion convinced the government of the value of the cross country line.

THE LAST SPIKE The line that Onderdonk had started in

the west and Van Horne line met up in Craigelachie, BC on November 7,1885

THE IMPACT OF THE RAILWAY The Railway linked the country,

improved the movement of goods and people and helped plan most of the communities of the west.

The prairies never would have been settled without the railway

The CPR and the men who ran it became very wealthy as they sold the land they had been given.