“Canada has been modest in its history. In my estimation, it is only commencing. It is commencing in this century… I think that the twentieth century shall be filled with Canada.” The statement which would define the century, Sir Wilfred Laurier had bold expectations for Canada’s grand endeavors to come. What he did not see, however, was that the twentieth century may indeed be filled by Canada, but for its dark and regrettable decisions which would leave the country in shame. Truly lamentable acts such as the 1911 ban on Black immigrants, Japanese internment during the Second World War, and the horrors of Residential Schooling throughout the entire century were seen as moral, even necessary actions for Canada to enforce. It is exploits like …show more content…
Even in the early 1900’s a strict divide became evident between the white – British and French – Canadians and minority populations. As an extension of this severance, the Canadian government made a proposal in the year 1911 to outlaw all immigrants of African American or “Black” descent for a duration of one year. After experiencing extreme racism and violence while living in the United States, many Black Americans sought out new beginnings over Canadian borders. However, the estimated 1,500 of those which succeeded between the years 1905 and 1912 were again met with prejudice and a demand for their removal. The Order-In-Council P.C. 1324 read that “the Negro race… is deemed unsuitable to the climate and requirements of Canada.” Although approved by Sir Wilfred Laurier himself, the Order was never put into effect. Nevertheless, tremendous efforts were still made to limit the number of Black immigrants coming to Canada; including extensive background and medical exams, the placement of agents in Oklahoma to deter residents from immigrating, as well as the denial of status and certificates entitled to new citizens. Blatant discrimination of this stature are what determined Canada’s reputation for many years and, in turn, sparked ever further racial conflicts in the …show more content…
With a murderous stigma placed upon Japanese people by propaganda at the time, many Canadians were taught to fear the entire race. They were labelled “enemy aliens” and a danger to national security. Only in operation for two years, the camps resulted in the eviction and relocation of over 90 percent of Japanese Canadians; many of which were first and second generation Canadian born citizens. This equates to approximately 120,000 innocent Canadians becoming imprisoned with no reasonable cause, other than their Japanese heritage. Any Japanese Canadians who decided to resist internment were immediately taken to prisoner of war camps. Once impounded, family units had most of their possessions taken into government custody. While any land, homes, or businesses that they owned were repossessed and sold off; the money gained from the prisoners’ estate was then used to fund the camps. Harsh living conditions, manual labor, and a sense similar to that of a caged animal were common themes experienced by prisoners in the camps. Japanese internment camps were neither the first nor last of their kind in Canada’s history. Similar establishments aimed toward German and Slavic Canadians during the First World War set a precedence for these Japanese camps, as well as Italian internment mere years
In school we are always taught about the lighter parts of Canadian History, but only until recently have Canadian students been taught about the darker parts of our history. Residential Schools were included in these dark parts of Canada’s history. In the 19th century, the Canadian government believed that Residential Schools were responsible for educating and caring for the country’s aboriginal people. The goal of these schools was to teach the aboriginal children about Christianity and Canadian customs, in hopes of them passing these practices on towards their own children and it would eventually be adopted into the aboriginal culture. The Canadian
‘Roaring’ is an appropriate term to describe Canada in the 1920s because it was a time of economic growth and radical transformation. It was a time of economic growth because there was a high demand for Canadian raw materials, Canada’s manufacturing industry expanded, and because of immigration, which produced job opportunities and generated revenue for the Canadian government. It was a time of radical transformation because women were adopting new roles, the youth were ignoring traditional roles, and sports were creating a sense of nationalism, which created shock, unity, tension, and pride. Technology was becoming popular and lightened the workload for many people. With inventions like the telephone, automobile, vacuum cleaners and washing machines revolutionizing the 20s, life was easier. This was the beginning of the technological age that led to the creation of today’s advanced medicines and gadgets
Introductory Paragraph: The 1920s were years of political controversy and defying social. standards, this time in Canada would mark an era which would pioneer the way for those to come in. regards to daring fashion, radical opinions, progressive technologies and political changes. “ The Roaring Twenties” is a phrase often used when describing this period of time in North America. phrase is justified by the cultural and artistic diversity of the time, it was a period of glamour and prosperity for many of us.
In the year 1957, Canada elected its first Prime minister without English or French root, John Diefenbaker. While growing up in the city of Toronto, because of his German name, he was often teased. [1] He grew up as an outcast, and so he was able to relate to the discrimination and inequality many of the minorities in Canada felt. This essay will attempt to answer the question: To what extent did Prime Minister John Diefenbaker help promote equality to the minority communities. . The minorities in this time period were the women, aboriginals, and immigrants. During his time as the Prime Minister, he was able to help protect the rights of this group because many of their rights were being abused by the society. Diefenbaker also helped the minorities to stand up for themselves and other groups. Diefenbaker was able to bring positive change to the minority communities by making an official Bill of Rights and appointing people of discriminated groups to the parliament while other members did not.
Good Times in Canada as the Roaring Twenties "The Roaring Twenties" is an accurate label to describe the mood of most Canadians in the twenties. During a decade of growth and prosperity, women were furthering their education and participating in activities previously enjoyed only by men. Canada's economy experienced a boom and many workers had more money for luxuries. People all over Canada were exploring alternative lifestyles aimed more towards independence and fun.
The history of Canada was flooded with many influential and incredible events, particularly during World War 1 and World War 2. During the 20th century, Canada got more involved in worldwide events. It was a very important period for Canada; it was where they gained their independence and progressed as a country. After this century, Canada was considered an important and powerful country. The three main 20th century events in Canadian history are the battle of Vimy Ridge, the change of woman’s rights and the battle of Juno Beach.
The discrimination suffered by the “ethnic Canadians” increased during the war was inflicted by both society and the government. An example of the discrimination suffered by “ethnic Canadians” is Sarah Mann, a Canadian-German living though World War 1. Before the people of the town knew she was of German descent, she lived a normal life. But, that all changed when they found out; they vandalized her house by breaking the windows, painting harsh words in red paint or blood, which is overall person to person discrimination. However, throughout the war, it was not just the Canadian-Germans who suffered from discrimination, all ethnicities either than English-Canadian or French-Canadian. Also, they did not only receive discrimination through vandalism, and other person to person discrimination, “ethnic Canadians” faced discrimination by the Canadian government. The governments’ discrimination was caused by the pressure of frightened public experiencing panic because of the Great War. Therefore, the government took action by passing the Wartime Elections Act and the Wartime Measures Act. The Wartime Elections act meant the “ethnic Canadians” would lose their right to vote. The “ethnic Canadians” would also be put into concentration camps or have to register to the police on a regular basis. The historical significance...
Do you know that despite Canada being called multicultural and accepting, Canada’s history reveals many secrets that contradicts this statement? Such an example are Canadian aboriginals, who have faced many struggles by Canadian society; losing their rights, freedoms and almost, their culture. However, Native people still made many contributions to Canadian society. Despite the efforts being made to recognize aboriginals in the present day; the attitudes of European Canadians, acts of discrimination from the government, and the effects caused by the past still seen today have proven that Canadians should not be proud of Canada’s history with respect to human rights since 1914. First, is because of the attitudes of European Canadians towards aboriginals, which were mostly cruel and inhumane.
Canada likes to paint an image of peace, justice and equality for all, when, in reality, the treatment of Aboriginal peoples in our country has been anything but. Laden with incomprehensible assimilation and destruction, the history of Canada is a shameful story of dismantlement of Indian rights, of blatant lies and mistrust, and of complete lack of interest in the well-being of First Nations peoples. Though some breakthroughs were made over the years, the overall arching story fits into Cardinal’s description exactly. “Clearly something must be done,” states Murray Sinclair (p. 184, 1994). And that ‘something’ he refers to is drastic change. It is evident, therefore, that Harold Cardinal’s statement is an accurate summarization of the Indigenous/non-Indigenous relationship in
Canada ruled the 20th century through science and technology and advanced more than any other country in this time period. Prime Minister Laurier was correct when he stated in his speech “that it is Canada that shall fill the 20th century.” Technology and science were one of the huge factors for Canada being a successful country compare to the world. In technology and science, there were many inventions that were developed in Canada that wowed the world and made Canada feel incredible. Even though war is sad and cruel, the crazy need to survive and the confidence to strive for success has made Canada’s technology and science advance greatly. During the near closing point of the 20th century, Canada’s environment and living is being more advanced and they are thinking about the future generations to come.
The post-war time was a period where major changes were occurring. After being involved in two international conflicts, Canada was ready to reestablish their economy. During this time, Canada had started working on ways to become stronger and reputable. It is evident that Canada had matured through the post-war era. Canada’s economic progress left a positive impact on the growth of the country as consumerism became popular, and economic ties with America became stronger. Moreover, the removal of racial and ethical barriers contributed to Canadian social affairs such as the huge wave of immigration and the baby boom. The Canadian government also had become more aware and involved in issues impacting Canadian citizens. Canada as a whole started identifying itself as an independent nation and participating in events that brought a positive reputation amongst them. These economical, social, and legal changes helped Canada mature into the country it is today.
The 1920's and into the 1930's was when Canada began to be more indepenant by slowly cutting ties with Britian, but lost its new found indepence by being swayed by America. Canada was influenced with its inventions, cultural trends, and economics. Canada adopted many of America's inventions into their homes, along with their cultural trends through entertainment and way of life. Also, Canada was economically dependent on America. Overall, Canada was influenced throughout the 1920's that by 1929, Canada became very similar to America.
The Indian Residential schools and the assimilating of First Nations people are more than a dark spot in Canada’s history. It was a time of racist leaders, bigoted white men who saw no point in working towards a lasting relationship with ingenious people. Recognition of these past mistakes, denunciation, and prevention steps must be taking intensively. They must be held to the same standard that we hold our current government to today. Without that standard, there is no moving forward. There is no bright future for Canada if we allow these injustices to be swept aside, leaving room for similar mistakes to be made again. We must apply our standards whatever century it was, is, or will be to rebuild trust between peoples, to never allow the abuse to be repeated, and to become the great nation we dream ourselves to be,
The creation of the Residential Schools is now looked upon to be a regretful part of Canada’s past. The objective: to assimilate and to isolate First Nations and Aboriginal children so that they could be educated and integrated into Canadian society. However, under the image of morality, present day society views this assimilation as a deliberate form of cultural genocide. From the first school built in 1830 to the last one closed in 1996, Residential Schools were mandatory for First Nations or Aboriginal children and it was illegal for such children to attend any other educational institution. If there was any disobedience on the part of the parents, there would be monetary fines or in the worst case scenario, trouble with Indian Affairs.
More immigration lead to racism and fear among both English Canadians who believed immigrants were taking away their jobs and French Canadians who feared that immigrants may potentially dominate their culture. These misconceptions and fears lead the Canadian government to declare new regulations that restricted the immigration of Asian and eastern, and southern European descents as well as Jewish immigrants. Canada gave more preference to descendants of both Britain and Western Europe. Policies were then developed to grant access to the best immigrants (as it was called) who were mainly whites that possessed a wealth of skills and benefits but to exclude the non whites who we...