Download Notes Part 3 File

2.5 The Growth of Big Business, Foreign Investment, and Unions (pages 36 - 40)
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Big Business:
Factory owners realized that the bigger the factory, the more it could produce; bankers and investors
came together to form large companies called corporations
Examples: Robin Hood Flour, Canadian Cement Company (Max Aitkin), Molson and Labatt
There were also large department stores – Eaton’s, Simpson’s; one-stop shopping. Catalogues became
convenient for people in rural areas
Foreign Investment:
During the 1800’s had people from Britain investing in Canadian business
This “foreign investment” continued in the 1900’s but investments from the United States increased
“Branch Plants” were established whose head office was in the U.S.: Canadian General Electric, General
Motors of Canada
Canada became richer but how did affect life in Canada?
The Growth of Unions:
With these big new factories came other issues; employers didn’t know their employees, employees
didn’t know other employees etc.
Factories were dark, unsafe and poorly ventilated; there were long hours and low pay
The biggest concern was how much the factories could produce; safety of its workers were not
important
Workers joined unions to get better pay and working conditions; if negotiations failed, workers went on
strike
In 1901, there were 1078 union locals in Canada; this number nearly doubled by 1911 and included over
130, 000 workers
Even farmers started unions/associations to protect their interests
The FPU was founded in NL
Child Labour:
Children could be paid less than adults for doing the same job
Unions fought against child labour; why?
The first child labour law was passed in Ontario in 1908; child labour laws limited the age of
employment for children
However, child labour in factories continued to grow until 1910
2.6 Inequality, Intolerance, and Racism (pages 41 – 44)
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The New Urban Poor:
As more people moved to the cities to work in factories, the areas around them more crowded
Workers earned low salaries and couldn’t afford good housing even if it was available
Entire families often lived in one room
Landlords didn’t do repairs and houses and apartments became run down; the areas became known as
slums
There was a lot of sickness and death due to dirty air and water, contaminated milk, lack of fruits,
vegetables and meat in their diets (they couldn’t afford it) and outdoor toilets
1 out of 4 babies died before their 1st birthday
Some cities and provincial governments tried to improve the conditions but didn’t contribute enough
and government believed it wasn’t their responsibility
Private charities and groups such as the YMCA, Salvation Army and Women’s Christian Temperance
Union (WCTU) tried to help with the problems of worker exploitation, poverty, crime, disease and lack
of education
These people were considered the new urban (or industrial) poor.
Changing Lives for Native Peoples:
Native people could move freely across the land up until now
However, the growing population, expanding cities, mining and government was taking that land from
them
Natives were pushed to reservations – areas of land that was “reserved” for them
Natives were being marginalized - pushed to the margins of society
The Indian Acts of 1876 and 1895 wanted Natives to assimilate; to give up their own culture and
traditions to become part of the Christian English-French culture of Canada; the Indian Acts gave
“Status Indians” benefits.
However, “Status Indians” could not earn university degrees, or become lawyers, doctors or ministers
Native children were sent to residential schools located far away from their homes; they were run by
Christian organizations; children were not allowed to speak their language or practice their beliefs and
were often abused
Intolerance & Racism:
Some immigrants had a lot of difficulty adapting to life in Canada. Why?
Immigrants of the same cultural area tended to “stick” together and even built communities in the west
or established neighborhoods in cities
Some Canadians demanded that the government “keep Canada white”; there was also a government
policy to not allow Black Americans to obtain free land
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Between 1910 – 1912 about 1300 black Americans from Oklahoma moved to western Canada; the
government applied stricter entry requirements for black immigrants
The Asian population in BC grew but some people wanted BC to remain white; therefore the Asian
Exclusion League was established
In 1907 there were street riots and many Asian-owned businesses were damaged
Chinese immigrants had to pay a “head tax” of $500 because of the federal government’s “closed-door
policy”
Immigrants often faced poverty and others discrimination; however they did find a better life than
they had in their home country
2.7 Women in the Early 20th Century (pages 45 – 46)
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The mentality of the time was that men were people and women were “baby- makers”; their main
function was to cook, clean and have children
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At the beginning of the 20th century it was socially acceptable for women to work outside of the home,
generally when unmarried… between the time in leaving school and being married and starting a family
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Often women in poorer families had to work to supplement incomes; these jobs were seen as
temporary, thus women often filled jobs that had low income, and required lower-level skills
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In 1901, 13% of workers outside the home were women; many were domestic servants, or worked in
factories, mills, and sweatshops of the clothing industry
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Businesses such as banks were reluctant to hire women, and professions such as law, medicine, and
engineering generally excluded women
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By 1914 over 21% of the Canadian work force was women, and more were finishing high school and
attending university
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More jobs were becoming available such as teaching, sales and clerical positions, and telephone
operator jobs; these jobs however, paid less to women than their male counterparts
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While women were now becoming doctors, lawyers, these careers continued to be difficult for women
to enter
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Canada Historica Video: Jennie Trout 1871
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Women Organize:
In the late 1800’s - early 1900’s many women created or joined a number of organizations such as the
Women’s Christian Temperance Union; they worked to better the lives of women, children, workers and
the poor
In 1893 the National Council of the Women of Canada was formed to bring together representatives of
different women’s groups across Canada - providing a network for women to communicate their
concerns and ideas
Women’s Suffrage:
During this time women lobbied for rights to be educated and to work at any job
Many also worked towards women’s suffrage: the right for women to vote and to hold elected office
Canada Historica Video: Nellie McClung
Emily Stowe (Canada’s first woman doctor) formed the Toronto Women’s Literary Club in 1876 to help
win the right to vote
Adelaide Hoodless formed the first Woman’s Institute in 1897; it promoted the value of country living
and good home management.
The Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) was formed to improve the lives of women, children,
workers and the poor
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One member of the WCTU, Nellie McClung, led in the fight for women’s rights
2.8 Canada, Britain and the Empire (pages 48 – 52)
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At this time Canada was still part of the British Empire; Canada controlled most of its internal affairs
but Britain controlled defense and external affairs
English-speaking Canadians were proud of their British ties; some even joined the British Army
French-speaking Canadians did not share the same feelings toward Britain
The South African War (BOER WAR), 1899 – 1902:
War broke out in 1899 in South Africa because the British were after gold and diamonds that was
discovered in 1885-86
Tensions increased and the Boers (descendents of Dutch settlers) declared war on Britain
Did not directly concern Canada but because of our ties with Britain, they called for us to help them;
English Canadians agreed, but the French Canadians did not.
Wilfred Laurier compromised; he sent 7000 volunteers
Laurier didn’t fully satisfy anyone: imperialists felt that Canada had let Britain down; the French
Canadians felt that Laurier had done too much
French-English Relations and the South African War:
English-speaking Canadians wanted to remain loyal to Britain
French-speaking Canadians wanted to build a stronger Canada and cut ties with Britain
The Naval Issue:
There was a very real possibility of war between Britain and Germany; they were in a race to have the
largest navy in the world
Britain wanted Canada and other colonies (South Africa, New Zealand, Australia) to contribute money
to help build more ships for the British Navy; without help from its colonies, Britain would soon fall
behind in the naval race
Laurier offered a compromise again - the Naval Service Bill of 1910; Canada would have a navy of its
own under the control of the Canadian Government and in time of war Britain could use Canada’s navy
but service would be voluntary
Henri Bourassa and some French Canadians Nationalists complained that the policy meant that
Canadians could be sent anywhere at any time to fight the British Imperialist wars
The Conservatives, led by Robert Borden, accused Laurier of setting up a “tin-pot Canadian Navy” when
an immediate contribution of money to the British Navy was urgently needed
This resulted in further tensions between English and French-speaking Canadians
The Naval Issue led to problems for Laurier in the election of 1911; he lost to conservative Robert
Borden
2.9 Canada and the United States (pages 53 – 56)
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At the beginning of the 1900’s, relations between Canada and the United State were tense; disputes
over fishing and seal hunting in the 1800’s had not been resolved
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The United States had taken control of Hawaii, Guam, the Philippines and Puerto Rico in 1898; they
were adding to their empire (imperialism)
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Some Canadians were afraid that the U.S. president Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt would turn to Canada
next
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The Alaska Boundary Dispute:
The United States had purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867; and the Canadian/Alaskan border was
unclear
With the Yukon Gold Rush of 1898, a dispute developed over the border between Alaska and Canada
The Canadians argued that the boundary should be measured from the mountains nearest the ocean but
the Americans were determined to keep as much land as they could
President Roosevelt threatened to send troops to Alaska to protect their claim
Eventually, the dispute was submitted to a tribunal of six judges (3 Americans, 2 Canadians and 1
Britain - Lord Alverstone)
After a full month of discussion, the tribunal decided 4 - 2 against Canada
When the decision was announced, Canadians were outraged; the British voted against Canada’s claim
Lord Alverstone voted against Canada and with the U.S. because Britain wanted the U.S. as an ally
Canadians were becoming more determined that Canada must make its own decisions in the future
Signs of Improved Relations:
In 1909, an International Joint Commission was set up to settle peacefully any future disputes between
Canada and the United States
Reciprocity (Free Trade) & the 1911 Election:
These taxes were put in place to protect Canadian industries against cheaper imports
Farmers in Western Canada demanded lower tariffs on goods traded between Canada and the United
States; farm machinery in the United States sold for half the price in Canada
The high costs were blamed on Ontario and Quebec who grew rich because of the tariffs which kept
competition out of Canada
Laurier dealt with the issue by working out the Reciprocity Agreement; the agreement was to trade
certain products without taxes.
At first this agreement seemed to ensure Laurier would win the next election but things began to go
wrong for Laurier…
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Clifford Sifton (a liberal cabinet minister) opposed reciprocity
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Business people fearing competition from cheap American products fought the idea
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Canadian Nationalists did not want to see Canadian resources to leave Canada
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An American’s Journalist declared he “looked forward to the day the American flag would fly all
over North America…”
Anti-Reciprocity Poster:
2.10 Images of Canada to 1914 (pages 57 – 61)
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What kind of Canadians:
Some English-speaking Canadians saw themselves as Canadians within the British Empire; others such as
French-speaking Canadians wanted nothing to do with Britain and wanted to cut all ties
There were others – especially those born in Canada – who saw themselves as simply Canadians
Laurier stated: “I do not pretend to be an imperialist. Neither do I pretend to be anti-imperialist. I am
a Canadian, first, last and all the time”.
Laurier wanted to create harmony between English and French speaking Canadians and between
Protestants and Roman Catholics; he was considered a bridge between them