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Canadian Identiy
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Deportation of the Acadians
Acadians were the people of New France. They were exiled from Maritime provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island by the British. In July of 1755, Governor Lawerence made a group of Acadians swear an oath to Britain, and when they refused, he jailed them, and ordered them to be deportated. The Acadians were sent down into what would be the United States, and they took their vibrant culture and community with them. -
Battle on the Plains of Abraham
During the Seven Years War, General James Wolfe attacked Montcalm on the Plains of Abraham in Quebec. Wolfe defeated Montcalm's troops. French surrendered Canada to the British. Because of this defeat, Britain had a stronghold in New France. It very much affected the language, culture and borders in Canada and United States. -
The Royal Proclamation of 1763
King George III wrote this proclamation at the end of the Seven Years War as a means to prevent hostilities between the First Nations who had allied with the French, and the British. The proclamation established a government in Quebec, and French colonies, while deeming Western land as territory of hunting for Natives. This proclamation is still in effect today, and is very significant to many First Nations, as it does grant them special hunting rights in the West of Canada. -
Treaty of Ghent
The Treaty of Ghent was signed to end the War of 1812. It effectively created the border between Canada and the United States. This was a border that forever differentiated Canadians, then British settlers from Americans. The Canadian identity is largely contributed to it's geographical borders, so the Treaty of Ghent had a large part in creating it. The United States wanted Canada to be turned over to them, but the British would not agree. -
Coldwater-Narrows Claims
A group of Chippewa First Nations settled on reserve grounds around Lake Huron, in 1830. Over the span of 6 years, they spent over $48,000 invested in the land. There was continuous efforts to claim land titles and get deeds. In November of 1836, there were allegedly a surrender document signed by Chippewa in Toronto. There is controversy over whether the deal was legitimate, or whether it was taken out from under them, like to what has happened in the past with First Nations groups and British. -
The Durham Report
Lord Durham was sent to Canada to investigate the rebellion and hostilities between Upper and Lower Canada. The aim of his report was to assimilate the French into British culture, language and government. He propsed municipal governments, and capitalism. Lord Durham also said that the Municipal officials should be responding to their voters, and not the Crown. -
Indian Act
The Indian Act was first introduced as a consolidation of two previous Acts aimed at eradicationg First Nation's culture. This Act gave the government power over Aboriginals politics, governance, cultural practices and education. The aim was to generalize and assimalte First Nations. Many amendments were made including residential schools in 1894. The Indian Act continued to further the division between "us and them." Many Aboriginal viewed this as a way to remove them from being Canadian. -
Residential School System
The Residential School system was a system developed by the Canadian Goverment and manly the Catholic and Anglican Church to assimilate First Nation children into the dominant Canadian Culture. The means of assimilation were often brutal, including beating, starving, and all kinds of abuse. The Government called it "civilization" or "killing the Indian in the child." The Residential School System affects many survivors who are still alive, and has had massive implications on future generations. -
Chinese Immigration Act
There was a head tax fixed on Chinese immigrants, eventually up to 500 dollars. This tax was to dissuade Chinese immigrants to come to Canada. The year this act was put in place was the year the Canadian Pacific Railway was finished, which used 17,000 Chinese labourers to complete six years early. The Chinese Immigration Act contrasts today's view of a multicultural Canada. -
Mantioba Schools Question
The debate was having publicly funded schools for Roman Catholics and Protestants to be seperated. Although education was provincial jurisdiction, the Federal government did have limited power on the matter. The question divided Conservatives in Quebec and Ontario especially. The French were upset that their language was no longer an official language in Manitoba. PM Laurier used this issue to his advantage to become elected, as he was a French Catholic. -
Conscription Crisis
Conscription of all Canadians in World War I sparked a divisive conversation within Canada. Anglophones generally supported the conscription, while non British immigrants, francophones and farmers were generally opposed. It created "us versus them" especially between Francophones and Anglophones. It was a contrast to the idea of Canada being a country of many nations. It resulted in riots in Quebec, to them conscription was another way to assimilate other cultures into the dominant British. -
The White Paper 1969
The Minister of Indian Affairs Jean Chretien and Prime Minister Trudeau propose the White Paper, which seeks to abolish the Indian Act, Indian status and dissolve the Department of Idian Affairs within 5 years. It seeks to turn reserve land into private property for the band or its memebers to be able to sell, intergrate Indian affairs into srvices provided for other Canadian citizens, provide funding for economic development and appoint a commissioner to gradually terminate exisitng treaties. -
Adopting Official Multiculturalism
Under Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, Canada adopted Official Multiculturalism, but it was not made law until 1988. The Canadian Multiculturalism Act of 1971 has two fundamental principles; to allow all citizens to preserve and practice their culture, language, and heritage, and to promote participation of individuals in all aspects of Canadian society. -
Montreal Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics were hosted in Montreal, the first time Canada had hosted the Games. Pierre Trudeau was asked to write to Queen Elizabeth II to attend the Opening Ceremonies. Premier Robert Boussa wrote, also, to ask her to refuse Trudeau's offer, as their was still a large sepratist movement in Quebec at the time. The Queen did attend the ceremonies. This did create some conflict between Quebec Nationalists and seperatists, and the dominant Canadian culture. -
Bill 101
Bill 101 is also commonly known as the Charter of the French Language. It was introduced by the first Parti Quebecios, led by Rene Levesque. The purpose of this bill was to make French the everyday language of Quebec. It was essential in creating more upper level and management positions for Francophones within Quebec, as those were majority Anglophones. Quebec Nationalists accepted this bill, as it strengthened the Quebec culture and further into a 'distinct nation within a nation.' -
National Energy Policy Implementation
The NEP was put in place by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. It was aimed at attaining self-sustaining energy, sharing the wealth of the oil industry with the rest of the country, and nationalising ownership of oil. It was very controversial, and created anger in Alberta. The Federal government was in control of oil prices, exporting duties, and setting price ceiling. -
Quebec Refuses to Sign
Quebec refused to sign the Constituion Act of 1982. In this new constituion, Quebec lost it's veto power, which means the power to overrule decisions they do not agree with. They also refused because of the minority language rights, which would rule out Bill 101. It would allow anglophones rights over French rule within Quebec, they felt this would hinder their culture. -
RCMP and Turbasn
Baltej Dhillon's relgious beliefs included wearing a turban and a beard, but the RCMP uniforms contrasted that. The case was taken to the Supreme Court of Canada, and it was ruled that the wearing of turbans and beards in the RCMP is of reasonable accomodation. This ruling by the Supreme Court continues to affirm the belief that Canada is a multicultural inclusive nation that tends to the needs of it's citizen. -
Oka Crisis
The town of Oka, Quebec decide to expand a golf course, however, this expansion will cross into burial ground for the Mohawks. It would encroach onto Kanesatake Reserve. The Mohawk Warriors set up a barricade to defend their grounds. After three months, the provinical police attack the barricade. In an exchange of bullets, Marcel Lemay of the Surete du Quebec is killed on September 26th 1990. The Mohawks then turned the protest into demands of recognition of Native Independence. -
The Quebec Referendum
The Quebec Referendum asked voters in the province if Quebec should become an independent state. The referendum was brought forth by the Parti Quebecois. 50.58% of the population voted against. It did lead, however, to the Canadian Government's recoginition of Quebec as a distinct society, a nation within a nation. It sparked controversy in many First Nations communities, as they wanted for self determination. If the French could be independent and distinct, why couldn't Canadian Aboriginals? -
Residential School Apology
Prime Minister Haper apologizes for the Canadian Government's involvement in residential schools. In his apology, he acknowledges the removal and isolation of Native children from their homes and communities, and the goal of assimilating these children into the dominant culture. Harper continues his apology, acknoledging that these schools were based on ethnocentrism that had "lasting and damaging impact[s] on aboriginal culture, heritage, and language." -
Bill 14
The Bill 14 proposed by the minority government of Quebec, Parti Quebecois seeked to secure French language within Quebec. It has 3 sections; Education, Municipalities and Language Inspectors. Within municipalities, the bilingual cities and towns would be evaluated every 10 years, and could have that bilingual status revoked if English dropped under 50%. Military families would no longer have exemption to send their children to english speaking schools. -
Parliment Hill and Cold Lake
Michael Zehaf-Bibeau shot and killed an officer at Parliment Hill in October of 2014. This was a massive event in Canadian history, and the aftermath showed a united Canada. Because of his heritage and religion, a few select people saw this attack as a way to justify the mistreatment of Muslim-Canadians. In Cold Lake, a mosque was vandilized. A group came together to clean up the most and leave accepting notes about what it means to truly be Canadian; to be diverse, accepting, accomodating.
