LAURIER ERA 1896 - 1911• ELECTION OF 1891

– MACDONALD’S CONSERVATIVES & THE ‘NATIONAL POLICY’

• PROTECTIVE TARIFFS• SETTLING THE WEST• TRANS-CONTINENTAL

RAILROAD

– LAURIER’S LIBERALS AND ‘UNRESTRICTED RECIPROCITY’

• FREE TRADE WITH THE UNITED STATES

– CONSERVATIVES WIN BUT THE COUNTRY SLIPS INTO ECONOMIC DEPRESSION

JOHN A. MACDONALD WILFRID LAURIER

• 4 SHORT-TERM CONSERVATIVE PRIME MINISTERS FOLLOW MACDONALD’S DEATH

• LIBERALS WIN THE ELECTION OF 1896– NO RECIPROCITY– SOME LOOSENING OF TARIFFS

• WORLDWIDE ECONOMIC BOOM– GOLD DISCOVERED IN

SOUTH AFRICA ANDTHE KLONDIKE

– MOST CURRENCIESARE ON THE ‘GOLDSTANDARD’ SO MOREGOLD MEANS MOREMONEY FORINVESTMENT

– GROWING EUROPEANCITIES NEED CANADIANGRAIN CANADA IN 1905

• MACDONALD’S ‘NATIONAL POLICY’ NOW BEGINS TO TAKE OFF– RAILWAY IS USED SO MUCH THERE ARE BOTTLENECKS

• TWO NEW COMPETING LINES ARE ALLOWED TO PROGRESS – OVER THE RESIGNATION OF LAURIER’S TRANSPORT MINISTER

– TARIFFS BRING AMERICAN ‘BRANCH PLANTS’ HOMESTEADING FARMERS CAN’T KEEP UP WITH THE DEMAND FOR THEIR WHEAT

• CLIFFORD SIFTON, MINISTER OF INTERIOR SEEKS ‘QUALITY’ IMMIGRANTS WHO CAN FARM THE PRAIRIES– NORTHERN

EUROPEANS ANDUKRANIANS

– NOT ASIANS ORAFRICANAMERICANS

UKRANIAN FARMER IN ALBERTA 1907

• FIRST NATIONS, CONVINCED TO TURN TO AGRICULTURE DID NOT SHARE IN THE RURAL PROSPERITY– SETTLERS COMPLAINED ABOUT COMPETITION FROM SUCCESSFUL

NATIVE FARMERS• BY 1880s NATIVE PRODUCE WAS WINNING AWARDS AT REGIONAL FAIRS

– GOVERNMENTS SWAPPED TREATY LANDS SO THAT NATIVES ARE FARTHER FROM RAIL LINES

– NEW REGULATIONS PROHIBIT THE PURCHASE OF FARM MACHINERY– GOVERNMENT WANTS NATIVES TO PRACTISE ‘PEASANT

AGRICULTURE’– NATIVES REQUIRED TO HAND MAKE HAY FORKS, CARTS AND OTHER

IMPLEMENTS

• NATIVES WERE NOT ALLOWED TO HOMESTEAD BUT WORKED 40 ACRE PLOTS ON RESERVE– DEPARTMENT OF INDIAN AFFAIRS TO DISMANTLE ‘TRIBAL’ OR

‘COMMUNIST’ SYSTEM IN FAVOUR OF INDIVIDUALISM

• RESOURCE EXTRACTION EMERGES AS A MAJOR INDUSTRY– DEVELOPMENT OF HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER IN ONTARIO

AND BRITISH COLUMBIA ALLOWED INDUSTRIES TO LOCATE CHEAPLY IN CANADA

• MINING– ORE COULD BE PROCESSED AND SMALLER VOLUME FINISHED

PRODUCT SHIPPED TO CUSTOMER

• FORESTRY– POWER NOW EXISTED FOR SAWMILLS CLOSER TO THE

TIMBERSOURCE

COPPER CLIFF SMELTER, 1892

• THE WEST PRIOR TO 1900 HAD A SIGNIFICANT FRANCOPHONE ELEMENT– VOYAGEURS– METIS IN MANITOBA AND SASKATCHEWAN– WORKING LANGUAGE AT HUDSON’S BAY FORTS, INCLUDING

FORT VICTORIA

• MANITOBA SCHOOLS QUESTION 1896– MANITOBA GOVERNMENTABOLISHED THE CONSTITUTIONAL

GUARANTEE OF SEPARATE SCHOOLS FOR CATHOLICS– ONCE IN POWER LAURIER REACHES A WEAK COMPROMISE

THAT DOES LITTLE TO PROTECT THE METIS & FRENCH CANADIENS

• ALBERTA AND SASKATCHEWAN 1905– LAURIER BACKS DOWN FROM HIS PROPOSAL TO PROTECT

FRENCH IN THE NEW PROVINCES UNDER PRESSURE FROM HIS CABINET

• BOER WAR 1899 – 1902– DUTCH SETTLERS IN TRANSVAAL AND ORANGE FREE STATE

ATTACK THE BRITISH IN SOUTH AFRICA

• CANADIAN PARTICIPATION DEMANDED BY MOST ANGLOPHONES, CONDEMNED BY MOST FRANCOPHONES– LAURIER COMPROMISES BY SENDING ONLY VOLUNTEERS

AND HAS BRITAIN PAY THEIR WAY

• INTRODUCTION OF GUERILLA WARFARE (DUTCH) AND THE CONCENTRATION CAMP (BRITISH)

• MORE BRITISH TROOPS DIE OF DISEASE THAN WOUNDS– 20,000 BRITISH KILLED– 25,000 BOER CIVILIANS DIED IN CAMPS– 15,000 AFRICANS KILLED– 7300 CANADIANS WENT TO SOUTH AFRICA– 245 DIED (OVER HALF FROM DISEASE)

• FOREIGN POLICY AND DEFENCE– 1903 THE ALASKAN PANHANDLE HAD NOT BEEN DEFINED WHEN THE UNITED

STATES PURCHASED IT IN 1867– TO REACH THE YUKON FROM THE PACIFIC CANADA WANTED A BOUNDARY THAT

LEFT THE TIP OF SOME INLETS WITHIN CANADA– THE DISPUTE GOES TO A TRIBUNAL - 3 AMERICANS 2 CANADIANS AND 1 BRITON– BRITISH MEMBER SIDES WITH THE AMERICANS RESULTING IN TODAY’S BOUNDARY– CANADIANS FELT BETRAYED AND BECAME DETERMINED TO HAVE THEIR OWN SAY

IN FOREIGN AFFAIRS

• 1905 CANADA ASSUMES RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE NAVAL BASES AT ESQUIMALT AND HALIFAX

• FORM A CANADIAN NAVY OR CONTRIBUTE TO BRITAIN’SROYAL NAVY?– MANY FRENCH CANADIENS

WANTED NEITHER– LAURIER COMPROMISES BY

INTRODUCING A SMALLCANADIAN NAVY

HMCS RAINBOW AT ESQUIMALT

• ELECTION OF 1911– PROSPERITY HAD PASSED RURAL QUEBEC BY– IN THE CITIES OF QUEBEC WEALTH AND OPPORTUNITY WENT TO ANGLOPHONES– FARMERS ARE CALLING FOR AN END TO TARIFFS ON RECIPROCITY– RENEWED AMERICAN INTEREST IN FREE TRADE ALLOWS LAURIER TO OFFER

RECIPROCITY AS A POLICY INTHE UPCOMING ELECTION

– IN FACT MANY CANADIANS DID NOTWANT FREE TRADE

• BRANCH PLANT WORKERS• FARMERS WHO FEARED AMERICAN

COMPETITION

• SOME AMERICAN BOASTED THATRECIPROCITY WOULD LEAD TOANNEXATION

• BORDEN WINS THE ELECTION– ENDS UP KEEPING CANADA’S NAVY– LEADS CANADA THROUGH NEW

DEPRESSION AND WORLD WAR 1

ROBERT BORDEN