Dossier 3 – What Groups have influenced power since 1867?

1. Dossier 3 – What Groups have influenced power since 1867? Chapter 4: Power and Countervailing Powers Mr. Wilson History 404

2. Context • Since the Act of Union (1840), Canadian politics have been sliding into paralysis. • England realizes that having such a big colony is a drain of money and resources. • Another war in the USA has Canadian politicians nervous: England supported the Confederates.

3. The Solution • The British North America Act of 1867 (BNA Act for short) leads to Confederation (celebrated July 1st) • Unifies Canada East, Canada West, New-Brunswick and Nova Scotia into the Dominion of Canada. • The power structure changes again.

5. Crown of England Governor General Legislative Council (Senate) Lieutenant Governors (one per province) Prime Minister Prime Minister Federal Executive Assembly Provincial Executive Assembly Federal Legislative Assembly Provincial Legislative Assembly Voters

6. Sir John A Macdonald • Our First Prime Minister. • He travelled the country to convince people that Confederation was a good idea. • Had to resign once because of the Pacific Scandal. • Drank a lot. Really, a lot. • Died in office in 1891.

8. Sir Wilfrid Laurier • First Premier from Quebec. • He was involved in matters of conscription and military spendings. • He believed in Reciprocity with the USA, which angered the merchants.

9. Canada over the first few years. Canada Prior to Confederation.

10. Canada at Confederation

11. Canada in 1870

12. Then in 1871, the CPR is proposed, and BC joins in. Last Spike Ceremony, 1885.

13. Taking shape…

14. … into what we know today

15. Meanwhile, in Québec… Three groups are trying to influence the new provincial government: • Catholic Church • Business Community • Media

16. Catholic Church • Education, Health & Social Services are now provincial jurisdiction. • These had been in the traditional sphere of influence of the Church. • Duplessis would make extensive use of Church influence and infrastructures, like schools, hospitals and especially insane asylums.

17. Duplessis – La Grande Noirceur • Duplessis was premier of Quebec from 1936-39 and again from 1944-1959. • He was a staunch supporter of the Catholic Church, handing them a lot of money. • He also gave contracts based on who he was friends with, regardless of cost to the State. • His rule over the province was know as the Grande Noirceur, comparing it to the Dark Ages of Europe.

18. Business Community • Rich merchants were mostly anglophones, and did not run for political office themselves. • They still wanted to make money and have laws and tariffs in their favour. • They would eventually become Chambers of Commerce & Lobbyists.

19. Media • A relatively new factor: Newspapers. • In the 20th century, radio and television will also be very important. • Newspapers & other media outlet are owned by either rich merchants or politicians, so they tend to expose only one side of an issue.

20. Quote It is their habits, our adversaries, I mean, to accuse us Liberals of disregard. I am not here to parade my religious feelings about, but I have to say that I have too much respect for the beliefs with which I was brought up to ever use them in politics. […] I am here to tell of my thoughts, and I add that I am far from finding the clergy’s political interventions opportune, as they have done in the past […] It is therefore completely acceptable to change the opinion of the voter, by reasoning and by any other means of persuasion, but never by intimidation. - Sir Wilfrid Laurier, MP for the Liberal Party of Canada, June 1877.

21. Reflection Questions • What element of the Church / State relationship is referred to in this quote? • What phrase shows he’s still religious? Are there other states in the world that advocate separation of Church and State? Are there some that do not? • By reading this quote, would you say the Liberal party had the support of the Church? In your opinion, would Laurier have said the same things had the Church acted the same way in support of the Liberal party?

22. What… it’s an ostrich! Before we begin…

23. Part 2 – Conflicts & Natives in Canada • Because the definitions of the articles of the BNA Act are left vague, there will be a lot of political conflicts. • If Canadians cannot resolve their problems, they have to refer to the Privy Council in London. • This is long, because steam boats are not that fast.

24. The Louis Riel Rebellions • Unhappy with the treatment of the Metis and Natives, Riel sets up a « sovereign government, » then lists demands that the Federal Govt. should grant them. • 1870. During negociations, he executes one of the representatives sent to him, Thomas Scott, a prominent Orangeman. • This will exacerbate catholic/protestant tensions, and he will come to think of himself as a divine prophet, but eventually exiles himself in the USA. • He is eventually tried and hanged in 1885, after a second armed conflict.

25. Louis Riel • He was very popular in Quebec because of his French roots. • He spent years both in asylums in Quebec and living in the USA.

26. Major Wars (WW1 and WW2) • Participating in wars has always been touchy in Canada. People of Ontario enlist willingly, but not the people of Québec, why? • Let’s look at some propanganda to answer that question.

27. World War One

28. World War 2

29. Two World Wars in Québec • From those posters, can you guess why people from Quebec did not enlist en masse? • Even if written in French, the British flag did not stir their loyalty. • Defending France, where a lot of the fighting was taking place, was never used in propaganda in any major way.

30. Conscription • During both wars, the Federal Government passed bills forcing French Canadians to enlist and fight. • This was done by Plebiscite (vote), and was carried because Ontario and the Maritimes voted Yes, overwhelming the opposition in Quebec. • Both times, the conscription was done too late, or weakly enforced, so that not many French Canadians were actually forced to fight. (Most of them were barely trained by the end of the wars.)

32. Natives • Natives did get treaties to make sure their lands. • Those were ignored by Canadians, and as Canada expanded West, Natives were forced into reserves. • Native children are forced into residential school where they were forced to assimilate into « white culture »

33. Natives • Duncan Campbell Scott, 1920: “Our object is to continue until there is not a single Indian in Canada that has not been absorbed into the body politic, and there is no Indian question, and no Indian department.”

34. Residential Schools • Children as young as five were taken away from their parents. • Many were raped, killed, beaten or starved to death by the religious authorities in charge of the schools. • In BC, if native women wanted medical care, they would have to be sterilized first. • It took until 2008 for the Canadian Government to officially apologize.

35. Residential Schools

36. Show parts 1, 2 & 3 of Residential Schools.

37. Recap, and links • What was the principal element that war propaganda relied on to attract recruits? Why did it not work in Québec? • Why did the government put natives in reserves and send their children to residential school? • Was this attitude of Canadians considered racist at the time? Can you draw parallels to Nazi Germany?

38. Part III – Women, Nationalist groups and Unions • Women, throughout history, have usually never been considered the equal of men. • At various times, they were considered the same as cattle, pieces of furniture or slaves. • Starting in the 19th century, things were changing.

39. Women (continued) • Women are becoming more educated, and they realize that they can be as good as men in most if not all cases. • The Suffragettes was a group of women that tried to obtain the right to vote (Suffrage). • Other issues they campaigned on was anti-tobacco law and prohibition.

40. Women (continued)

41. Women (continued) • Women got the right to vote later at the provincial level than at the federal level, because they faced strong opposition from the Catholic Church, and the more Conservative businessmen and politicians. • Women could vote in federal election in 1919, but had to wait until 1940 in Quebec.

42. [Mama]…maintained traditional family values and still worked toward change. I have come to realize that I can be a mother, educator, wife, feminist – each identity not exclusive of the other but impacting on each other and on my development as a woman.Karen Diaz, Author. • The usual statement is that I am a remarkable woman because I can do it; the implication is that the average women is too dumb to succeed at a man's task - and I resent that implication, for it is false.E. Cora Hind. (1861-1942) Journalist and agriculturist.

43. I am a believer in women, in their ability to do things and in their influence and power. Women set the standards for the world, and it is for us, women in Canada, to set the standards high.Nellie McClung (1873-1951) stated in 1910 • Empower women and you will see a decrease in poverty, illiteracy, disease and violence.Michaelle Jean

44. Nationalist & Linguistic groups • French Canadians have felt threatened since the defeat of 1759. • After Confederation, there have been groups such as the Union Nationale and Parti Québécois, advocating for a strong French identity, and even independence. • In modern days, many groups are trying to protect their identity. In this context, many are questioning the existence of the bilingual system.

45. Nationalist & Linguistic groups • In 1977, the Official Language bill was passed in Quebec, turning the Anglophones into a linguistic, and minority, group. • Everywhere's independent these days — Slovenia, Slovakia, you name it. But somehow Quebec's wound up with a secessionist movement that can't pull it off. I see M Landry is muttering about referenda yet again, but that's just to keep the chin up of his demoralized troops. In this column from 1998, I wrote about the real problem: who wants to go through the trouble of separating to create a state identical to the one you've just left? • -Mark Steyn in the Southam News, September 5, 1998

46. Unions • In the 19th century, the typical workday is 10 to 12 hours long. • The only day off is Sunday, so they can go to Church. • Men, women and children all work. • Some workers unions were legalized in 1872.

47. Unions (continued) • As unions become bigger, they can put more and more pressure on employers and government to accept their demands. • In Québec, Duplessis was strongly opposed to Unions. The Padlock Act of 1937 allowed him to close down Union offices, accusing them of Communism. • The Act was repealed after a few years because it was judged unconstitutionnal.

48. Unions (continued) • Today, Unions are powerful and in public professions. Bus drivers, newspaper employees, construction workers, even teachers are unionized. • The CSN, FTQ and CEQ are major players in politics.

49. Environmental Groups • A new phenomenon, dating from the 1960s. • They have had limited political success until now. In the last two federal elections, they garnered between 3 and 5% of the popular vote, which is enough for them to qualify for campaign funds. • This group more than any others relies on media to get their message across.

50. Environmental Groups • Even if they are not as powerful in today’s politics, you can look around you to see their influence on our daily lives: • Recycling bins. • More efficient cars. • Recycled paper. • Compact fluorescent lightbulbs. • Bamboo fibre clothes? • Are companies trying to appear greener?