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North American History

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Northern American History

Canadians faced both developments and challenges in the post confederation era; women

empowerment was witnessed, with many women entering the workforce, child labor was

prominent but was later abolished, and churches were involved in labor matters although there

was a lot of hypocrisy. Various activists advocated for better lives for Canadians. For instance,

there were several benefits of having policies and plans to cater to citizens' needs, such as health

insurance if the unknown happens. Marsh (2018) details the proposal to give marginal wages for

employees and their families which would benefit their families if they lost their jobs and could

not afford the essential services. The benefit I noted from such a plan was that women and

children would be in a safe place since they were the most vulnerable if a man was not there to

provide. Additionally, having an employed person parting with a portion of their wages for social

insurance enhanced a sense of responsibility for themselves and their family, especially later

unexpected tough times of unemployment or sicknesses.

As seen in today's capitalist world, Whitton's idea of letting the administration take care

of welfare necessities would lead to people failing to take responsibility of their lives. People

would know the state would cater to them as people tend to value what they have sacrificed for

(Whitton, 2015). Additionally, having experts determine the ideal living wage deterred

underpayment of the employed, thus fighting for the rights of the employed (Whitton, 2015).

Alvin pointed out the benefits of Medicare in Canada, which the state publicized to enable

doctors to be close to patients. I also noted the benefits of having doctors close to save more lives

and improve the health of Canadians as we see today in developed countries, unlike third world

countries (Finkel, 2006). However, completely removing Medicare from the private sector would
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bring setbacks in cases where patients had their own trusted doctors. Also, competition between

private and public Medicare ensured all healthcare providers offered quality services. In addition,

leaving children in daycare programs would have detrimental effects (Pasolli, 2015).

Difficulties also made citizens turn to their Government for help. Canadians proved this

during the Great Depression. Family unity from time immemorial has been the center of support,

and Canadians witnessed it when their families could no longer provide resources, thus seeking

help through letters to the Government (Wilbur, 1973). R.B Bennett illustrated Canadians'

struggles showing the Government's carelessness at the time, failing to help its unemployed

citizens (Wilbur, 1973). The Canadian Government could also not export its goods to other

countries. Economic answers that were proposed include minimum salary, pensions, and

unemployment insurance as we saw Governments and the World Bank do during COVID -19

times. Still, in Canada, solutions did not work like today's world.

Ella Liscombe, a young woman who had a diary displaying the catastrophic results of the

Depression, proved women's empowerment at the time. This proved that women are strong as

men during trying times. Baillargeon (2018) showed the working women had to invent survival

methods, which is reflected in today’s world by women working to support their children.

However, the disadvantages were delays in marriages which were detrimental to society when

the population decreases and human labor was needed, as we have seen in recent Europe where

the population is low. Also, as much as I strongly support women's empowerment and equality,

MacDowell's study found a social issue in disempowered men, despite being considered strong

figures in society, living alone in camps earning low wages (MacDowell, 1993). The lack of men

as father figures raised weak boys because of a lack of guidance the boys look up to men when

growing up.
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Scott (1891) addressed the issue of children, women, and labor in Canada, which was

important because women were not well represented as men were. Women are important figures,

and I noticed in Canada that women found it important to get ready for emergencies in the future,

which resulted in learning new skills (Scott, 1891). The result, as witnessed today, was increased

employment resulting to achievement of gender balance in careers and to showing the

capabilities of the women in the society. However, I noticed in Ontario; that there were laws on

the age limit for employing children, which is an issue of concern. Because of poverty, parents

forced their children to work in factories, which reflected their irresponsibility from the parents.

War resulted in losses and damage, as witnessed today in Ukraine. Still, it had positive

effects in Canada with the introduction of socialism, showing caring for a neighbor as human

nature (Marsh, 2018). Socialism was important as Canadians fighting for their country reflected

a progressive democracy. On the other hand, the state owed the citizens a pay like giving work to

the unemployed and insurance policies against the old and the sick, which is comparable to

today's insurance policies. Also, overworking children and women resulted in the introduction of

social reform proposing shorter working hours as provided by Labor Laws today. Despite the

positives of socialism increase in population would result in laziness if the state would care for

the unemployed. Compared to today, I would consider capitalism as it makes the country

progress because citizens know they have a role to play, especially by parents caring for their

children (Marsh, 2018).

In Quebec, I noticed the increased industrialization, which resulted in the need for more

labor, thus overworking people, which is a violation of human rights ( La Verdure, 1996).

Christianity came to save the people by introducing Sunday as a rest day, as followed by most

Christians today, but there was no freedom of choice as it was a law, and this would be
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prohibited today. Christianity protected the vulnerable from being overworked, showing

socialism was involved, and compared to today, it would be greatly opposed as there is freedom

of worship (La Verdure, 1996). However, the hypocrisy of Churches as experienced today by

siding with wealthy capitalists funding churches failed the church in fighting for workers' rights,

especially where women and children were involved. Additionally, I support the media, which

used Jesus' teachings to fight for workers' rights (La Verdure, 1996). The press referred to Jesus,

who used His teachings to fight for workers' rights by condemning oppression and proving that

socialism worked for the betterment of society. Christianity has proved to be right by upholding

workers' rights in Canada at the time.

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2.

Post-war Canada experienced a lot of optimism and prosperity in various areas of society.

The most notable success was observed in the economic arena. This economic prosperity

resulted from the successful rebuilding of Europe after the war. Notably, the public sector grew

by 15-35%, and employment rates decreased to an average of 4% (Shaw et al., 1993). In

addition, Canadians could easily afford basic commodities and had adequate disposable incomes

for buying homes, cars, TVs, and radios. However, the rise in living standards and improved

quality of life affected different people differently. For instance, white men who had acquired a

college education could take advantage of the improving economy leaving behind women and

the indigenous people (Shaw et al., 1993). In this paper, I will detail the struggles of both women

and indigenous people to gain an equitable place in the prosperous postwar Canadian society.

In Canada’s newfound prosperity post-war, the changes were positive and negative.

Examples of positive alterations to the life of women include the increasing acceptance of the

fact that women could join the workforce. Women were able to get employment opportunities in

clerical or service positions (Shaw et al., 1993). However, women did not enjoy unhindered entry

into the labor force. For instance, they were limited in terms of the career they could pursue.

Notably, the number of women enrolling in higher education institutions rose to 37% by 1970,

with over 95% pursuing gender-appropriate subjects such as nursing, teaching, secretarial, and

household sciences. In contrast, only 1 % chose courses related to science and engineering (Shaw

et al., 1993).

Women also encountered increased sexual or reproductive freedom. For instance,

although it was still considered inappropriate for women to engage in premarital sex, it was less

scandalous in the 1960s than in previous generations. Women also enjoyed considerable freedom
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regarding reproduction in the 1960s. This freedom was made possible by introducing new

methods of contraception, which reduced birth rates considerably (Shaw et al., 1993).

With all the improvements to women’s lives during the post-war period, many women

felt that there was still a lot to be done to make their lives better. Some of the issues women felt

were important include the inclusion of women in the civil service, the appointment of women to

sit on juries, equality in the workplace, and fair remunerations for working women (Shaw et al.,

1993). Members of professional businesswomen clubs proposed the majority of these reforms.

From the efforts of such women, the majority of Canadian provinces had enacted laws to ensure

fair remuneration for all women by 1960, except for Quebec and New Foundland (Shaw et al.,

1993).

To institute lasting change in Canadian society regarding their interests, women formed

various organizations and initiatives. For instance, in 1966, the Federation des femmes du

Quebec and the Committee on Equality for Women were established to address issues of

women’s rights. In 1967, the Royal Commission on the Status of Women (RCSW) was formed

“to inquire and report on the status of women in Canada and to recommend what steps might be

taken by the Federal government in Canada to ensure for women equal opportunities with men in

all aspects of Canadian Society” (Shaw et al., 1993). The report of the RCSW recommended that

women should be free to choose whether to work or not, and both parents and society should

bear the responsibility of child-rearing. In addition, it recommended that women should be given

affirmative action to overcome the effects of long-term discrimination. The National Action

Committee on The Status of Women was to implement these recommendations. The Women’s

Liberation Movement and Abortion Caravan were other efforts to improve women’s lives (Shaw
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et al., 1993). The former aimed at raising awareness of the challenges women faced in society,

while the latter provided opposition to the anti-abortion legislation.

The indigenous people in postwar Canada also faced various challenges in their efforts to

be incorporated into the now prosperous society. In the post confederation period, the federal

government had assumed responsibility and control of the Indians and their lands. The

government achieved this level of power through the Indian Act of 1876, and the Department of

Indian Affairs was established in 1880. Notably the government-controlled schooling, healthcare,

and politics of the indigenous people (Shaw et al., 1993). The sole aim of such a policy was to

make sure that Indians were well assimilated into the Canadian way of life. Indians opposed the

policy because it was paternalistic and discriminatory- it applied only to Indians. Still, some

Indians realized that although it was ineffective, racist, and sexist, it recognized their unique

status and relationship with the federal government (Shaw et al., 1993). However, they still

hoped and clamored for more equitable and inclusive policies.

After the second world, the status of Indians in Canadian society shifted for various

reasons. Firstly, many Indians had volunteered themselves for war service. Secondly, the war,

which was aimed against Nazi racist policies, raised Canadians’ consciousness regarding their

treatment of the indigenous population. Thirdly, the Indians began to actively speak out against

their treatment in Canada through associations such as the North American Indian Brotherhood,

established in 1948 (Shaw et al., 1993). As a result, the government initiated several efforts to

change the lives of Indians in Canada.

The first of such efforts came in the Special Joint Committee of the Senate and House of

Commons of 1946-48, whose main aim was to identify the indigenous people’s challenges. The

Indians, in their presentation before this committee, condemned the interference of the
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Department of Indian Affairs (DIA), opposed involuntary enfranchisement, and demanded self-

government (Shaw et al., 1993). In 1951, the Indian Act made several changes that led to an

improvement of the lives of Indians, such as the limitation of the federal government’s power,

repeal of the bans on potlatch, and the removal of mandatory enfranchisement regulations. The

Indians were happy with these changes, but they still wanted the government to drop assimilation

efforts. As a result, they came up with several initiatives to achieve those objectives. Among

them was the Red power movement of the 1960s, which prompted the government to establish

the Hawthorne commission of 1966, whose main recommendation was to discontinue forced

assimilation and extend provincial services to Indians. The recommendation of the Hawthorne

commission led to the formulation of the White Paper, which proposed that the Indian Act be

repealed, and DIA eliminated (Shaw et al., 1993). In addition, it suggested that $50 million

should be given to Indians over five years for economic development. In place of the White

paper, the Indians proposed The Red Paper. This paper aimed to allow a special status for the

Indian (Shaw et al., 1993). In addition, it proposed the enaction of a new Act to replace the

Indian Act instead of its abolition. Ultimately, it aimed at completely replacing the White Paper.

In conclusion, this paper discusses the clamor for inclusion into Canadian society by two

main groups: women and the indigenous population. Both these group began their struggles after

realizing that the prosperity of the post-war Canadian community had disparate effects on

different people- white college-educated men benefited the most. In contrast, women and

indigenous people only received marginal advantages. After much struggle, both groups achieved

considerable success in terms of inclusivity.

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References

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Confederation Reader Paperback.

Baillargeon, D. (1992). 'If You Had No Money, You Had No Trouble, Did You?':

Montréal working‐class housewives during the Great Depression. Women's

History Review, 1(2), 217-237. https://doi.org/10.1080/0961202920010202

Finkel, A. (2006). Social policy and practice in Canada: A history. Wilfrid Laurier Univ.

Press.

MacDowell, L. (1993). Canada's "Gulag": Project #51 Lac Seul (A Tale from the Great

Depression). Journal Of Canadian Studies, 28(2), 130-158.

https://doi.org/10.3138/jcs.28.2.130

La Verdure, P. (1996). Sunday in Quebec, 1907-1937. CCHA Historical Studies, 62.

Marsh, L. (2018). Report on Social Security for Canada: New Edition (Vol. 244).

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Pasolli, L. (2015). "I ask you, Mr. Mitchell, is the emergency over?": Debating Day

Nurseries in the Second World War. Canadian Historical Review, 96(1), 1-31.

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& Sons.

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Turkstra, M. (2006). Constructing a Labour gospel: Labour and religion in early 20th-
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century Ontario. Labour/Le Travail, 57(1), 93-130.

Wilbur, R. (1973). The Wretched of Canada: Letters to RB Bennett, 1930–35 ed. by

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Horn. The Canadian Historical Review, 54(2), 202-204.

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