Completing the Picture

Canada After Confederation

Northwest Territories
Americans (yes, them again) had purchased Alaska in 1867 and wanted more (Manifest Destiny) The Hudson's Bay Company wanted to sell, but the British government made it clear it wanted it to be sold to Canada The Hudson's Bay Company sold the land to Canada and the Northwest Territories entered Confederation in 1870

Northwest Territories

Manitoba
In 1870, Manitoba became the first province added to Canada post-Confederation after

Red River Resistance

After the sale of Ruperts Land from the Hudsons Bay Company to the Government of Canada Land surveyors and land speculators moved into the area, which resulted in Angry settlers in the Red River Settlement, who were upset that the government hadnt consulted them

Red River Resistance

Led by Louis Riel, the Mtis National Committee was established to handle land issues Riel established a provisional government to negotiate the regions entrance into Confederation Riel met with John A. Macdonald, who refused to negotiate with the Mtis

Red River Resistance

Concern over the possibility of a civil war increased as the Canadian Party (Schultz) was armed and ready Louis Riel captured Schultz and took him to Mtis-occupied Fort Garry but Schultz escapes Schultz travels to Ottawa and tells of Scotts execution before Riel is able to arrive

Red River Resistance

Macdonald eventually heard the case and admitted Manitoba into Confederation, but with conditions Manitoba became the fifth province, the small chunk of land carved out of the Northwest Territories Macdonald dispatched troops to area to keep the peace and Louis Riel fled to USA

British Columbia
In 1871, British Columbia became the next province added to Canada post-Confederation

British Columbia
By 1869, Britain was encouraging BC to join Confederation and the following year a delegation travelled to negotiate Asking for a road, Canada promised the colony a railway linking the colony to the rest of the country Canada pledged that construction would begin within two years and be completed in ten years

British Columbia
Canada also agreed to take over the colony's debt of almost $1.5 million and provide an annual subsidy of $216,000 With little regard for the claims of the Indian nations in the colony, British Columbia entered Confederation in 1871 Canada was now a nation that reached from sea to sea or it would be once the railway was constructed!

Pacific Scandal
In 1872, a railway contract was awarded to a syndicate led by Sir Hugh Allan, a Canadian financier Allan was a large contributor to the Conservative party, and allegations of corruption arose the following year Macdonald would resign and cancel the contract later that year, and the Conservatives would lose the next election

Prince Edward Island

Prince Edward Island was next to join the union, becoming the seventh province in 1873.

Prince Edward Island

Prince Edward Island were tempted by Confederation in 1867, but ultimately declined to join at that time Canada was fearful they might join the United States and again attempted to convince PEI to join Confederation The colony was eventually persuaded to join in 1873 after Canada offered help to buy land from British landowners, etc.

National Policy
1. Introduced protective tariffs to keep American goods out of Canada... split public opinion 2. Encouraged settlement of the West by placing farmers on the prairies so they could produce grain for export 3. Complete the Canadian Pacific Railway, which would finally tie all of the various parts of the country together

North-West Rebellion
Mtis had moved westward after the Canadian Government refused to acknowledge their sovereignty Mtis asked for title to their land and financial aid to become farmers both requests were denied Governments desire to build railroad forced the sale of western land for revenue and the scaling back of aid

North-West Rebellion
In 1884, Gabriel Dumont headed to Montana to retrieve Louis Riel from his exile in the United States Riel returned with peaceful intentions, drafting a new Mtis Bill of Rights, but he was ignored by Canada He was seen as a threat and Macdonald used that to generate public money for the railroad

North-West Rebellion
Riel felt force was the only option, but he had support of just a couple Aboriginal groups. Still... The Mtis achieved more military battles during the conflict, but they were unable to sustain their momentum Lacking arms and supplies they surrendered, hoping the government would hear their pleas...

North-West Rebellion
Aboriginal leaders Poundmaker and Big Bear as well as Louis Riel were all tried for high treason The Aboriginal leaders each received three years in jail Riel was hanged dividing public opinion... Though the hanging of Riel had a negative effect on FrenchEnglish relations, it finally led to completion of railroad

Manitoba Schools Question

In 1890, the Manitoba government passed legislation removing funding for Catholic schools The same year, they passed an act which made English the only official language in the province Given the ties between religious schools and language, these decisions upset a number of people in the area and elsewhere

Manitoba Schools Question

The Manitoba Schools Question was a huge talking point during the federal election in 1896 Wilfrid Laurier won the election based on his promises to find a solution to the problem He came up with a compromise where French would be used in schools that had a minimum of 10 French-speaking students

Wilfrid Laurier
In addition to his work at finding a compromise to the Manitoba School Question, Wilfrid Laurier... Led Canada through a period of rapid growth through immigration and industrialization The first francophone Prime Minister, Laurier is often considered to be one of Canadas greatest leaders

Yukon
The discovery of gold in 1896 and the Klondike Gold Rush was the event that resulted in the formation of the Yukon An estimated 30,000 to 40,000 people, many of them Americans (yes, them again) flooded the region by 1898 The influx of Americans convinced the Canadian government to create a separate territory to better control the situation

Alberta
Alberta and Saskatchewan both joined the union in 1905, forged out of the North-West Territories.

Alberta
Alberta was a district of the North-West Territories in the early-1900s, but local leaders wanted provincial status Frederick Haultain pushed for a large province encompassing both Alberta and Saskatchewan Laurier saw a single province as one with too much power and chose to add the two separate provinces in 1905

Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan joined the union along with Alberta in 1905, forged out of the North-West Territories (you may have heard this before).

Saskatchewan
The population growth in the North-West Territories had led to calls for the establishment of a separate province Frederick Haultain felt they should be able to collect taxes to pay for schools and other services the population demanded In 1905, districts of Assiniboia, Athabasca and Saskatchewan amalgamated and joined Alberta in Confederation

Newfoundland
Newfoundland was the last province to join Confederation, doing so in 1949

Newfoundland
The people of Newfound were divided on the idea of Confederation for many years Canada offered to help develop the colony as Britain no longer wanted to support Newfoundland Joey Smallwood was instrumental in convincing the people to vote in favour of joining Canada, which they did in 1949

Nunavut
Nunavut was born out of Inuit desire to gain control over their own lands and resources in the Arctic In years past, decisions had been made about Confederation and the use of their lands without consultation They negotiated to regain control of their land as a territory joined to Canada and became Canadas third territory in 1999