Canada Year by Year

101 Pages·10.376 MB·English

by  Elizabeth MacLeod

To Elaine Welden, a great Canadian and loving mother,
dedicated on behalf of Barbara Morgan — E.M.
For all the children of Canada — S.S.
Acknowledgements
Thank you to the authors of The Kids Book Of series who allowed their writing
to appear in this book: Jane Drake, Barbara Greenwood, Carlotta Hacker, Pat Hancock,
Ann Love, Briony Penn, the late Diane Silvey and Valerie Wyatt. I really appreciate your contributions.
Many thanks to Sydney Smith for his fabulous illustrations that truly make Canadian history come alive.
Organizing the many elements of this book was incredibly involved, and editor Katie Scott
did a great job. I also really appreciated her suggestions and comments throughout the process.
Designer Julia Naimska brought her wonderful and creative skills to the difficult task of
combining together all the illustrations and text components. Thank you as ever!
I’m very grateful to copy editor Catherine Dorton, fact checker Olga Kidisevic and production editor
DoEun Kwon for reading the text so carefully and correcting any errors. Thank you also to expert reviewer
Dr. Dean F. Oliver, director of research, Canadian Museum of History, as well as the whole team at Kids Can Press.
I’m always grateful for the support of my dad, as well as my brothers, Douglas and John.
And special thanks to Paul, a great Canadian who puts up with me year by year!
ISBN 978-1-77138-759-0 (PDF) The excerpt from the Declaration of Kinship and Cooperation is
printed with the kind permission of the Assembly of First Nations.
Text © 2016 Elizabeth MacLeod
Illustrations © 2016 Sydney Smith Published in Canada by Published in the U.S. by
Kids Can Press Ltd. Kids Can Press Ltd.
This book contains excerpts from The Kids Book of Aboriginal
25 Dockside Drive 2250 Military Road
Peoples in Canada, The Kids Book of Canada, The Kids Book of
Toronto, ON M5A 0B5 Tonawanda, NY 14150
Canada at War, The Kids Book of the Far North, The Kids Book
of Canadian Firsts, The Kids Book of Canadian Geography, The www.kidscanpress.com
Kids Book of Canadian History, The Kids Book of Canadian Prime
Edited by Katie Scott
Ministers, The Kids Book of Great Canadians and The Kids Book of
Designed by Julia Naimska
Great Canadian Women. We are grateful to the authors of these
books for permission to reproduce their material. Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, MacLeod, Elizabeth, author
stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any Canada year by year / written by Elizabeth MacLeod ;
means, without the prior written permission of Kids Can Press Ltd. illustrated by Sydney Smith.
or, in case of photocopying or other reprographic copying,
ISBN 978-1-77138-397-4 (bound)
a license from The Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency
(Access Copyright). For an Access Copyright license, visit 1. Canada — History — Juvenile literature. I. Smith,
www.accesscopyright.ca or call toll free to 1-800-893-5777. Sydney, 1980–, illustrator II. Title.
Kids Can Press acknowledges the financial support of the FC172.M35 2016 j971 C2015-907041-4
Government of Ontario, through the Ontario Media Development
Kids Can Press is a Corus Entertainment Inc. company.
Corporation’s Ontario Book Initiative; the Ontario Arts Council;
the Canada Council for the Arts; and the Government of Canada,
through the CBF, for our publishing activity.
The Canadian flag is reproduced with the kind permission of
the Department of Canadian Heritage.
The Canadarm is rendered with approval from the Canadian
Space Agency.
CONTENTS
Introduction: A Country Is Born • 6
A New Country 1867–1884 • 8
Canada Grows 1885–1899 • 20
A New Century 1900–1913 • 28
Wartime and Beyond 1914–1928 • 36
The Great Depression 1929–1938 • 46
Return to War 1939–1953 • 52
Boom Years 1954–1966 • 62
Happy Birthday! 1967–1979 • 68
The Digital Age 1980–1999 • 74
A New Millennium 2000–2017 • 84
Great Canadians • 92
Index • 96
A COUNTRY IS BORN
At the stroke of midnight on July 1, 1867, Canadians strong feeling of unity as their nation took its place in
began to celebrate the birth of their new country. the world. They looked forward to a promising future,
Guns boomed, bells chimed and people cheered. full of growth and prosperity.
A huge bonfire was lit in Ottawa, the new capital. Although Canada didn’t become a country until
Even though it was the middle of the night, people 1867, it already had a long history. The Vikings were
poured into the streets. the first explorers to arrive from Europe. When they
That afternoon, parades led by brass bands sailed to what’s now Newfoundland around the year
proudly marched down the main streets of many 1000, they were met by Aboriginal peoples, who
cities and towns. The sun shone brightly in each had been living on the land for thousands of years.
of the founding provinces. It was a perfect day to The name Canada actually comes from the Huron-
celebrate. At night, fireworks lit up the sky before Iroquois word kanata, which means “village.” Around
happy Canadians wearily headed home after such 1535, French explorer Jacques Cartier began using
an important day. For the first time, they had a the name to describe parts of the country.
Aboriginal peoples knew how to survive the cold, changed the world and how we live. This book is a
difficult climate. Some of these groups had learned year-by-year look at this history, from 1867 to 2017. All
how to plant crops and care for them so they would of the events in the country’s history would never fit
provide lots of food. When Europeans built permanent into one book, but many important ones are here.
settlements in the 1600s, Aboriginal peoples taught These events — both good and bad — have
them how to hunt and fish. They also knew what transformed the lives of Canadians. The country’s
plants provided medicine. Their knowledge saved the people will continue to shape not only Canada, but
lives of many explorers and settlers. also the world.
Throughout its long history, Canada has been
a place where people have come to make their
What a Country!
homes. Before becoming its own country, it was part
of the French colonies called New France, and later
Canada is a big place. In fact, it’s the second-largest
part of the British colonies of British North America.
country in the world. It holds about 10 percent of the
Even today, about 250 000 newcomers arrive in
entire world’s forests. And some of its parks are bigger
Canada each year, bringing skills that help make
than entire countries!
the country a better place to live.
Canada also has the longest coastline in the world
Canada’s history is the story of its people and
by far, and no bay on Earth has as long a shoreline as
their inventions, discoveries and happenings that
Hudson Bay. You’ll find thousands of lakes in Canada
— more than the rest of the world combined. That’s
definitely something to celebrate!
A NEW COUNTRY
1867–1884
In 1867, Canada became a new country — a not by electricity like today. In homes, people
confederation of just four provinces. Canadians still burned candles or oil lamps for light and
were full of hope and excitement as they saw cooked on wood-burning stoves.
their nation growing. By the 1860s, technology was changing
Most Canadians were farmers in the mid- daily life. Railways connected more and more
1800s. In rural areas, forestry was an important towns. Journeys that once took days by horse
industry, and mining was increasing. In many and carriage now could be done in hours.
cities, people went to work in factories and Mail also was transported faster by rail. An
workshops as manufacturing developed. underwater telegraph cable had been laid
Canadian streets looked very different in across the Atlantic Ocean from Newfoundland
the 1860s. There were no cars. Street lights to Ireland. Now, Canada could quickly get news
and office buildings were lit by gas lamps, from Europe.
1867 Confederation
By the 1860s, the colonies in what is now Canada It took three conferences, lots of debate and
knew it was time for change. There was fear that almost three years, but finally on July 1, 1867, the new
the United States would take them over, and Britain country of Canada was created. It consisted of the
no longer wanted to pay to defend them. As well, provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario
the colonies weren’t growing as quickly as they (formerly Canada West) and Quebec (formerly
might because it was difficult for them to sell Canada East). Confederation, or the union of
goods to one another — transportation between provinces into a new country, depended on the vision
them was extremely poor. They began to think and determination of the Fathers of Confederation,
of banding together to become stronger and many of whom dreamed of a powerful new nation
more successful. that would eventually stretch from the Atlantic Ocean
to the Pacific Ocean.
Most Famous Fathers of Confederation
George Brown acted for Canada West in the Thomas D’Arcy McGee was known as the best public
Confederation talks. An excellent speaker, he was one of speaker of his time. He felt that Canada was a better
the first people to suggest uniting the colonies. Before place to live than the United States, so he supported
becoming a politician, he founded Toronto’s Globe Confederation to prevent the United States from taking
newspaper, which later became the Globe and Mail over the colonies. He was one of the few politicians ever
(page 50). assassinated in Canada.
Georges-Étienne Cartier was a French-Canadian leader Samuel L. Tilley was a businessperson before he
who was very supportive of Confederation. He played an became a politician. He believed that Confederation
important role in persuading the French of Canada East could help the colonies prosper. As premier of New
to join the nation. With Sir John A. Macdonald, he was Brunswick, he also wanted a railway to connect the
co-premier of Canada East and Canada West from 1857 Maritimes to the other colonies.
to 1862.
Charles Tupper attended the Confederation meetings as
Alexander Galt represented English speakers in Canada premier of Nova Scotia and was greatly in favour of the
East. He was a brilliant businessperson and was strongly union. In 1896, he became Canada’s shortest-serving
in favour of Confederation. He wanted a railway across prime minister. When he died, he was the last survivor of
the country and knew Confederation would make it easier the 36 Fathers of Confederation.
to build one.
PROFILE
Sir John A. Macdonald “Whatever
you do, adhere to
Sir John A. Macdonald from Canada West was
the union. We are a great
a leading Father of Confederation. He played
country, and shall become
such a large part in Confederation that he was
one of the greatest in the
made Canada’s first prime minister on July 1,
universe if we preserve it.”
1867. He added three more provinces and
— Sir John A. Macdonald
a territory to Canada and began building a
transcontinental railway
(page 16) to span the
nation and connect
the provinces. When Did They Join Canada?
1867 New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec
1870 Manitoba, Northwest Territories
1871 British Columbia
1873 Prince Edward Island
1898 Yukon Territory
1905 Alberta, Saskatchewan
1949 Newfoundland (later Newfoundland and Labrador)
1999 Nunavut
1868 The military expands
In its early days, Canada didn’t By the late 1800s, Canada
have a trained army. Instead, it established regiments of
had a militia — ordinary citizens professional soldiers. Their main
who volunteered to fight. They job was training militia units, but
fought alongside professional they also fought during the Red
soldiers, called regulars, from River Rebellion (pages 20–21) and
France or Britain. When British the South African War (pages 28–
troops stationed in Canada 29) alongside militia volunteers.
left during the 1850s to fight in Both part-time and regular
the Crimean War, a permanent forces in Canada were known
Canadian militia was set up. as militia until World War II. In the
In 1868, the Militia Act was 1950s, the militia became the
passed to give the new country Reserve Force. Today, this part-
control over its military. It also time group still supports units from
grew the active militia to 40 000 the Canadian Armed Forces,
volunteers and created a reserve which was formed on February 1,
militia of men between the 1968, when the Canadian Army,
ages of 18 and 60 who could be Royal Canadian Navy and Royal
called into action if needed. Canadian Air Force merged.
1869 Photos 1870 Fenian raids
in print
Until a photograph of Prince Arthur
was published in the Canadian
Illustrated News on October 30,
1869, books, magazines and
newspapers used drawings to
accompany their stories. An
engraver named William Leggo and
the Montreal publisher he worked
for, Georges-Édouard Desbarats,
figured out how to break down
a photo into tiny dots that, when
In the 1860s and 1870s, Canadians were being threatened by Fenian raids.
printed, would fool the eye into
Fenians were Irish Americans who wanted to end British rule in Ireland.
seeing a picture. The Canadian
They hoped that by capturing Canada as a hostage, they could convince
Illustrated News would become
Britain to grant Ireland independence.
the first newspaper to consistently
Fenians attacked New Brunswick in April 1866, Ontario two months
publish photographs of this quality
later and Quebec in 1870. They had planned to raid Manitoba in 1871 but
— not just in Canada, but worldwide!
were stopped at the American border.
Although the Fenians were never a major threat, they frightened people.
The early raids had been one of the events that convinced Canadians they
should unite as one country in 1867.