Population in British North America
In the 1850s in British North America, in which two regions were the majority of the population settled?
Canada East (Quebec) and Canada West (Ontario)
In British North America, who did the Crown appoint, and what did that person do?
The Crown appointed the governor, and the governor appointed the members of the legislative council and executive council.
What is political deadlock? Why was it a problem for the Province of Canada?
Political deadlock is a situation where no change or progress can be made because of disagreement among political parties. It was a problem for Canada because Canada East and Canada West had the same number of seats in the legislative assembly, leading them to voting against each other and never allowing real change. This prevented the country from growing.
What was confederation in Canada?
Confederation was the process where colonies in Canada united to form a single federation called the Dominion of Canada.
What is bias?
Bias means that a person prefers an idea and will not give an equal chance to a different idea.
What was the Great Migration, and how did it relate to immigration to Canada?
Many European settlers immigrated to Canada from mostly Britain and Ireland searching for jobs and a new life. Some were struggling because of overpopulation in their home country, economic hardship, famine, and/or because the colonial governors promoted coming to Canada.
What is the role of the executive council? What is it referred to as today in modern times?
The executive council introduces bills into the legislature. They are now known as the cabinet.
What were two major issue of disagreement between Canada East and Canada West? Who was in favour of what for each issue? (eg. For issue 1, what did Canada East want? Canada West? For issue 2?)
Transportation and representation were the major issues.
Canada West wanted to establish larger transportation routes, while Canada East did not want to change the current state of affairs.
Canada East supported representation by population, while Canada East wanted to retain equal representation.
What is foreign policy? What was Britain's foreign policy when it came to Canada after it became the Dominion of Canada (post-Confederation)?
Foreign policy is the government's strategy in dealing with other nations?
For the Dominion of Canada, even though Canada was responsible for all activities within its country, Britain had influence over its international affairs. This meant Britain could make negotiations with other countries on Canada's behalf.
What treaty was signed to end the War of 1812?
The Treaty of Ghent
Explain the Gold Rush, and how it related to immigration to Canada.
What group was the legislative council responsible for, and who made up that group?
The legislative council was responsible to the legislative assemble, which was made up of members from Canada East and Canada West.
Who was the political figure who strongly supported representation by population? How did he promote the idea?
George Brown
He supported it by writing in his famous newspaper, The Globe.
What was the meeting in 1864 where there was a meeting held in Prince Edward Island to discuss uniting the Maritime colonies so that they would become less dependent on Britain. When the Province of Canada heard about this, a new plan was proposed: creating a union with Canada.
The Charlottetown Conference
Who was the one who proposed merging Lower Canada and Upper Canada, and why did he propose to do so?
Lord Durham
There had been 2 violent rebellions and he believed merging Lower Canada and Upper Canada would be the solution to the unrest.
Explain the Underground Railroad, and how it related to immigration to Canada.
The Underground Railroad was a secret system that enslaved Black people in the United States used to escape slavery and get to Canada. Canada had abolished slavery, so in this way, they were able to obtain freedom.
In British North America, who were the people who were allowed to vote for the legislative assembly?
Who was the political figure who was strongly against the idea of representation by population? What is one reason he was against it?
George-Etienne Cartier
He felt the policy would give more power to the English-speaking majority.
What was the event in 1866 where politicians from Canada East, Canada West, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick met with the British government in England to discuss the future of the colonies, leading to the creation of the Dominion of Canada?
The London Conference
What was the act that created the Province of Canada in 1841? What became the two parts of Canada?
The Act of Union of 1841
The Province of Canada became Canada East, and Canada West.
Explain the Great Irish Famine and how it was related to immigration to Canada.
The Irish potato crop, which was the Irish's primary source of food at the time, failed massively, causing a famine in Ireland. The Irish immigrated to Canada looking for a better place to live and grow food.
What is representation by population? During political deadlock, did Canada have representation by population?
Representation by population is a political system that gives political seats based on population. For example, a highly populated area will have more representatives than a lower populated area.
No, Canada did not have representation by population. They had equal representation, meaning Canada East and Canada West had equal representatives, regardless of their difference in populations.
What was the solution for political deadlock? Who proposed it?
John A. Macdonald proposed Confederation as a solution for political deadlock.
What was the second meeting held in 1864 that led to representatives voting in favour of the 72 resolutions that served as the framework for the Canadian Constitution? What were the resolutions called?
Meeting name: The Quebec Conference
The resolutions' name: The Quebec Resolutions
What was the large region of land controlled by the Hudson's Bay Company that also had also had the smallest population during 1851?
Rupert's Land