C. Issues and Effects of Confederation [Text pp. 199-203]

 Now that Confederation was accomplished through the BNA Act, what ever happened to the objections raised by those opposing it?

1) Bi-culturalism [text p. 199]

- The Canadiens were always worried about getting assimilated.

- The BNA Act did set aside some provisions for them.

* English and French are both the official languages to be used in Parliament and the Federal Courts as well as in the Province of Québec.

* French civil laws are constitutionally protected.

* Any rights of separate schools that exist in provinces are to remain.

[What happened in new provinces was not set, and this would cause problems later.]

2) Aboriginals [text p. 199]

- The only thing the BNA Act determined about First Nations was that Parliament had exclusive authority over “Indians and lands reserved for [them]”.

- Parliament at the time adopted UPC’s policy:

* Aboriginal lands are acquired by treaty, while the people are settled on reserves.

* A government department (Ministry of Indian Affairs) manages this.

* In return for their lands, Natives received reserves, free health care, and free education.

3) African-Canadians [text p. 203]

- Slavery was not abolished until 1793 in Upper Canada and BNA as a whole in 1834.

- In 1850, there were about 40,000 blacks in Upper Canada, mostly slaves when it was still allowed.

- After the American Revolution, 3500 more came and settled in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick as Black Loyalists; other blacks came as slaves of Loyalists.

- During the War of 1812, blacks who moved from the U.S. to BNA were rewarded with land in Nova Scotia by the British government.

- In the mid 1850s, 30,000 blacks escaped slavery in the United States by the Underground Railroad

4) Chinese [text p. 203]

- Chinese immigration did not start in earnest until the gold rush in British Columbia in the 1850s.

- Some were actively involved in the gold rush; others owned restaurants, laundries, hotels, or other services for miners.

- While many returned to China, about 1500 stayed in BC to continue these services, work in the mining operations, work in the fisheries, or become servants.

[For the Germans and the Ukrainians, see p. 203]

5) Separatism in…Nova Scotia?

- Despite Tupper’s success in getting NS to join confederation, Howe and the anti-confederation people were still upset.

- Tupper was burned in effigy, and anti-Confederates won 36 out of 38 seats in a Sept. 1867 provincial election.

- Howe had previously lobbied to British Parliament against NS joining Confederation during the London Conferences of 1867.

- After the provincial elections, Howe led a group of supporters back to London to get British Parliament to allow NS to withdraw from Confederation, thus becoming Canada’s first separatist movement.

- London listened but told him that any complaints should be taken up with the Parliament of Canada and its Prime Minister, John A. Macdonald, who wasn’t happy about this separatist movement.

- Eventually, there was a compromise. [$20,000 more subsidies given to Nova Scotia, and Howe becomes a Cabinet Minister].

Canada was a new nation, and now it was poised to expand, but it also had to deal with growing pains, but that’s Unit VI.

Assignment

1. With help from online research tools, briefly describe how the Underground Railroad worked.

2. Explain how the Nova Scotia separatist movement stalled in the end. Do you think that was a good idea?