Socials 11 Notes - Administrator

8/6/2019 Socials 11 Notes - Administrator

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hapter 9: the Structure of Canadas Government

-Before European settlement, the aboriginal peoples of Canada had several different ways of governing themselves. These were not

written down, but they became part of an oral tradition that many aboriginals still follow today.-Canada is democratic, more specifically, by representation. Direct democracy is where every affected eligible citizen votes on a

matter, but in a large country like ours this is not efficient, and therefore we elect people to make decisions for us (representative

democracy).

-Canada has also adopted several traditions from Britain, such as its constitutional monarchy, where the reigning monarch is recognizedas the head of state (in Canada she is represented by the Governor General).-The monarch is not involved in the day to day running of the country, but by purpose grants royal assent to a law, but today, she is

mostly a figurehead. However, the Queen and the Governor General hold the power of the crown which is above the law. For

example, if the PM decided not to hold an election, the GG could order the PM to hold an election. If he refused, the GG would call in

the army to hold the election.-The powers and responsibilities of the Queen and all other political members of Canada are outlined in the constitution, which also lays

out the rules of government and how it is supposed to form. The monarch is not exempt from the constitution. Canada has an unwrittenand written constitution. The written contains the powers of the federal and provincial governments, the charters of rights and freedoms,

and an amending formula. The unwritten consists of other rules concerning the roles of parliament and these are mostly based on

thousands of years of parliamentary tradition.-At confederation, Canada East and West, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia united to form the nation of Canada, which would allow

them to pool their resources for defence, trade, and other common goals. None of them wanted to give up their autonomy, so they

agreed to a Federal system, where regional governments act in the interests of their citizens, and the central capital acts on matters

concerning the nation as a whole.

-Currency, defence, and the postal system are examples of things the central government handles, and matters best handled locally

are left to the provincial government. There are also regions of shared responsibility such as agriculture. Confederation also provided

provisions for unforeseen items that could not be listed and assigned them as residual powers to the federal government. The provincesoften contested the power of the federal government, and the Privy Council of Britain decided these matters, usually in favour of theprovinces. Today, there is no Privy Council, but the matter is still debated.-Municipal governments were created to deal with essential services in towns like garbage collection and sewage. The Provincial

government decides what form the municipal government takes, and what powers they should have.-Canada has three branches of government: legislative, executive, and judicial.

-Executive: the power to make and administer decisions through the civil service. Legislative: the power to make laws. All three levels of

government have this. Judicial power: the power to interpret and administer the law. The judiciary is separate from the other two

branches to ensure impartiality. Refer to chapter 11.-In the federal government, the legislative branch is composed of the GG, the House of Commons and the Senate, and these make up

Parliament. Parliament must meet once a year (a session), and in each session, laws are passed, amended, or removed, and issues ofconcern are debated. Opposition parties question the actions of the government. Individual members may also bring up issues their

constituents have brought up, and the cabinet minister or the prime minister will state the governments position on the issue.

-The House of Commons (lower house, HOC) is the only part of the legislature that has elected members. Elections for this must occurevery 5 years, unless an earlier election is called. Canada is divided into ridings of 100 000 people, and eligible voters elect one

person to represent them (an MP, Member of Parliament). The total number of seats in the HOC is determined by the population of

Canada (2000 -> 301). Debates in the HOC are controlled by the speaker of the house, who is appointed to this position by his


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fellow MPs. He or she oversees the impartial operation of the house and applies all rules fairly and firmly. Members sit with their partyin the HOC, and opposite of the government party is the opposition (the second largest number of seats). The oppositions job is toscrutinize the actions of the government.

-MPs vote in a private meeting called a caucus, where the members are free to voice their concerns against party policy. Once adecision is made however, MPs must vote on party lines except for when a free vote is issued based on moral issues.

-The Senate (upper house) is independent from the HOC, but it appoints its own speaker and runs its own affairs. Senators are

appointed by the PM and must be Canadian citizens, at least 30, living in the province they represent, and own at least 4000$ of

property. They may serve until they are 75. The main role of the senate is to provide a final check on legislation passed in the HOC,and it may also introduce laws, debate them, pass them, and then send them to the HOC, although this is rare. The senate also providesregional representation and it serves as a forum for regional issues. Senate seats are also determined by population (2001 -> 105).

-The senate undertakes investigations into issues that the HOC cannot or will not get involved in, and it may also work on committees

and task forces, as well as perform diplomatic services for the government.

-Vacant senate seats are filled with supporters of the ruling party as reward for loyalty. This has lead to much debate over whether ornot the senate is truly representative in terms of population, sex, and the views and beliefs of provinces and territories.

-The executive branch is made up of the GG, PM, cabinet, and civil (public) service.-The GG: the monarchs representative, gives formal assent to a bill, performs ceremonial duties, and acts as advisor to the government.

-PM: the PM is not directly chosen by Canadians, but is rather determined by the party (a group of people with similar political beliefs).

The PM has several roles to play: head of government who chooses new judges, senators, decides the best time to call an election,chooses and changes cabinet members, and had the final say in creating policies of the government. As national leader, the PM

addresses Canadians on issues of national concern, represents Canada on foreign trips, speaks on behalf of all Canadians on issues,

and works with premiers to coordinate responsibilities. As party leader, the PM is a spokesperson for the whole party, and rewards

members with patronage appointments.

- The cabinet: made up of elected party members and each one are usually responsible for certain positions in government

(minister of defence). The PM usually tries to balance the cabinet to reflect all Canadians, although perfect balance is rarely

achieved. Cabinet members are responsible for the running of their own department, but usually rely heavily on department staff foradvice on policy. In Cabinet meetings, views can be expressed frankly, but in public, the cabinet must display full support for theirgovernment (cabinet solidarity).- This solidarity is so important that parties often elect a whip to ensure members are present to vote for party bills and

occasionally they discipline members of the party.- The public service: a group of permanent employees that perform the ongoing business of the government. They gather statistics,

write details for laws, carry out law, collect taxes, monitor the flow of imports, inspect food, process passports, deliver mail, and fulfill

thousands of necessary tasks to keep the government running. Senior civil servants advise ministers and help draft new laws, and hold a

great deal of influence over the government- Any member of the HOC or senate can introduce a law, but if an MP not in the cabinet does, it is called a private members bill.

Few private members bills pass into law. The procedure is as follows: Cabinet minister has idea for law -> idea explained to cabinet -> cabinet approves idea -> lawyers draft the bill -> cabinet committee examines the bill -> cabinet and caucus approve the bill ->

bill is introduced into HOC or senate for first reading (a formality) -> second reading -> house debates principle and votes on principle

-> parliamentary committee examines bill -> house amends bill -> third reading, debate, and vote -> bill passes house -> senate (orHOC) examines, debates, and amends bill (same process as HOC) -> bill passes senate -> GG signs bill into law.

- The senate rarely rejects a bill that has been passed by the HOC.


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- Provincial/Territorial governments have the same structure as the federal government with minor changes. The provincialgovernment, instead of PM has Premier, and instead of GG is lieutenant-governor. There is only one house (equivalent of HOC), andmembers are called MLAs or MPPs.

- The provincial government has responsibilities in education, environment, health care and social welfare (which is actually sharedfunding wise with e federal government), transportation, and of course, negations with the federal government in regards to

responsibilities. The federal and provincial government are constantly working to ensure a fair balance between the two.

- Local governments: the leader is called the mayor, reeve, chairperson, warden, or overseer. This is an elected position, and this

person is accountable to all citizens of the city. Other elected members are councillors/alderpersons/controllers. They are elected tooversee their own specific portion of the city.- When Canada was formed, only 1 in 10 citizens lived in a city, and these basic local governments provided basic services like

fire fighters, police, and road maintenance. But now, municipal governments must provide more for their citizens, and the revenues they

collect are usually not sufficient to provide all of them. In response to federal funding cutbacks, provincial governments have been giving

powers to the local governments, who cannot afford to pay for such things.- Many aboriginal communities have self-government, and the leader of this is the chief, however band councils often have more

interactions with the provincial government, because the chief must negotiate with higher levels of government.

hapter 10: the Citizen and Government

- Canadian citizens 18 and over are eligible to vote in Canada. A federal or provincial election is held every five years, and

municipal ones are often held much more frequently. In BC, municipal elections are held on the same day every three years.

- Voting is one of the most important ways to influence government, but turnout can range from 20-70%. Those who do not vote

make the votes of others more influential.

- When the PM decides to hold an election, he asks the GG to dissolve parliament. This is done at the end of the five year term, or

earlier if public support is strong.

- Most federal or provincial candidates are in parties, but some choose to run as independents. A candidate is selected by localparty members or is appointed by the leader of the party. The names of all candidates in a region go on the ballot form.- To be a candidate, you need support, money, and plenty of volunteers, for activities like door to door canvassing. Some peoplebelieve though, that expensive advertising can distort an election.

- During elections, public opinion polls are conducted to seek how voters will vote. About 155 of a budget will go to a pollingcompany, and the company contacts a cross-section of Canadians and they are asked voting preferences, and their opinions

regarding political leaders, parties and issues. Television commercials, debate responses, and even appearance may be altered to

reflect the finding of the polls.

- Some comment that these polls can influence voters and as such they are not allowed to be published within 24 hours prior to anelection.

- On election day, polling stations are set up in schools and places of worship, and eligible voters go behind a small screen to casttheir vote, and no campaign signs or literature are allowed at or around the polling station.

- As the polls close, the votes are counted, and the candidate with the most votes is announced the winner. This is called first-past-

the-post. The winner does not necessarily have to have the majority of votes, he or she just have to have more than any other.Supporters claim that there is a clear winner, but it often does not represent the views of the majority.

- For this reason, some advocate a proportional representation (PR) system, where voters vote on someone based on party

principles, and the number of seats given out would be determined on the percentage of the popular vote the party won, and the


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seats would be given to the top numbers of candidates based on seats (38% of 100% = 38 seats = 38 most popular candidates).The downside is that local representation would disappear, and that a majority government would be almost unachievable- Most elected representatives belong to one political party or another, where all members share roughly the same ideology or

beliefs, and this ideology helps shape the rough outline of policy and decision.- A party is left-wing, right-wing or centre. Left wing generally supports changes to improve welfare, believes that government

should play a large role in lives, and that law and order are important to protect the rights of all citizens. In the centre, tradition is

important, but change must be supported, governments only play a role where necessary, and law and order are important to protect

and encourage the rights of individuals. Right wing: tradition is important, and change should be treated with caution, governmentsshould play a small role in lives, and private business should step in to fill the void, and law and order is important to protect society andits traditions.

- Those who join a political party can vote for the candidate they wish to run in a particular riding, but most parties have youth

wings that hold considerable influence over the party.

- People are more likely though, to join an NGO, which is a non-profit organization that works to improve the aspect of somepeoples lives. They work internationally, and lobby many governments to try and change laws. Examples are United Way, the

Canadian Red Cross, and Doctors without Borders.- The individual can also influence government by contacting their MP, MLA, or councillor, or members of the civil service.

- There are also pressure groups that lobby government to change laws to promote the common interest of the group. There are

institutionalized pressure groups that are well established and have formal organizations. An issue-oriented group are less permanent,and usually only work on one goal, such as funding, or locally, putting up a stop light.

- These groups apply pressure by providing government with polls, research, reports and advice, and often government seeks the

expertise of these groups. However, these groups often have a vested interest in the outcome, and their interest may not be the same

as the publics interest.

- These groups use lobbyists to sway government policy, and these lobbyists are often former high-level members of the public

service.

- Again, there is the danger of lobbying for policies that do not represent the publics interests, so a bill was passed requiringlobbyists to register, and that public service members could not become lobbyists until a year had passed from their resignation.- Another way to influence government is through the courts, but court cases cost a lot of money and the outcome isnt guaranteed.In addition, the courts can strike down a law, but they cannot replace it with something else. The best bet for creating new laws is to

inform government that a new law is needed.- One concern of pressure groups is funding. Some are large enough to be self-sufficient, but others require government funding. In

addition, some say that if a pressure group is too successful, then democracy is at risk, because the will of the majority is often not sought.

- The media also plays a role in influencing government. Journalists are often the only source of information on government, and

they are free to criticize the government and its actions. The media also publishes opinion polls. The media mostly however, influencesgovernment by giving a certain issue lots of attention, and in turn, government also often turns its attention towards that issue. Most

groups know though, that simply making a statement will often not get results, so a protest or rally is often planned.- A worrying trend with media however, is the concentration of ownership in a few hands. This provides less of a spectrum of ideas

and opinions, and often the interest of the paper is not the same as the public interest.

- Civil disobedience, finally, is the last thing citizens can do to send a message to government. It is the act of breaking the law, orrefusing to uphold it. There are, however, rules for civil-disobedience: the act of breaking the law must be less harmful than upholding

the law, the act must be non-violent, and the perpetrator must not be afraid to face the consequences.


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- A famous act of civil disobedience in Canada was Clayoquot Sound, where protestors blocked roads to a site that would log ahuge number of old-growth trees. The government opted for a compromise that would reduce the number of trees cuts (about half ->80% to 40%), but the public opposition to this was very vocal. Dozens of blockades were formed, and over 800 people were

arrested in the summer of 1993. Since that time, the practices of logging companies have been closely under the public eye.

hapter 11: Canadas Legal System

- Canada follows the rule of law, where a fixed set of rules apply to all persons.- One of the first symbols of this was the Magna Carta, and this document was used for hundreds of years after in British society toguarantee several rights.

- Those who make laws are also subject to those laws themselves. The only supreme law is the constitution, and the Charter of Rights

and Freedoms takes precedence over any law passed.

- There are two types of law in Canada, civil law and criminal law. Civil law refers to individuals or groups, and criminal law isonly applied when laws are broken. Also, criminal acts are considered committed against the state, not an individual.

- Civil law usually involves property, contracts, or personal relationships. The one who initiated the lawsuit is the plaintiff, and theother, the defendant. Deciding on the ownership of property is difficult, but it can be even harder to decide on intellectual property.

- Most criminal laws are contained in the criminal code, which was passed in 1892. It has been amended many times, but still

retains its original form. Breaking a criminal law is considered a wrong against society. Criminal cases are carried out by the crown(referred to as R. for Regina, the Latin word for Queen), and lawyers representing the queen are called the prosecution, and those for

the accused, the defence. Only the federal government can make laws, but provincial governments help administer them.

- Except for Quebec, where the civil law is based on the Code Napoleon, the civil and criminal law of Canada are based on

English common law and statutory law. The common law was based decisions of several judges over time, called precedent. This

approach makes it flexible and adaptable to certain situations.

- Statutory law is based out of decisions made by parliament, even though most of our criminal law is based in the criminal code,

certain government acts can outline certain controls and regulations (narcotics control act)- Quebec civil law is based off of Roman law and is referred to first, and then adapted to precedent for consistency.- Canadians have legal rights guaranteed by sections 7 to 14 of the charter of rights and freedoms, and these cannot be takenaway without proper legal process.

- The powers of the police to arrest, make searches, and question have been steadily reduced since the introduction of the charterin 1982, and the courts are adamant defenders of the rights of the accused, and as such, police read out Miranda rights after every

arrest.

- Provinces are responsible for administering the law and each provincial court system is different. In general, indictable offences

are tried by the provincial Supreme Court, and summary offences by the lower courts.- Once some is arrested, the court system takes over. Trials in the lower court are held by a judge or justice of the peace, but in the

supreme court of BC, the accused is tried by a judge with/without a jury. A jury is made of adult citizens from the community, and it isthe moral and legal duty of every citizen of age to attend jury duty.

- Another legal safeguard in the system is the appeal system. If the accused believes that he was tried unfairly, he or she can

appeal to a higher court to have the case re-examined. The highest court of appeal in Canada is the Supreme Court of Canada, but itdoes not see every case brought before it.

- In BC, judges are appointed on the advice of the attorney general by the provincial cabinet. Judges to each provincial Supreme

Court and the supreme court of Canada, they are appointed by the cabinet on the advice of the minister of justice.


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- A judge is expected to not comment publicly on issues before the court, and judge can only be removed by both a vote in theHOC and the Senate. This often brings up criticism of the Justice system, along with calls for reform.- The Supreme Court has been the highest court for all legal issues since 1949. It decides on constitutional issues and some criminal

cases, and the GG on the advice of the PM appoints nine members of the Supreme Court. Three of these nine must be from Quebec,and traditionally, three from Ontario, one from the Maritimes, and the remaining two from the western provinces, and of these nine, the

PM chooses one to be the Chief Justice.

- The importance of this court has been increasing since 1982, and no one can alter the decisions of the Supreme Court without a

ruling by parliament to change the constitution, where 7 of 10 provinces must agree, and they must total 50% of the population.- The Supreme Court also has a number of options when deciding on issues. It can strike down a law altogether, exempt someonefrom the law in a particular case, and give advice on how the law can be repaired.

- When someone is convicted of a crime, the judge has several options, such as a complete discharge, a fine paid to the court,

restitution acts, perform hours in community service, or spend time in prison. In cases of a first offence where a jail term is often not

appropriate, the judge may place someone on probation. Even when a jail term is appropriate, the judge has flexibility on the matter,and generally the maximum sentence is life in prison. In Canada, this means 25 years without parole, or early release for good

behaviour. A person who shows little remorse can be declared a dangerous offender, and kept in jail indefinitely.- Prisoners serving 2 years or less go to provincial jails, while anything more go to federal jails. These institutions can be minimum,

medium, or maximum security, depending on the threat the inmate poses to society.

- The purpose of the corrections system is to rehabilitate citizens to become law-abiding again. Many Canadians support this, butother want to see criminals punished because of the leniency of the Canadians courts.

- An alternative to the current system of imprisonment is the restorative justice system, where first time or minor offenders work within

their community to try and restore the injustice to society. This only works if the victim of the crime agrees to the system, and even then, this

system does not work for all people.

- Many people are concerned with the number of youth that are sentenced to prison in Canada. The problem is compounded by

a lack of community resources for alternative sentences.

- Before the 20th century, youth received no special treatment and were subject to the same conditions are adults. By the end ofthe nineteenth century, attitudes began to change, and there was a growing movement to reform the justice system. However, in 1984when the Young Offenders Act was published, many thought it was far too lenient. In response, in 2000 the Youth Criminal Justice Actwas passed that provided harsher sentences for more serious offences committed by youth.

- Youth between the ages of 12-17 are granted the same rights as adult offenders, but other special rights based on their age.Details may be reported, by names of any youth involved in the trial cannot be named. In addition, court records will be kept

confidential, and then destroyed when the youth becomes an adult. There is an exception to this if the child is 14 or older and has

committed a serious crime such as murder, sexual assault, and violent assault.

- Also, youth crimes are often tried in a separate youth court, where a judge alone hears the case. In this youth court, the sentence iscalled a disposition, and the maximum jail term is 5 years. However, in serious crimes, youth 14 or older can be moved into adult court

to be tried as an adult.- Another concern with the Justice system is in regards to information technologies. New technologies are challenging copyright

laws, and numerous civil suits have been filed in the US to try and stem downloads of illegal music. However, some artists support

downloads, as they increase the number of people the music can reach, and it may also increase album sales.- The internet has also provided a new arena for serious crimes like identity theft. Web sites offering pornography, fraudulent

schemes, and information from hate groups are often the sources of most internet crime.


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- The difficulty of regulating the internet was recognized by the CRTC, and the decision was made to not enforce rules over it, asgeneral laws were considered sufficient. Even email can be used to commit crimes. There however, have been several initiatives put inplace to combat this.

hapter 1: A Different Canada

- By the early twentieth century, most Canadians lived in small farms or in small villages and the morals and manners of the daywere set by a minority of upper-class English people.

- These upperclassmen were influenced greatly by the Victorian era style of society back in England. Named after Queen Victoria

who reigned from 1837-1901. The era was defined by regular church attendance, support of the monarchy, the very clear difference

between right and wrong, and the belief in taking care of ones own family members without government assistance.- There was little tolerance for law-breaking, and once women married, they lost most of their rights over property and children,

and divorce was non-existent. Women were still not considered persons under the eyes of the law (unless a crime was committed), andthe salary of a woman was technically the property of her husband.

- A small group of women pushed for more rights. They were called suffragists, and they demanded the right to vote, and

prohibition. Nellie McClung was a well-known suffragist and she worked with many women to try and win the rights they wanted.- Art and leisure began to modernize with the rest of Canada, and as people moved into more urban centres, art become more

sentimental, often providing pictures of the countryside. People also enjoyed outdoor activities like running, cycling, rowing, going to the

beach, and tobogganing.

- At the beginning of the twentieth century, Canada had its own government, but it could not resolve issues with other countries, as it

was still a colony of Britain, even thought Britain didnt always have Canadas best interests in mind. An example of such was the

Alaskan Panhandle Dispute where Americans claimed that the Lynn Canal that provided access to the Yukon was Alaskan, not

Canadian. This was mostly decided on the fact that Britain did not want to be involved in another international conflict, as it had justfinished the Boer War.- English Canadians, although not pleased with this action, supported the British Empire and its expansion. French Canadians did notas they tended to be more nationalistic, and they considered themselves Canadiens.

- Soon after Laurier came to power, he realized that Canada would need more people to prosper, and his governmentcirculated flyers in the US and eastern and northern Europe advertising the Last Best West. Immigration spiked, and settlers to the

prairies were given 160 acres of land, and these homesteaders had to build a house and start farming within three years. Prairie life

was hard and many left for urban centres.

- Many Canadians were ethnocentric, and several immigrant groups were discriminated against, such as the polish in the prairies,and Asian races in BC.

- In response, the federal government placed a tax on Asian immigrants, and later on afterwards, many riots were held in protestof the Asian immigration. This came to a head when the Komagata Marus passengers were denied into Canada.

- Aboriginals found themselves being more and more displaced by immigrants, while most of them lived in reserves. Once on the

reserves, aboriginals were intended to farm instead of hunt traditionally. But the tools and soil were poor, and many people starved,and as more immigrants arrived, the government allowed private companies to take some of the reserve land. But in addition, by the

early 1900s, many aboriginals were dying of disease, and residential schools. Most of this was intended to assimilate into the rest of

the population.


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- Thousands of people were also moving into cities, and the population of Canadas western cities exploded. These cities werefilled with contrasts between the rich and poor, where the rich lived in luxury, and the poor in slums. The rich had servant, their houseswere lit by electricity, warmed by central hot water, and had running water. The working class lived in shacks, and overcrowded

tenements, and lack of clean water and sewage led to the rampant spread of disease.- As the population grew so did the economy and the export of natural resources such as timber, wheat and minerals was an

important part of Canadas economy. The export industry benefited from cheap shipping costs across the Atlantic Ocean and after the

opening of the Panama Canal in 1914 created a shorter route for Canadian products. Mining too contributed to the economic boom.

- The use of electricity in factories was an enormous boost to Canadas industrial growth, and with electricity machines could growbigger and more powerful. Several new products were invented, and by 1914 wireless radios were used on board many ships.There were also 300 000 phones in Canada.

- Corporations grew larger, and with little competition employers could set high prices and low salaries. Some workers formed

trade unions to press for better pay and working conditions. When employers refused to give in, strikes became violent, and a mining

strike led to the largest number of arrests until Clayoquot sound.- Damage to the environment was not the issue that it is today, but in 1914, residents of BC were realizing how human interference

could affect the environment. After rocks from the blasting of the railway building blocked a river preventing salmon was spawning,residents were concerned.

- However, at the beginning of the 20th century, Canada would be involved in a devastating war, and throughout the 20th

century, it became Canadas century.

Chapter 2: Canada and World War I

- On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the crown prince of Austria-Hungary was visiting the city of Sarajevo, Bosnia.

Nearby Serbias nationalist group the Black Hand marked him for assassination, and after a failed attempt to blow up his car, Gavrilo

Princip rushed forward to mortally wound the archduke and his wife Sophie. This event brought on WWI.

- At the beginning of the twentieth century, Europe was dominated by three crumbling empires: Austro-Hungarian (AH), Russian,and Ottoman. Many of the nations under these empires resented being dominated by a foreign power, and they wanted to be theirown independent nations. When AH took control of Bosnia, the Serbs were outraged at being controlled by another country.- In an effort to reduce the vulnerability to attack, countries formed alliances. Germany, AH, and Italy formed the Triple Alliance.

France, Russia and Britain formed the Triple Entente. By surrounding Germany, these countries thought to reduce the threat of war. Thishad the opposite effect, and a massive build up of arms occurred in all the European countries. Germany had begun to expand its

army rapidly, and the other countries did the same to maintain the balance of power. By the beginning of the 20th century, Germany

had the most powerful army, but it wanted a powerful navy. When Germany began t expand their navy, Britain responded with the

largest warship ever built.- Imperialism was also on the rise, and the race to claim other countries rich in foreign goods like gold and pearls was on.

- With this range of backgrounds, the assassination of the archduke was the spark that ignited the tensions. AH blamed Serbia,and declared war. As follow up, Russia, Serbias ally, mobilized her troops. Germany AHs ally did the same. Within weeks, all the

great powers had troops on the move. A little bit after, Britain, who tried to stay out of the conflict, declared war on Germany when it

invaded Belgium. On one side, the Triple Entente, and the other The Triple Alliance (also called the central powers). Italy joined later on,but eventually, many countries in the world joined the war.


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- The assassination in Bosnia made front page news, but at first Canadians cared little. However, when Britain joined the war,Canada was automatically at war. Most of the English-Canadians had a strong patriotic feeling for Britain, and were in full support ofBritain.

- PM Borden initially offered 25 000 troops, but more than 30 000 troops from across Canada signed up in a month. Manyvolunteered because they thought the war would be a short one, and they might even be heroes upon return. Others signed up

because they had no job, and some felt the patriotic urge to defend their mother country.

- Not all were welcome in the war though, such as women (those who did were limited to activities like nursing or field ambulances),

aboriginals, and coloured peoples. Later on, the forces would allow people of colour into the army.- Canadian troops had to be made ready, and Sam Hughes, minister of militia, set up a camp in Valcartier, Quebec. After basictraining, 32000 ill prepared troops set sail for England. Wartime training brought all the different regions of Canada helping to form

a national identity.

- The army that was formed was called the Canadian Expeditionary force (CEF). British commanders thought the army would be

integrated into the larger armies, but for the most part the CEF worked independently.- Sam Hughes was also put in charge of the armament industry. He created the Shell Committee to oversee the manufacturing of

shells, and by 1917, Canada was supplying about 1/3 of the shells used by Britain. Hughes though, was a poor administrator, and theministry became bogged down in patronage and confusion. BY mid-1950, contracts worth about 170$ million had been signed, but

only 5.5 million had actually been made. The weapons that were made were shoddy too. Boots fell apart in mud, and the Canadian

made Ross rifle jammed under rapid fire. Hughes was dismissed from his post in 1916 but not before he was knighted by KingGeorge V.

- PM Borden, when the war began, realized that the government would need more control over the economy, and he

immediately introduced the War Measures Act, which suspended civil liberties, and allowed direct control in the economy, and things

like mail could be censored. In addition, recent immigrants from enemy countries were looked on harshly, and were placed in

internment camps.

- Before the war, Germany had developed the Schlieffen plan, or a two front war. The plan was to invade Belgium, then France

and capture Paris. Once this was done, Russia was next. This plan almost worked, but just 35 KM away from Paris, but they wereexhausted by the pace of the Schlieffen plan. France and Britain rallied to push Germany into northern France, and a number oftrenches were dug. By Christmas of 1914, the Western front was locked in a stalemate.- The way war was fought was changing. By 1914, new weapons like machine guns and airplanes made it suicidal to charge the

field. By 1916, tanks were built to protect crews as they advanced across the battlefield. Early tanks were crude, but by the end of thewar, they had become a reliable weapon. However, commanders refused to realize that new technology required new strategies,

and many soldiers were lost out of stubbornness.

- No solider though, could have been prepared for trench-life. They were cold, damp, and often flooded; clothing infested with

lice, and was overrun with rats. Rescue attempts were dangerous, and men were in constant fear for their lives.- Some of the bloodiest battles were fought in the early years of the war, particularly in the city of Ypres, in Belgium. On April 22,

1915, and again two days later, French and Canadian troops were blinded, burned, or killed by chlorine gas used by the Germans,even though gas had been outlawed by international agreement since 1907. Neither side gained much advantage and over 6000

Canadians were killed, captured, or wounded.

- In July 1916, British and French forces under General Haig launched a massive attack along a line of low ridges near theSomme River in France. HE insisted that olderstrategies would work here, and as the men were forced to march across the field, 85%

of the Royal Newfoundland regiment, over 700 men were gunned down or wounded within 30 minutes. When the battle finally


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ended in November, there were a million casualties, almost equal number on both sides, even though General Haig claimed victory.Almost 24 000 Canadians were among the dead, and the ones who remained were badly shaken.- Since 1914, the Germans controlled Vimy Ridge, a strategic piece of land in northern France. The French had tried three times to

reclaim it, but were unsuccessful. In late 1916, Canadians were chosen to lead an assault under General Julian Byng (later to be GG).He developed strategies for attack and trained the troops well. From the west side of the ridge, Canadians bombed the Germans for

over a month, whilst sappers built tunnels to move troops forward secretly. At zero hour on April 9, 1917, Easter Monday, Canadian

troops moved into position. The Canadians captured each of their objectives, and on April 12th, they had taken the last German

position. This marked a Canadian milestone, and Canadians took great pride in this from here on.- Byng was promoted, and a man from Victoria, BC was appointed to take over the CEF. General Arthur Currie was the firstCanadian to command Canadas troops, but Currie still took orders from General Haig. In 1917. The CEF was called to take

Passchendale, but unlike Vimy, this had no strategic value. The heavy bombing from before had left massive craters in the ground,

making advancing hard. The allies won, but the victory cost over 15 000 lives.

- Almost 2500 women joined the ambulance corps, and were affectionately named Bluebirds. Many were killed by poison gas,bombs, and artillery shells.

- At the beginning of the war, airplanes were mostly used for aerial reconnaissance, but before long, they were equipped withguns. These pilots had to have nerves of steel, and if a pilot could prove that hed downed five men, hed be called an ace, and

because they were regarded as heroes at home, they were withdrawn to promote and recruit. In 1917, the peak life expectancy for

the Royal Flying Corps was three weeks, and more than 50 000 pilots were killed between 1914 and 1918.- Germany, in response to Britains naval strength, developed the u-boat, a dangerous weapon for the allies. When they later

became equipped with torpedoes, they wreaked havoc with merchant ships and transport ships. Eventually, the British developed

listening devices and convoys to combat the u-boats.

- Canadas navy consisted of two ships, one on each coast of Canada. Halifax, where one ship was stationed, became a strategic

location for repair, refuelling, and resupplying for all allied ships heading to Britain.

- When Canada entered the war, it was in a recession, but by 1916, the economy was booming. Huge orders that came in from

Britain were being filled rapidly and the production and export of Canadian goods reached all-time highs. Many goods becamescarce in Canada, and this caused prices to rise, but the governments control over the economy had prevented workers from earning aliving.- The Canadian government had trouble paying for the war, and used several methods to help raise fund. These included bonds,

taxes, and loans. These victory bonds appealed to patriotic Canadians, and the people could cash them in after war. The governmentalso introduced the income tax (supposed to be temporary), and this meant 3% on income on well-off individuals, and families. These

methods were not enough however, and the Canadian government was deeply in debt by 1918.

- With so many men at war, women were required to take on the roles of men in factories. Employers assumed that these women

would leave their jobs after the war, but this was not the case. This changing role of women increased the voice for suffrage, but so farthe premiers had refused to allow women to vote. But when political parties started adding that to their platform, suffrage was

granted, first in 1916 in Manitoba. Alberta and Saskatchewan did the same later that year, and Ontario and BC did the same in1917. All women got the right to vote in 1918 for their efforts during the war.

- During the war, the use of propaganda was widespread, and this is shown by the 80% of the Canadians who served signing

up as volunteers. This propaganda led people to form mobs to attack German business, especially after situations like the Lusitania.- On December 6, 1917, the Halifax explosion brought the war closer to home when a ship collision killed 2000-3000 people

and injured 10000.


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- Most Canadians thought the war would be over soon, but when PM Borden visited the battlefield after Vimy Ridge, he realizedthat Canada would need more men. On his return to Canada, he introduced the Military Service Bill to conscript Canadians. This firsthad exemptions for conscientious objectors, those with essential skills, clergymen, and the disabled. This divided the country even further.

Although enrolment was fairly high, it was generally uneven, especially in places like Quebec, where nationalists did not identify withthe war, and they thought it was being forced on them. People who lived in the prairies also disagreed with this, because they needed

them sons and workers to work the land on their farms. In BC, this crisis came to a head because of the miners who were being urged to

increase output, but wages had not been increased.

- PM Borden called an election over the matter, but he passed two bills to ensure his re-election. The Military Voters Act and theWartime Elections Act, both of which granted rights to groups that previously did not have them (women, aboriginals). Borden alsoinvited Liberals who were in favour of conscription to join him in a union government. Laurier was still very much against conscription, but

his party lost great support over his position on conscription.

- The French Canadians were still very much against this, and this came to a head in 1918 where four were killed.

- Conscription called 404 000 men for conscription, but 380 500 applied for exemption, and in the end 130 000 were enlisted,but only 25000 reached France before the end of the war.

- In 1917, the Czar of Russia was forced to abdicate, and a provisional government was put up in place. Secondly, the USangered by the Lusitania and declared war on Germany on April 2. Also, the Bolsheviks overthrew the provisional government

promising a war weary people peace, and it signed a peace treaty with Germany.

- The Germans took advantage of this chance to move their army, and in a last desperate offensive, they took back several of thelocations they had already lost. 75 KM from Paris, the German troops were exhausted, and the war was essentially over. An Armistice

was signed on November 11, 1918 at 11 AM in a rail car in France.

- After the armistice, the leaders of the countries who won the war met in Paris to discuss the terms of the peace treaty, called the

Paris Peace Conference, where the Treaty of Versailles. The treaty was comprised of: Germany agreeing to a guilt clause, and

paying reparations of 30 billion. The map of Europe had to be redrawn, with the country of Poland being formed, and Germany

having less territory, and the German army was restricted to a certain number, and they were not allowed to have an air force or u-

boats. Germanys economy was ruined after the war by these clauses, and this would lead the way to WWII.- PM Borden, after fighting hard to be a part of the Peace Conference, also fought for a seat in the League of Nations, which wasmade of many nations based on collective security. The great powers were not in full support of this, and the only agreed in principle.- The league had no military force however, and the only thing that it could do was impose sanctions on an offending country. Also,

the Americans, after their president had a stroke, defeated the motion to join the League of Nations, and this greatly inhibited itspowers after WWI.

- People suffered greatly because of the famine after WWI, and at the same time after the war, the Spanish Flu killed millions,

especially the young. 22 million people (more than WWI) were killed by the flu.

hapter 3: Canada and the Twenties

- Soldiers were glad the war was over, but when they returned home, they found there were no pensions, no special medical

services, and few jobs. Also, prices soared after the war, and few Canadians were able to make ends meet.

- Workers demanded higher wages and strikes for these became bitter. Many workers lost their jobs because there was only oneemployer in the area.


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- Western Union leaders were more socialist then their eastern counterparts and the Bolsheviks had inspired man, but all in all, theunion leaders at the Western labour Conference in 1919 formed One Big Union (OBU) whose main weapon would be the GeneralStrike.

- In May of that year, Winnipegs civil workers walked off the job collectively. They demanded higher wages, a shorter week,and collective bargaining.

- Winnipeg was paralyzed, and the employers and business owners who were angry at the strikers formed the Citizens

Committee of One thousand, and they saw the strikers as a communist movement and they called on the RCMP, and the confrontation

became known as Bloody Sunday, but in the end the strikers returned to work, after a 43 day long strike.- Some of these strikers would go and join political parties like the CCF which would later become the NDP.- After the war, there was a growing problem in Canadian politics, which was regionalism. The influence of the Maritimes was

falling and businesses were leaving. Oil for instance, was replacing coal. The Maritimes Rights movement attempted to put influential

people into office, but this movement died without accomplishing much.

- Other regional problems came from the prairies and in Ontario. Farmers were frustrated by trade tariffs, which they feltprovided boons to Eastern Canada while making their own products more expensive. Farmers in response formed their own parties,

like the United Farmer Party and the Progressive party, which contested the 1921 election.- The liberals were lead by Lyon Mackenzie King, and the conservatives by Arthur Meighen. These two despised each other, and

had very different approaches. In 1921, the Liberals elected 117, the Conservative 50, and the Progressives 64, mostly from western

Canada. The Conservatives didnt win a single seat, but the Liberals had a minority government and needed the approval of theopposition. Although the party didnt do much, it passed the Old age Pension Act, and this was the first step on the way to Canadas

social services.

- Several steps were taken after WWI to give Canada a bigger role on the international stage, but this came to a head in the

King-Byng Crisis of 1926, when King publically challenged Byng over Britains influence of over Canadas internal affairs.

- In 1925, the Liberals had 101 seats, Conservatives 116 and the Progressives 24, which mean that the liberals needed the

support of the progressives, which they promptly lost after a liquor smuggling scandal. The conservatives called for a motion of censure,

and in response, King asked GG Byng to call an election, which he promptly refused, because of constitutional rules that the motion ofcensure had to decide on first. The election eventually had to be called, and King played on the nationalistic tendencies of the public towin the election, and no GG has gone against the wishes of the PM since.- It was at the imperial conference of 1926 that Canada and the other Commonwealth countries requested formal recognition of

their autonomy. Lord Balfour headed a commission, and his findings were signed into law, and the creation of the British Commonwealthbecame the statute of Westminster. The two remaining restrictions were that Canadas constitution was still in Britain because an

amending formula had not been decided on, and the judicial court of appeal remained in Britain until 1949.

- Canada began the 20s in a depression, but by the middle of the decade, the economy began to improve. Wheat remained

one of the largest exports for Canada but there was enormous growth in the exploitation of natural resources. Mining and theproduction of paper were new industries that experienced large amounts of growth.

- After the war, Britain, unable to trade large amounts, went under to create a new world leader, the US, who became Canadasmain trading partner. Foreign investment from the US increased and this led to the set up of branch plants, and by the end of the

1920s the car industry in North America was taken over by the big three.

- Canada generally exported few manufactured goods, but one, alcohol, was exported in droves to the US. During WWIprohibition was passed, and the sale of alcohol was banned. By the 1920s, it was obvious that this was not working, and in a series of

plebiscites, Canadians adopted government-controlled liquor stores. Prohibition continued in the US till 1933, and many Canadians

capitalized on the liquor smuggling trade, which the Canadian government chose not to see.


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- Canada was also becoming slowly more urbanized, and by 1931, the urban population outnumbered the rural population. Itwas during this period that the modern city began to take shape.- In the 1920s, the role of women changed greatly, and in the 1921 election, 5 women ran for office and only one won her seat.

Agnes MacPhail was the only woman in the HOC until 1935, but the four western provinces elected nine women to their legislatures.The principle role of women was to stay at home and raise a family, and several new time-saving devices allowed for this.

- The persons case of 1929 brought this issue to a point. Emily Murphey was appointed to a magistrate position, but it was

challenged under the law claiming that she was not a person. The supreme court of Alberta ruled that she was in fact, but she and four

other women challenged the PM to appoint a female senator and to clarify person. The Supreme Court overturned the decision, butthe Famous Five took the matter to the Judicial Council in Britain, and won their case.- The upswing in lifestyle named this decade the roaring twenties, where people bought radios and went to movies and teens

scandalized their parents with lewd dances. Tourists also flocked to Canada which injected money and new styles and trends into

Canadian society.

- People also became more mobile with the invention of the car, and highways had to be improved quickly. Planes became morecommon, and bush pilots helped to scout uncharted areas of Canada.

- Telephones also became more common, even though neighbours shared a line. Radio also became more popular, which helpedmore rural communities to communicate.

- The increased US influence coincided with the development of the Group of Seven that broke with traditional Canadian art.

These painters had a profound influence on the Canadian identity after WWI. Emily Carr was one of these, and she influencedCanadian art greatly in the 20th century.

- Immigrants were placed under extreme scrutiny, and the government was constantly petitioned to deport them. Head taxes, and

preferential policies were put into place, but eventually, when the economy improved, the government relaxed restrictions.

- In the latter half of the 1920s, the North American economy was booming, but this prosperity came crashing down on October

29, 1929, when the new York stock exchange collapsed, and all that day, the prices of stocks fell, and this marked the shift from the

prosperity of the 20s to the Great Depression of the 30s.

hapter 4: The Thirties: The Decade of Depression

- The end of the economic boom came as a surprise to many. Employment was at 4.2% in 1929, and stocks worth millions were

being traded in seconds. Many investors were buying stocks on margin with a 10% down payment. When sellers began to sell theirstocks to reap large profits, and other people follow their lead. The Depression began on the day the selloff began, but the stock

market crash did not cause the depression.

- One sign that North America was in trouble was the falling price of wheat, due to increased supply over demand, and many

industries in the US and Canada were facing overproduction, and finally, the protectionism of the US disabled countries that were indebt to them to pay their loans down through trade. Germany also had a factor in the depression because of its inability to meet it

reparation payments.- The depression showed a major flaw in the Canadian economy, its dependency on exports. When world markets began cutting

back on demand, millions of Canadians lost their jobs. In addition, because of Canadas close ties to the American economy.

- The wealthy with secure jobs noticed little change, but those working factories began to lose their jobs, which lead to a loss ofrespect, and great embarrassment, and thousands survived on pogey, or government relief payments. Private charities also helped

with what they could.


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- By the winter of 1933, more than of the Canadas workforce was unemployed, and the young population moved from townto town looking for work.- The depression was very tough on the entire country, but it affected the prairies more so. A drought descended on the plains

followed by heavy winds and swarms of grasshoppers. Millions of hectares of fertile topsoil blew away. In 1935, the governmentpassed laws that would help prairie farmers, but many had been forced to move elsewhere.

- Women, aboriginals, and those already badly off suffered even more with the depression. Immigrants were also seen as one of

the part causes of the depression. Jews in particular were targeted, and in 1931, the government put a complete stop to immigration.

- The federal government was completely unprepared to handle the depression, and it pushed the responsibility onto provincialand municipal governments. This reaction lost King the election of 1930.- R.B Bennett, the new PM gave the provinces 20$ for projects and erected tariffs, which did some good, but in general the

government did not improve. Bennett became the target of peoples frustrations, but still he did nothing except create work camps,

which were isolated and the conditions were poor.

- In 1935, the men in these work camps decided to take their complaints to Ottawa by riding rail cars. This became known as theOn-to-Ottawa Trek and these trekkers made their way to Regina where the RCMP fined them and only allowed the leaders to head

to Ottawa, where their hopes were shot down. Back in Regina, the RCMP were ordered to clear the stadium where the trekkersresisted, one man was killed, many were injured, and 130 were arrested.

- One of the last protests of the depression was in Vancouver, where the government closed relief camps and refused to play

relief payments. In response, many men held sit-ins in high traffic locations like the post office, the art gallery, and the Georgia hotel. Inall of these places but the post office, the men were convinced to leave without incident, but in the main post office, they had to be

evicted with tear gas. These battles lasted for two days, and caused much damage to storefronts.

- Some people began to look toward other political parties for help. The CCF, a socialist party, stated in its main platform, the

Regina Manifesto, the public ownership of key industry, and it supported programs that would help those like the elderly, the

unemployed, the homeless, the sick and other citizens unable to support themselves. The leader J.S Woodsworth also urged the

spending of money on large public works projects. The CCF did not win many seats, but it provided an alternative to the two parties.

- The social credit party won the election in 1935 in Alberta, and the party was led by William Bible Bill Aberhart. The basicpremise was to provide each Albertan with a basic dividend of 25 dollars a month to buy necessities. The federal governmentchallenged the creation of a new separate currency, and the Supreme Court disallowed the social credit party. But this never dimmedits popularity, and the party remained on the Alberta political scene until 1971.

- During the depression, many people expressed dissatisfaction with their provincial governments, so they voted in parties thathadnt been in power for decades. Quebec voted in a nationalistic premier, and in BC, the people voted in a premier that promised a

Little New Deal based on The New Deal in the US.

- In 1935, the people as voted out Bennett for Mackenzie King again, but his stance on government assistance had not changed,

and he only spent a fraction of what a commission recommended the government spend on unemployment.- Another commission, the Rowell-Sirois commission, recommended that the government take over control of taxation, and in return,

provide grants to each province to provide equal services. The provinces didnt like this, but by the time the report was published, theeconomy was turning around, and many of the recommendations were pushed aside with WWII.

- However, entertainment stayed very popular during the depression. Radio was very popular, but many people tuned into US

radio until 1936 when the CBC was formed. Still, most Canadians tuned into US stations until later on.- During this economic turmoil, there were several political and social upheavals throughout the world. People were unsure of how

to deal with this, and it lead to the development of powerful communist or fascist governments to combat these problems.


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- In the Soviet Union, Josef Stalin became leader of the Communist Party after Lenin died. Stalin led a totalitarian state, andmillions died under his ruthless policies.- In Italy, Benito Mussolini (Il Duce) came to power in 1922, and he created a fascist government. Fascist governments are very

nationalistic and they rely on military power to retain absolute control. This government became the template for several other fascistgovernments.

- Since the end of WWI, Germany had resented the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. The German government started to print

large amounts of money and the value of the currency declined, and the price of basic goods increased rapidly. To control this inflation,

the great powers agreed to make the terms of the reparations better, but when the stock market crashed, Germanys recovery did aswell.- Since 1923, Hitler had begun to gain support by criticizing the government and the terms of the peace treaty. It was the

depression though, that led him to power. In March 1933, Hitler had become the Chancellor of Germany and he quickly took control

of the German parliament. He began to defy all the terms of the peace treaty, and started a massive expansion of the armed forces.

He also subsidized farms, and poured money into public works projects. The German economy began to improve, but not everybodysupported Hitlers ruthlessness, but none dared to defy him. The Nazi party was also deeply racist, and its members believed that the

German people were a superior race. Communists, homosexuals, and those with disabilities were openly despised. This came to ahead in November 1938, during Kristallnacht, and this would eventually lead to the purging of those undesired during the Holocaust.

- In 1931, Japan invaded Manchuria, and the League of Nations was incapable of stopping them. In addition, in 1935, Italy

invaded Ethiopia, and this time the League placed sanctions on Italy, but oil was not included, and the league again was powerless.- In 1936, Hitler moved his troops into the Rhineland, a demilitarized zone, as he tested whether or not the league would react,

and Hitler guess right, they didnt. That same year, General Francisco Franco and his fascist followers led an attack on the Spanish

government, causing a civil war. Franco, with support from Hitler and Mussolini won the war and became the leader of Spain, even

though many socialist followers travelled to Spain to fight fascism.

- Throughout the 1930s though, the Western leaders took on a policy of appeasement in response to Hitlers aggression. This

made him bolder and in 1938, Hitler took Austria, and then he demanded to take over Sudetenland. Hitler pledged that this would be

his last demand, and the great powers agreed.- Hitler then took the rest of Czechoslovakia in March 1939, and then finally, when Hitler invaded Poland, the final blow had beenstruck. But first, Hitler needed to sign a peace treaty with Russia to ensure that Russian aggression would not follow.- Britain and France ordered Hitler out of Poland by September 3, 1939, but when Hitler ignored this, Britain and France

declared war on Hitler.- Canadians had been mostly isolated during the 1930s, and many did not care, or simply were passive about the rising tensions

in Europe. Mackenzie King went to see exactly what Hitlers intentions were, and when he returned was completely taken in with what

he saw, convinced that Hitler had no warlike intentions. Although he knew the Nazis were persecuting Jews, he felt that it wasnt

Canadas concern.- After the events of Kristallnacht, Thomas Crerar made a recommendation to cabinet to allow 10 000 Jewish refugees, but Fred

Blair, the minister of immigration, said none is too many. This was most unfortunate during the St. Louis Incident when 900 Jews onboardthe St. Louis were refused landing in Eastern Canada, as they attempted to escape the war. Canadian citizens, though, did not support

the policy of the government, and many rallies were held.

Chapter 5: Canada and World War II


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- In 1938, Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain said that he had secured peace of our time through the Munich agreement, whichallowed Hitler to take over Czechoslovakia. In May King George VI and Queen Elizabeth visited Canada to strengthen the bondsbetween Canada and Britain.

- Mackenzie King desperately wanted to avoid another war, but when war was declared, Canada knew that it would not standidly by, and the decision would be made by the Canadian parliament. King made a strong argument for war, but he had to promise

that as long as his government was in power, conscription would not be enacted.

- This time when war was declared, Canada was generally unprepared for war. There were no crowds cheering, but Canada

had no trouble finding volunteers. They were attracted to the privates pay and the benefits for dependants, and yet some still werededicated to Britain.- The goal of Mackenzie King was to keep the war at home mostly, and this was accomplished by the BCATP, the British

Commonwealth Air Training Plan.

- With the declaration of war the Canadian government became much more involved in the economy, and it established the

Department of Munitions and Supplies, and C.D Howe was appointed as department head. He told industries what to make, and howto make, and soon, Canadian industry was pumping out new products. Where private corporations couldnt do, C.D Howe created

crown corporations. This was the policy of total war.- When war was declared, the Allies (Britain, France, and the Commonwealth countries), raced to get their forces prepared for

battle. The Axis (Germany, Italy in 1939, and Japan in 1940) met the Allies at the border between France and Germany, but nothing

happened, and this was referred to as the phoney war.- This was shattered though due to the blitzkrieg where Germany attacked Denmark and Norway in April 1940, and this was an

extremely powerful and successful attack. It used lightening quick attacks that involved German tanks would drive through enemy lines.

At the same time, planes would bomb the enemy with dozens of troops being deployed to the ground.

- It took Germany hours to take Denmark and only two months to subdue Norway, and on May 10 the German armed forces

began the invasion of the Netherlands, which consisted of a quick invasion of Belgium and then finally into France. And within days of

invading France, the German tanks were close to the English Channel, and the allied troops were surrounded in the port of Dunkirk. The

British mobilized every ship capable of navigating the English Channel and began a mass evacuation of Dunkirk which began onMarch 26, and two days later, the German air force began bombing the port of Dunkirk, but the evacuation continued, and on June4th, it was finally completed. Nearly 340000 troops were brought to safety.- The German army continued to move through France, and on June 22, 1940 France surrendered, and now Britain and the

Commonwealth stood alone.- Hitlers next goal was to take Britain and the name was Operation Sea Lion. The first step was to take out the British air force,

and the bombing began on July 19, 1940. Eventually the German air force began to bomb civilian targets.

- Although the bombing was a massive effort, the Germans could not defeat the British air force, mostly because of the British

radar, and the development of the Spitfire, which was a very effective defence plane. In May 1941, Hitler gave up on his plans toinvade Britain

- Shortly after, Germany turned towards Russia in Operation Barbossa. He had never given up on his plans to invade Russia eventhough he had signed a peace agreement with Stalin. The Soviets were surprised, but German troops were unprepared for the

Russian winter, and they soon lost their advantage. The German situation grew desperate during the second invasion, and eventually

surrendered in 1943. Taking advantage of this, the Soviet army went on the offensive and were quickly advancing towardsGermany.

- Japan was not fighting in Europe, but had war plans in the Pacific. On December 7, 1941, Japanese planes began to bomb

Pearl Harbour, and the next day the US joined the war. Now, the entire world was at war.


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- By the middle of 1942, the allied powers were in a desperate fight, and the Soviet Union was pushing to have the other alliesinvade Europe from the west.- The allies were not prepared for a full invasion, but they were ready to attempt a trial run. Dieppe was to be a reconnaissance

mission, but it went wrong from the beginning when a Canadian ship met a German convoy, the tanks could not make it up the beach,and communication between the land and sea was poor. Casualties were high, and 907Canadians were killed in nine hours.

- Canada when the war broke out, had an underpowered navy, but it had a begun a massive building and training program. By

1941, the Battle of the Atlantic was in full force, and Canada was much needed. Merchant ships were being sunk by u-boats, and to

combat this, the ships travelled in convoys, which over time didnt work. Smaller warships called corvettes were built, which were quick,small, and manoeuvred well, but it was not very seaworthy.- Until 1942-1943, it seemed that the Allies would lose the battle of the Atlantic, but by May 1942, the British cracked the

German naval code, and they did it again in December. Aside with this, Liberator bombers followed the corvettes to help protect

them.

- Like the navy, the Canadian air force also grew quickly. Several missions were beginning to be taken on by Canadians,particularly the night bombing of German cities.

- The casualty rate was very high, and eventually, the RCAF created a womens division, although women were not allowed totake part in combat.

- In 1942, the war was starting to turn for the allies. They grew stronger after the US entered the conflict by 1943; the Allies had

taken Northern Africa, and were starting to turn their attention back to Europe.- Winston Churchill said that the Allies would have to strike through the soft belly of Europe, which was Italy, but this invasion lasted

2 years.

- The advance through Italy was slow and battles were fought house by house, but on July 4, 1944, the Allies took Rome.

Nevertheless, fighting continued in Italy until 1945.

- On June 6, shortly after, the Allies launched Operation Overlord, or D-Day, which was a full-scale invasion of Europe. This time,

the invasion was planned down to the last detail. There were to be five landing points on a stretch of beach in Normandy, each beach

given a code name; Juno, Gold, Sword, Omaha, and Utah. Attacks were preceded by massive air drops, and on the morning of theinvasion, 30 000 Canadians landed on Juno.- The allies had two advantages: massive air and naval support, and they had managed to keep the attack a secret from theGermans. German meteorologists predicted that the allies would not attempt a landing in the stormy weather.

- It took weeks of fighting, and the 11 month campaign through France, Belgium, and towards Germany was exhausting, butthere were many moments where the allies were preached as the saviours of Europe.

- In March 1945, allied forces attacked Germany, but Canadians were given a different task, and this was to liberate the

Netherlands. An earlier attempt in 1944 had failed, and the Germans retaliated by flooding the countryside and cutting off food to

the Netherlands, forcing many to starve.- The Canadians began fighting in early April, and by May 4th, the German troops were surrounded. Even before the surrender

though, Canada had begun massive food drops which was followed by huge convoys of trucks with food and fuel, and Canadianswere hailed as heroes.

- With a war on two fronts, Hitler knew that defeat was imminent, and he surrendered on May 7, 1945, and shortly after he

committed suicide with his wife.- At the end of the war as the Allies pressed closer to Germany, they discovered the atrocities that had taken place. Millions of

people had been murdered in concentration camps, as part of Hitlers Final Solution, a policy adopted by Hitlers government in

1941. People where shifted to death camps where the old, sick, and young were given showers of Zyklon-B gas. The strong and


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healthy were put to work, but were eventually sent to the showers. By 1945, 6 million people considered inferior were put to death inwhat became known as the holocaust.- After the allies won in Europe, the war in the pacific intensified. Most of the Japanese army and navy had been defeated, but

the army was still strong and would fight till the last person. In response, the US decided to use the atomic bomb. The bomb wasdropped on August 6th 1945 out of a plane named the Enola Gay, and more than 70 000 people in Hiroshima were instantly killed.

Another 130 000 were injured in some way. Three days after, a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki killing 40 000 people. The

Japanese surrendered, and WWII was over.

- On the home front, Canada was in the policy of total war, and workers were putting in long hours. Like in WWI, women werecalled upon to fill these jobs. Single women were in high demand, but all women were allowed work if they applied.- With so many people working, there was a surplus of money, but too few goods. To prevent inflation, PM King chose James

Ilsley to become Minister of Finance, and he enthusiastically began advertising victory bonds, and he used income tax to supplement the

governments revenue. He raised considerable funds, but he did not prevent inflation, and in1941, the prices of goods and the wages

of workers were frozen, and then in 1942, food rationing was put into place, but portions were generous compared to other Alliednations.

- The federal government also tried to restrict strikes during the war, but the lack of workers appealed to the unions advantage,and many ignored the restrictions. C.D Howe was strongly anti-union, but in 1944, the government softened its policy on union.

- Also, people wanted to control that government had exerted over their lives during the war to continue. PM King brought in an

unemployment program in 1940 and in 1945; he expanded Canadas social services by bringing in the Family Allowance. Thispaved the way for the growth of Canadas modern social services.

- Conscription had also been an issue during this war. Canadians were stunned with the speed that Germans took Europe. In

response to a growing concern of lack of government action, King brought in the National Resources Mobilization Act (NRMA) which

gave the government special powers to mobilize all the resources needed to defeat the enemy. Pressure continued to mount over

conscription though, and King decided to hold a plebiscite on April 27 1942, and in all provinces but Quebec, the majority voted yes.

Conscription was eventually allowed via amendment on the NRMA, but conscripts werent sent until 1944.

- King tried to smooth over Conscription in Quebec with the slogan not necessarily conscription, but conscription if necessary. Theslogan failed, and pleased neither side.- By 1944, there was a severe shortage of troops, and when the Minister of Defence returned from Europe and attempted toconvince King to send troops overseas, King presented his cabinet with the ministers letter of resignation, dated two years previously.

- The topic of conscription was touchy, and riots were held in Montreal in protest. All in all, 2463 Canadians reached the frontbecause of conscription.

- Under the policy of total war, Canadas economy boomed, and the value of the goods that the arsenal of democracy sent to its

allies rose from 5.6 billion in 1939 to 11.8 billion in 1945. The GDP spiked, but the war brought one main change to Canadas

economy: agriculture, Canadas leading industry was overtaken by industry, and his caused a massive wave of post war immigrationthat helped developed modern Canada.

Chapter 6: Canada in the Post-War World

- After the celebration of the end of WWII, the powers the be realized another war would soon begin, because of the massive

military power of the US and the Soviet Union (superpowers)- Because to fight each other meant nuclear annihilation, these two instead fought for political influence in less stable countries. This

became the Cold War because no fighting actually took place, and it lasted over 40 years.


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- The roots of the conflict were in the differing political views, the Soviets being communist where no political opposition is tolerated,and the US being capitalist, where citizens have basic rights and can invest in business for profit. The west was suspicious of communismbecause they thought it would lead to a world revolt, and the east was suspicious of western invasion, so the USSR created a buffer of

countries in Eastern Europe. The US took drastic action to stop the spread of communism, and the US congress passed bills and madesecret lists of suspected communists.

- Canadians saw little of this witch-hunting, but when Igor Gouzenko revealed a Russian spy ring in Canadian parliament, they

were shocked. In 1949, the conservative opposition tried to make communism an issue, but PM Louis St. Laurent refused to outlaw

communism on the grounds that it was the trademark of a dictatorship not a democracy.- Still though, employers sent lists of their employees to Ottawa and the RCMP Special Branch investigated those who were ormight become a security risk. The premier of Quebec took a strong stand against communism, and allowed the police powers to raid

offices or homes, and he used the Padlock Law to shut down businesses that were suspect.

- The US took the lead in creating a new alliance formed at protecting the West. Canada, the US, Great Britain and other

Western European nations formed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. When NATO admitted West Germany, the USSR formedthe Warsaw Pact, which was composed of Eastern European countries that would protect the USSR.

- Countries everywhere continually added to war stockpiles and armies trained regularly. Spies plotted murder, and carried outrevolutions. In 1961, the Berlin wall was built and it became a strong symbol of tensions.

- PM King was strongly in support of NATO and Canada made a serious commitment to it by building military bases, ships that

tracked submarines, and adapting its defence policy to its allies.- Europe was seen as the battleground at first if tensions erupted, but with the development of long range missiles, North America

became a target. To protect against air attacks, the US built three radar lines in northern Canada. The Pinetree, Mid-Canada, and

DEW (distance early warning) lines were built between 1950-1957. This was significant because this was the first time that US troops

were stationed on Canadian soil. If a MP wanted to visit the line, they had to fly to New York and get special access to the line. Most

Canadians accepted this as the new price of security however.

- Shortly after though, the superpowers developed long range missiles, and these lines became obsolete. To meet this new threat,

in 1957 Canada and the US created NORAD (North American Air Defence Agreement) that would have fighter planes, missile bases,and air-defence radar all controlled by one command station in Colorado.- Because of the threat of nuclear destruction, the Federal government developed civil defence plans, such as duck and cover, andthe evacuation into the subways, but Scientific American magazine proved these to be a hoax.

- Ironically, although the threat of WWIII was very real, the existence of nuclear weapons prevented an all out war.- And despite these tensions, at the end of WWII, world leaders were creating a new world force to stop conflict. In April 1945,

the structure of the UN was drawn up. The UN has the power to condemn, issue sanctions, and summon peacekeeping forces, and is

composed of three bodies. The general assembly is a forum for discussion and vote, the security council is responsible for peace and

security, and it is composed of the Big Five Russia, France, Britain, the US, and China, each of these have veto power and permanentseats, and then 10 non-permanent members. The veto was used up to 77 times leading to 1955, 75 of which were by the Soviet

Union.- The UN founders also pledged to abolish disease, famine, and to protect human rights. They created various organizations like

the WHO, UNICEF, and the IMF.

- In the alliances formed though, there were mini-wars between divided states. One such was the Korean War, where thecommunist north attacked the fragile democracy in the south in 1950. The US convinced Canada to pledge troops, but Canadas

minister of external affairs urged all sides to agree to a ceasefire, which was reached in 1953. This war increased east and west

tensions.


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- In 1956, the Suez crisis in Egypt gave Canada a leading role in the UN. The Suez Canal links the Mediterranean and Red Seasand is the shortest route from Europe to the Indian Ocean. It was built in the 1800s and privately own by British and French investors, butin 1956, the president of Egypt took control of the canal. The neighbouring Israelis were frightening by this show of strength, and Britain

and France were quick to support an invasion by Israel, and they ignored a Security Council resolution for a ceasefire. The USSRimmediately offered missiles and financial aid. The US was mad at its allies for not first consulting the US government, but they still

would retaliate against Russia, although they would not support their allies.

- Canadian opinion was divided, and Canada, under PM St. Laurent refused to extend assistance as well. Again, Pearson went to

the UN to try to work towards a solution. Pearson proposed that a UN force be sent to the canal to mediate between armies, to whichthe UN agreed. For his efforts, Pearson won a Nobel Peace Prize.- As cold war tensions increased, relations between the US and Canada grew more strained. PM Diefenbaker and President

Kennedy had very different ruling strategies. This was magnified in 1959 when Cuban rebels overthrew the pro-US government in a

revolution. The US responded angrily by imposing trade sanctions and in 1961 an invasion was attempted, but failed, and Cuba

turned to the USSR for support.- In October 1962, US planes took pictures of secret military installations that showed an offensive missile base being built in Cuba.

Missiles launched from here were a direct threat to US security, and President Kennedy announced a naval and air blockade of Cubaand NORAD was readied for war. The Soviet Premier first refused to remove the missiles, and the armies of the USSR were put on full

alert. As Soviet ships steamed towards Cuba, but at the last minute, the Soviet Premier agreed to dismantle the missile bases in return

for a promise that the US would not invade Cuba.- During the crisis, the US expected Canada to provide unconditional support for the US, but PM preferred a UN force to lead a

fact finding mission. Diefenbaker was reluctant to have Canada drawn into an international conflict, and he at first, didnt allow

Canadas NORAD forces to be put on full alert, or let US planes with atomic weapons land on Canadian soil. Diefenbaker thought he

was protecting Canadian independence, but a later poll showed that 80% of Canadians thought he did the wrong thing.

- The missile crisis brought a debate about Canadian defence policy, and the countys plans for nuclear weapons. Many were

starting to realize that nuclear war meant global suicide, and in 1963, the ruling conservative party was divided. IN the election of

1963, the Liberals who supported nuclear weapons, and narrowly won the election, which was the first to be fought over Canada-USrelations since 1911.- The war in Vietnam was a major conflict, and like Korea, was split into two sides. The north was communist controlled, and thesouth, again was democratic. The Americans felt that if the south was allowed to fall, then the other Asian states would too, like dominos,

by 1960, it was sending troops, and in 1966, there were 190 000 troops in Vietnam, and at the same time the USSR and Chinasupplied weapons to help North Vietnam.

- Vietnam was the first war recorded with TV cameras, and the American public saw the bombing of villages and their own young

men coming home in body bags. Public support of the war was falling rapidly, and in 1969 when a new president took office, Richard

Nixon promised to pull the troops out of Asia, and the last US combat forces left Vietnam in 1963, and the North over took the south inless than two years.

- Canada was at first, divided over the war, and although some benefited, many were not sure that the Vietnamese were betterdead than red. PM Pearson criticized the mission while speaking at an American university, and then when he joined the President for

lunch later, the president acted aggressively.

- In 1968, Pierre Trudeau was elected as Prime Minister, and one of his goals was to make a policy on foreign affairs that was notas dependant on American approval. This was clearly signalled in 1970 when Canada recognized China as a communist state, but at

the same time, he did not want to anger the US.


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- Trudeau wanted to scale back Canadian participation in the nuclear arms race, and from 1970 1972, nuclear missiles wereremoved from Canadas NATO forces in Europe.Bomarc missiles were dismantled, and Trudeau also cut the national defence budgetin half.

- Through Trudeaus term in o

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