WHY WERE PEOPLE

MOVING TO CANADA?CLIFFORD SIFTON’S PLANMany people credit Sir Clifford Sifton with driving the immigration boom in the early 1900s. Sifton was the minister of the interior in Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier’s government from 1896 to 1905. The minister of the interior was responsible for managing land, immigration, and First Nations affairs. Sifton saw the need to increase immigration, particularly to the Prairies, and he created an ambitious plan to attract newcomers to Canada.

Sifton wanted to focus on increasing immigration to rural areas and to populate the Prairies with homesteads, or farms. To do this, he wanted experienced farmers from Europe to move to Canada. These farmers would need to know how to survive and farm in the harsher climate and conditions of the Prairies. Before Sifton, the government had primarily focused on attracting immigrants from Britain and the United States. However, Sifton also wanted to attract settlers from eastern and central Europe because of their experience as farmers. Read Figure 7.2. What does this quote tell you about Sifton’s priorities?

Why do some people leave their homes and move to a new country? People might move to reunite with family members, attend school, or find work. Others move to improve their lives and live in a safer country. When studying immigration, historians look at pull factors, things that attract immigrants to a particular country, and push factors, things that drive people away from their home countries. From 1896 to 1914, Canada experienced one of the largest immigration booms in the history of the country. In 1896, a little more than 5 million people lived in Canada. By 1914, the population was close to 8 million. The government wanted immigrants to move to the Northwest and use the land for farming, as well as fill needed jobs (pull factors). At the same time, events and conditions in Europe were driving immigration. People wanted to move to Canada for the prosperous opportunities the country offered compared to the limited opportunities in Europe (push factors).

THE NEED FOR FARMERSIn the 1890s, more food, such as wheat, was needed to feed the growing population of Canada. Canadian wheat was also in demand for export to other countries. The Prairie provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta were seen as the perfect place to plant new wheat crops. In 1872, the Canadian government began offering 160 acres (65 ha, or about 65 football fields) of free farmland to settlers in the Northwest. The Canadian Pacific Railway also promoted immigration to help build the railway and to settle the land around it. The Canadian government used immigration posters to attract people from other countries to begin a new life of farming in Canada. Examine Figure 7.1. How was the government presenting Canada to immigrants?

FIGURE 7.1 Posters like this one, created in 1893, were used for decades to advertise free land available to immigrants. Analyze: What elements in this poster might persuade someone to move to Canada?

FIGURE 7.2 In a 1922 article for Maclean’s magazine called “Only Farmers Need Apply: Sifton ‘The Immigrants Canada Wants,’” Sifton included this statement defending his immigration policy as minister of the interior between 1896 and 1905. Analyze: What does Sifton say makes a “quality” immigrant?

FIGURE 7.3 This testimonial by a Canadian immigrant appeared in a pamphlet advertising immigration to Canada. Analyze: Do you think this is an accurate portrayal of Canada?

“When I speak of quality I have in mind … I think a

stalwart [loyal] peasant in a sheep-skin coat, born on the soil, whose

forefathers have been farmers for ten generations, with a stout [strong]

wife and a half-dozen children, is good quality. A Trades Union artisan

who will not work more than eight hours a day and will not work that

long if he can help it, will not work on a farm at all and has to be fed by

the public when his work is slack is, in my judgement, quantity and very

bad quantity. I am indifferent as to whether or not he is British-born. It

matters not what his nationality is.”

— Clifford Sifton, minister of the interior

“I was thin and pale, had a

cough.… When winter came, I found it

to be the most pleasant part of the year,

as the dry, cold air was bracing and

entirely different from the damp, chilly

wind I was used to.”

— Canadian immigrant

In addition to posters, Sifton used a variety of tactics to attract settlers and promote Canada as a desirable destination. His strategies included building Canadian exhibits at fairs, posting ads in European newspapers, and encouraging settlers to invite friends and family members to join them. He also had pamphlets distributed overseas. The pamphlets often included testimonials from people who had successfully immigrated. Read Figure 7.3, a testimonial from a Canadian immigrant. What does it tell you about the tactics these pamphlets used to attract immigrants to Canada?

Sifton also hired agents to travel across Europe and give speeches about the great opportunities that Canada offered. These strategies worked, and the population of the Prairies rapidly grew. For example, in 1891, 150 000 people lived in Manitoba. By 1911, the population had reached 450 000.

How might First Nations peoples

have felt about Sifton’s plan?

pull factor a social, political, economic, or environmental benefit that draws migrants to an area

push factor a social, political, economic, or environmental force that drives migrants out of an area

196 UNIT 2: Canada’s Changing Society: 1890–1914 CHAPTER 7: The New Canadians: 1896–1914 197NEL NEL

ESCAPING POVERTYBy offering free land to immigrants, Canada attracted immigrants from a wide variety of countries. During the immigration boom, people from Britain, Ukraine, Hungary, Romania, Germany, Poland, Italy, Iceland, China, Russia, and the United States were moving to Canada.

In 1895, Dr. Joseph Oleskiw, a Ukrainian man, visited Canada. He decided that it would be a good home for Ukrainians, many of whom paid high taxes and lived in poverty on small farms. Oleskiw wrote pamphlets to promote Canadian homesteads and encourage Ukrainians to immigrate to the Prairies. Between 1896 and 1914, about 170 000 Ukrainian immigrants settled in the Prairies. Read Figure 7.4, a quote from Mary Somyk, whose family emigrated from Ukraine to Manitoba in 1899. What does this quote tell you about the motivations of immigrants coming to Canada?

FLEEING PERSECUTIONPolitical and social tensions among different groups were rising in parts of Europe. People were facing violence and discrimination because of their heritage or their religion. Many people believed they had the opportunity for a better life in Canada. The Canadian government promised immigrants that they would be free to practise their own religion and to live where they wanted.

THE DOUKHOBORSThe Doukhobors were farmers living in Russia. They were also pacifists, people who believed in living a peaceful life and who resisted joining the military. Some of their religious and political beliefs put them in conflict with the Russian government. At this time, men living in Russia were required to join the military. The Doukhobors faced beatings, imprisonment, or exile if they stayed in Russia. Examine Figure 7.5, which shows the Doukhobors burning their weapons in protest against the Russian

government. What does this painting tell you about how the Doukhobors’ situation in Russia would be considered a push factor to move to Canada? In 1899, more than 7500 Doukhobors arrived in Canada.

JEWISH IMMIGRANTSIn Europe, there was a growing feeling of anti-Semitism, or prejudice against Jewish people. They were being blamed for some of the problems in European society and were the target of anti-Jewish laws. In 1881, angry mobs began to attack Jewish neighbourhoods in Russia. These anti-Semitic riots, or pogroms, became increasingly violent and resulted in the killing of about 50 people. Read Figure 7.6, a diary entry from Jack Myers, a Jewish man from Britain who witnessed a pogrom in Russia. What reasons does Myers give to explain why some Jewish people wanted to leave Russia?

FIGURE 7.4 This is an excerpt from Somyk’s immigration story. Analyze: What does Somyk imply that her family hoped to find in Canada?

FIGURE 7.5 This painting, Burning of Arms, created by Terry McLean in 1977, shows the Doukhobors burning their guns in June 1895. Analyze: What mood has the artist created in this painting?

pacifist a person who is opposed to war and violence

“[My parents]

owned very little

property.... [They] were

quite concerned about

their children’s future.

It was poverty that

compelled them to

abandon their native

land and sail across

the ocean.”

— Mary Somyk,

Ukrainian Canadian

anti-Semitism discrimination, prejudice, or hostility against Jewish people

FIGURE 7.6 In this excerpt from Myers’s diary, written on November 29, 1905, he describes a pogrom in Russia. Analyze: How does this diary entry help us to understand the urgency that some people felt to leave their home countries?

FIGURE 7.7 This 1908 pamphlet, sent to Britain, advertised the need for domestic servants in Canada. Analyze: According to the pamphlet, what were the benefits of immigrating to Canada?

“The scene at Kieff station was indescribable …

Eight thousand families numbering at least 40 000 souls were

affected … Shops and houses where plundered and destroyed, the

schools were wrecked, men killed and wounded.… One is not surprised,

indeed I wonder greatly that more who can do not express their desire

to leave this hapless and cursed land.”

— Jack Myers, a British-Jewish man

Some of the Jewish immigrants who sought safety from persecution made their way to the Prairies to attempt lives as farmers. But most settled into the existing Jewish communities in Montréal, Toronto, and Winnipeg. In 1871, there were 1115 Jewish people living in Canada. From 1901 to 1911, more than 52 000 Jewish people immigrated to Canada.

SEEKING WORKMany people immigrated to Canada to find work. As you learned in Chapter 5, young women in Canada often worked as domestic servants. From 1900 to 1911, more than 90 000 women from Britain and more than 25 000 women from other parts of Europe immigrated to Canada to work as domestic servants. Examine the advertisement in Figure 7.7. In what ways does it differ from how the government was promoting Canada in other parts of Europe?

198 UNIT 2: Canada’s Changing Society: 1890–1914 CHAPTER 7: The New Canadians: 1896–1914 199NEL NEL

STEP 1

STEP 3

STEP 5

STEP 2

STEP 4

STEP 6

Start ArcGIS Online. In the search box type Nelson Immigration to locate the Web mapping application titled Canadian Immigration: Comparing Past and Present by EsriCanadaEducation. Select Open to view the series of maps.

Analyze the data given on the map. Where are immigrants to Canada coming from? Click on a country to see the specific data for that country. Repeat this for each time period (tab).

Click on the 1901 tab. Read the title and legend of the map. What is the map’s purpose? What do the colours in the legend represent? Practise panning (moving the map around) and zooming in and out to view more areas.

Compare the data for each time period. What has changed? What has stayed the same? Are there any patterns over time?

Make connections to today. What social or political issues may have influenced immigration to Canada in 2011? What may be influencing immigration to Canada today? How would a map of Canadian immigration today compare to the one in 2011? in 1901?

HOW TO ANALYZE HISTORICAL DATA

Make connections to other topics. What social or political issues may have influenced immigration to Canada in the early 1900s? Where in Canada were different groups of immigrants settling? Why? 1. HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE Why did Sifton believe it

was necessary to Canada’s success as a country

to bring new immigrant groups to Canada at

this time?

2. INTERPRET AND ANALYZE Why would Europeans

want to come to Canada at this time? Identify

some push and pull factors.

3. HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE How do you think Sifton

should be remembered by Canadians today?

CHECK-IN

USING GISANALYZING HISTORICAL DATA

A geographic information system (GIS) is a useful tool

for analyzing data over a specific spatial area to solve

problems. In a GIS, information is represented in different

layers that can be combined to make a map. Each layer

contains information on a different topic. Physical features

such as rivers and mountains might be in one layer,

and human features such as roads and cities in another

layer. Descriptive data, such as population, is included in

another layer.

Using a GIS map, we can easily make comparisons

across time periods and look for patterns. Figure 7.8

shows an example of a GIS map. In the following activity,

you will analyze historical data and compare immigration

to Canada between 1901 and 1911 with immigration in more

recent times.

SEEKING A BETTER FUTUREThe journey from Europe to Canada was long. The trip often required taking multiple boats, trains, and wagons over a period of weeks or even months. Examine Figure 7.9, which shows the first Doukhobors arriving in Canada. How do you think new immigrants felt after arriving in Canada for the first time?

The Svarich family from Ukraine left Europe on March 3, 1900. They decided to immigrate to the Canadian Prairies to escape taxes and military service in Ukraine. After a lengthy journey with several modes of transportation, they arrived in Winnipeg in April. Read Figure 7.10, an account from Peter Svarich’s memoir of the train journey into the Prairies. How does Svarich’s description compare to the way Sifton and the government advertised Canada?

FIGURE 7.9 This photo shows the first Doukhobor immigrants to land in Canada. It was taken at the Port of Halifax on January 23, 1899. Analyze: How well prepared do you think the people in the photo are for life in Canada?

FIGURE 7.10 In this excerpt from Svarich’s memoirs, he recounts seeing the Prairies for the first time, in 1900, from the train to Alberta. Analyze: Why do you think Svarich expresses doubt about his choice to move to Canada?

“We all crowded at the windows.… What we

saw were endless flat prairies, no trees, no creeks....

This is Canada which draws us like a magnet, out here

we shall live the rest of our lives. Did we do the right

thing? Shall we be happier here than we were in the old

country? Such thoughts ... came to all of us as the train

took us deeper and deeper.”

— Peter Svarich, Ukrainian immigrant

FIGURE 7.8 This is a screenshot of a GIS map. This map shows immigration to Canada by year and country.

CHAPTER 7: The New Canadians: 1896–1914 201NEL200 NELUNIT 2: Canada’s Changing Society: 1890–1914