Changes Experienced By Canada Throughout Its History And Further Development

Canada has faced many significant changes throughout its history, with revolutionary advancements in technology, large growth in the economy, and an increase in the reconciliation of the Indigenous peoples. These changes caused controversies, broke traditional viewpoints, and ultimately allowed Canada to grow into a nation of its own.

Some important changes which occurred throughout the past century include the intensified Francophone and Anglo-Canadian relationship due to events such as the Quiet Revolution; a significant increase in Canadian national pride through the acts of brave heroes during wartimes and the passing of laws which resulted in the greater acknowledgement of Canadian nationality. Canada has developed through the hard work of different activist groups into a country in which all are welcomed, becoming a safe place for minority groups to express what they believe.

First and foremost, though Canada is a country of prosperity and unity, the tense and divided French and English Canadians relationship which has persisted in our society for well over a century is caused and worsened by a combination of events, including the Conscription Crisis of 1917, the Quiet Revolution, and the Quebec Referendum. One of the first acts which caused huge public division between the French Canadians and the rest of Canada is the Conscription Crisis of 1917. As fewer men voluntarily signed up during World War I, Prime Minister Robert Borden passed the Military Service Act in July of 1917, introducing conscription - forced military services - in hopes of raising the Canadian enlistment rate in the war.

Though Anglophone Canadians and Canadians with relatives fighting in the war supported this act, the general Francophone population and politicians including the Liberal leader and former Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier were outraged at the idea of forcing people to fight in the war. As a result, many violent riots erupted, especially in Quebec, where Francophones were nearly unanimously against conscription due to their weak ties with both Great Britain and the rest of Canada. Not only was the conscription ineffective in raising the enlistment rate, but it also divided the country and resulted in a large amount of outrage from the French Canadians.

Another important event which resulted in a divided Canada with results of this event still seen in today’s society is the Quiet Revolution in the 1960s. After Union Nationale, Quebec's conservative and nationalist party, ruled the province for sixteen consecutive years, the Liberal Party led by Premier Jean Lesage put itself forward as the leader of a modern Quebec during the 1960 election. Jean Lesage promoted a progressive, urban, and modern Quebec with the slogan “C’est le temps que ça change,” directly translating to “it is time for a change.” After Lesage won the 1960 election, he decided to modernize and expand public sectors to provide employment opportunities for workers born during the baby boom and nationalize largely Anglo Canadian controlled private corporations such as Hydro-Quebec.

These two acts allowed the overall Francophone population to work in entirely French-speaking environments and develop Quebec’s own technical, scientific, and managerial skills. Such francization also occurred in other fields such as education, social welfare, health services, and all levels and departments of the government of Quebec. Even though Lesage attempted to redefine Quebec’s role within Canada for the better, these changes ultimately led to violence as goals and demands were not fulfilled by the Canadian government. By the beginning of 1963, two influential separatist parties were found and began to recruit Francophones with a specific target on university students. These separatist parties set off several bombs in Montreal mailboxes in the name of “independence” and proposed restructuring, renewing, and even dismantling the Canadian federal system.

The 1965 Bilingualism and Biculturalism report even stated that Canada was in the midst of its most serious political crisis since Confederation, with much increase in the support for Quebec’s independence. The feeling of nationalism towards Quebec soon escalated into the first Quebec Referendum of 1980. This referendum was proposed by the pro-independence Parti Quebecois and asked Quebec citizens to vote on whether Quebec should “negotiate a new constitutional agreement with the rest of Canada, based on the equality of nations.” This province-wide referendum vote took place on May 20, 1980, and concluded with 60% of all valid votes voting against Quebec's independence. Though the 1980 referendum showed that Quebec citizens did not want a nation of their own by a 20% margin, it is worth mentioning that this margin decreased significantly for the second referendum, which took place fifteen years later, resulting in only 1.16% more votes in support for a united Canada. It is not hard to see that the events mentioned above left a huge political and social mark on the Francophone and Canadian relationship, with separatism sentiments from these events still residing in Quebec today.

From 1914 to 2010, there has been an extreme increase in Canadian national pride as Canadians made many significant contributions and sacrifices in battles such as the Battle of Vimy Ridge; these contributions also stirred up feelings of nationhood and the desire of greater autonomy from Great Britain, resulting in the signing and passing of the Statute of Westminster, the Canadian Bill of Rights, and the Constitution Act. One extraordinary Canadian military accomplishment which is still well remembered today is the Battle of the Vimy Ridge. This battle, fought during World War One from April 9 to 12 in 1917, took place in northern France. It is one of the largest advances of the Allied forces and the first time Canadian soldiers from all over the country fought together as four divisions of the Canadian Corps. However, this great success also came with great sacrifice. More than 10 600 Canadians were killed and wounded during this battle, making the Battle of Vimy Ridge is one of Canada’s most celebrated and mourned military victories and a symbol of Canadian nationalism.

As Canadian national pride rose after World War I, Canada also began to declare its independence from Great Britain in interactions with foreign policies; some examples of these declarative actions include Prime Minister William L. Mackenzie King refusing to assist British occupation forces in Turkey, the signing of a fisheries treaty with the United States without Great Britain's participation, and the planning of a Canadian embassy in Washington D.C.. World War II further increased Canadian national pride as Canadian soldiers fought in battles such as the Dieppe Raid and soon led to the passing of the Statute of Westminster on December 11, 1931. The Statute of Westminster is a law which clarifies the powers of Canada’s and other Commonwealth dominions' Parliaments. It grants these dominions full legal freedom except for areas where the Dominion chose to stay under British control. Specifically, this statute limited the authority the British parliament has over Canada with the exception of the Parliament of Canada requesting the British Parliament to maintain the power of changing Canada’s constitution. However, by 1982, this power was at last given from the British Parliament to Canada with the signing of the Constitution Act of 1982.

After the loss of the separatist party during the 1980 Quebec Referendum, Pierre Trudeau began to draft a charter of rights and an amendment for the Constitution as promised during the referendum campaign. By November of 1981, both the federal government and nine of the ten provincial governments (except for Quebec) reached an agreement on sending the new Constitution proposal to London. This new Constitution, which came into power on April 17, 1982, would include a charter of rights and a complicated method for future amendments of the Constitution consisting of a total of seven parts. Both the Statute of Westminster and the Constitution Act created due to the national hood experienced during war times created a social and legal revolution in Canada, expanding the rights of minorities, transforming the nature of criminal investigation and prosecution, and ultimately unified Canada around a set of principles and rights.

As mentioned in the introduction, Canada has much transformed over the century, becoming a safe and welcoming country for people of every kind; these changes, however, was the result of the great contributions of many significant individuals and groups, such as workers who participated in the Winnipeg General Strike, the Famous Five in the Persons Case of 1929, and many activists in support of the LGBT community. After World War I, many Canadians veterans struggled to find work due to the high unemployment rate, lack of governmental support, and few work opportunities within the country. Workers and labour councils negotiated with contractors for better working conditions and a raise, but after much negotiation and little results, over 30 000 workers left their jobs from May 15 to June 25, 1919, to fight for better conditions in Winnipeg.

The Winnipeg general strike lasted seven weeks, making it the largest strike ever in Canadian history; industries, especially in building and metal trades, broke down, and these sentiments soon spread throughout Canada. Violence erupted throughout the city during the time, resulting in arrests and ultimately defeat; however, this strike also united workers around common goals and sparked more unionism and activism around Canada as a whole.

This event contributed significantly to the development of labour unions in the long run, with employers finally recognizing Canadian workers’ unions and granting collective bargaining rights three decades after the event. Another case which changed the definition of the role of women within Canadian society is the Persons Case of 1929. Officially Edwards v. A.G. of Canada, the Persons Case is a constitutional ruling which allowed women the right to be appointed to the Senate. After female activist and Canada’s first woman magistrate Emily Murphy was rejected for a Senate position, the Famous Five, a group of five prominent Canadian activists for the rights of women and children, petitioned and initiated the Persons Case.

These five women ultimately redefined the meaning of a “person” legally in Canada to include both men and women, meaning that women could no longer be denied rights based on the interpretation of the law, and opened the Senate to women, allowing women to work in both the House of Commons and the Upper House. By the 1990s, the issue of LGBT rights and freedom is also starting to become a spotlight of Canadian politics. With many court rulings in the 1990s and 2000s allowing gay and lesbians to finally join the military, apply for refugee status, and for same-sex couples to adopt children, Canada became the fourth country in the world to allow same-sex marriage on July 20, 2005. These events truly reflect on how different groups such as workers, women, and the LGBT society are being continuously and safely accepted into Canadian society with an open mind, all because of the great contributions of the different individuals and activist groups.

As Heraclitus once said, “change is the only constant in life.” When it comes to Canadian history, this quote is fairly accurate. Sovereignty fell significantly after the 1995 Quebec referendum and many previous separatist political parties such as Bloc Quebecois, now renamed Quebec Debout, have declared that “We don’t believe that our job in Parliament is to promote independence.” Through the hard work of the different groups of people, Canada is considered the eighth safest country in the world. Our policies allow all Canadians, refugees, and minority groups such as women, indigenous peoples, and people of colour, and the LGBT society to all have equal rights.