Social Studies 20-2
Chapter 15
The Quest for Canadian Unity
Key Terms
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Patriated
Equalization payments
Inherent right
Ecozone
Economic nationalists
Should Canadian unity be promoted?
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Volunteer to read page 333
On your own please answer the bulleted
questions
What is National Unity?
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Please read top half of page 334
This if often closely tied to their sense of
identity
When people feel a sense of national unity,
they identify with others who belong to the
same nation
For many Canadians, this sense of National
identity and unity means sharing basic beliefs
and values, such as respect for diversity
Forces Affecting National Unity
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Read the bottom half of page 334
Internal and external events can affect
national unity
During World War I and World War II many
Canadians felt a strong sense of national
unity
Lead to the development of Remembrance
Day to honour those who have died for
Canada
Fragile Unity
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Please read page 335
Some Canadians believe that national unity
will eventually break down and Canada will
become a number of small countries
In 2006 – 1 in 3 Canadians felt that Quebec
will split from Canada by 2020
In 2006 – 1 in 3 Albertans believed that
Canada’s western provinces should think
about forming their own country.
How does the Nature of Canada Affect
National Unity
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Read page 336
Individuals often have different goals and
concerns compared to others and those
differences can cause conflict among group
members
Nations and countries experience the same
things
Geography of Canada
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Please read page 337
Because of geography the needs from Coast to
Coast and North to South are very different – this
causes tension between the different regions
Since 2002 Alberta had the highest rate of economic
growth ever recorded by a Canadian province –
Alberta also had the highest unemployment rate and
its new prosperity has led to attracting skilled
workers from other provinces such as Newfoundland
without most of their skilled labourers
Western Alienation
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Read all of page 338
Federal government decides how all tax money
collected from Canadians will be spent = tax
revenue
Tax revenue helps pay for various federally funded
programs, including health care, post-secondary
education, and farm improvement loans
Federal goals and spending do not always match
the goals and needs of people in specific regions of
the country
Some Canadians believe that not everyone benefits
equally from federal programs
Western Alienation 2
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In Alberta and western provinces believe
they are not benefiting as much as other
provinces leading to feelings of alienation
In 1982 – National Energy Program brought
alienation feelings to a head --- Alberta and
Federal government argued over who should
control oil development and revenues
West Wants In
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Feelings of Alienation led to the founding of
the Reform Party – led by Preston Manning
Duty was to promote Western Canada’s
ideals
Was very popular and in 1997 became the
official opposition in federal parliament
West not alone
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Please read the top of page 339
Federal System and National Unity
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Read the bottom half of page 339
In 1789 when the United States went into its
civil war, Canada was watching
John A. Macdonald and others wanted to
avoid a similar conflict so as a result they
agreed that federal and provincial or territorial
governments would share some powers –
any powers not covered in the British North
America Act would belong to the Federal
Government
1982
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Situation regarding shared powers changed
in 1982 when Canada patriated the
Constitution
In 1982 provinces were given new rights and
powers, such as exclusive control over
resource development
Issues Affecting National Unity
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In Canada the following issues have made it
difficult to build unity:
Equalization Payments
Provincial Issues
Quebecois as a Nation
Economic Changes
Migrating Workers
Complete handout 4.15.4 while doing this
section
Equalization Payments explained
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Read the top of page 340
The federal government must ensure that all
Canadians – no matter where they live –
have equal access to public services
These services include health care and social
services, electricity, and clean water.
Since 1957, the Canadian government has
used a system of equalization payments to
try and achieve these goals
Equalization Payments 2
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The government receives the money for
these payments from taxes it collects from
Canadian individuals and businesses
Tax revenue is distributed to provinces that
are in need
The provincial governments that receive the
payments then decide how to spend the
money
Check out figure 15-10. How might these
payments affect national unity?
Equalization Payments 3
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Provincial governments and citizens to not
always agree with federal government
decisions.
Which ones do you think disagree?
Prosperous provinces often claim that their
taxpayers contribute to much to these
programs. Less prosperous provinces
sometimes say they do not receive enough
equalization payments
Read the bottom of page 340, as well as
page 341
Political Representation
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Read top of page 342
Canada’s political representation is spread
unevenly across the country-just like its
population=problem
Because of representation by population,
smaller population regions are not
represented well in government
2/3 of Canadians live in Ontario and Quebec
Official Multiculturalism
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Read the bottom of page 342
1971 – Canada became the first country to
adopt multiculturalism as an official
government policy
This policy was affirmed in the Charter of
Rights and Freedoms and strengthened in
the Multiculturalism Act of 1988
By 2006 – estimated 1 in 6 Canadians was a
member of a visible minority group
The Quebec Issue
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Quebec nationalism has caused a real cause
for concern when trying to create a national
unity
The Canadian government has put a lot of
effort into convincing Quebec they are part of
Canada
Read page 343
Challenges for Francophones across
Canada
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Outside of Quebec French culture and
language is often ignored
Many provinces outlawed French being
taught in schools
Even up to 1930 – Saskatchewan barred the
teaching of French, even outside school
hours
Royal Commission on Bilingualism and
Biculturalism
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In 1963, talk of separation was growing in
Quebec. In May an extremist separatist
group called the Front de Liberation du
Quebec, or FLQ started a terrorist campaign
by planting bombs in mailboxes
Federal government realized that a problem
was becoming serious
Established the Bi-Bi Commission
Reactions to the Bi-Bi Commission
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Read the top of page 344
Western Canada was very suspicious and
saw it as a government trick to force them to
learn French
Aboriginals felt they were left out and not
considered
Some saw it as a way to distract people from
provinces economic and social problems
Official Bilingualism
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Read the bottom of page 344
Official Languages Act was passed by Prime
Minister Pierre Trudeau in 1969
Goals were to:
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Affirm French and English as official languages of Canada
Preserve and develop official language communities in
Canada
Guarantee that federal services are available in both official
languages
Ensure that Anglophones and Francophone's have equal
opportunities to participate in Parliament and federal
institutions, such as courts and the federal civil service
The View from Here
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Please read page 345
Aboriginal Self-determination and
National Unity
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Please read pages 346-347
Self determination often demands a degree
of self-governance
Aboriginal peoples believe that selfdetermination is an inherent right – a right
that exists because they occupied the land
and governed themselves for thousands of
years before Europeans arrived in North
America.
Nunavik and the New North
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Please read page 348-349
Now complete Handout 4.15.5
Emerging Trends Affecting National
Unity
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Trends occurring inside and outside Canada
are likely to affect Canadian unity, these
include:
Immigration
Urbanization
Aboriginal Peoples
Complete handout 4.15.6 while doing this
section
Immigration
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Read page 350
The population of Canada increasingly
reflects all the nations of the world
2006 census of Canada
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Canada’s foreign born population grew 4x faster
than Canadian born populations
58.3 % of immigrants came from Asia
More than 20% of Canadians speak neither
French or English as their first language
Check out figure 15-24- Suprised?
Urbanization
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Read page 351
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In 1901 only 37% of population lived in urban areas
By 1956 – 67% lived in Urban areas
By 2001 – 80% lived in Urban areas
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Growth of Urban areas places pressure on
various public services in provinces – strains
resources
The more people living in an area the more
responsibility, example Toronto.
A growing number of Aboriginal people are
living in urban areas. Respond to the red
question
Economic Globalization
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Read page 352-353
Economic nationalists – people who believe that a
country`s businesses and industries should be
protected – and that trade agreements are often a
double edged sword
One hand– may provide citizens with economic
prosperity
May threaten a country`s ability to make decisions
that are in the best interest of its citizens and jobs
may also be lost when companies move
Canadian Space Technology
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A Canadian Space company known as MDA
was planning on selling its technology to an
American company for $1.3 billion
The Canadian government was obligated to
look into the purchase, and in the end the
sale would NOT benefit Canadians so it was
denied.
Canadians felt very strongly about the sale of
MDA and the governments action, leading to
many other questions/concerns