INDG100 Introduction to Decolonization Indigenous Studies

Prompt 1:

In the post – Confederation Era, there had been a huge debate upon the fact whether Canada had been an independent nation or was it a British colony. It has been discussed and stated by Carter (2016), that although the Queen of Britain had been the Queen of Canada and the citizens belonged to the British subjects, the argument remained. It had been a serious issue, since although the Canadian nation had been an extension of Britain, it was very important for the people in Canada to recognize their individual identity. It has also been stated by Bothwell, Drummond & English (2018), that this actually had been the impetus to give rise to their rebellion in the year 1837 against the them imperial authority. There had been a reason for developing a Canadian Nation building strategy.

It has been stated and discussed by Bothwell, Drummond & English (2018), that between the years of 1867 and 1914, there had been several of the immigrants and the people from diverse culture who had settled in the Canadian west. This upsurge of the immigration of the people was mainly because of the greater economic opportunities and also in search of a social life and an improved standard of living. These immigrants were mainly from Hungary, France, Roman, China and Ukraine. Due to the economic instability and the immense population growth and poverty in the European nations, there had been a tendency of the people to migrate to the Canadian West (Morton, 2017).  It has been stated and discussed by Da & Garcia (2015), that one of the most significant stages of Canadian population expansion occurred during the time leading up to 1914. After 1867, significant changes in Canada made the Prairie immigration boom possible: the building of a transcontinental railroad made communication and transportation easier; the Dominion Lands Act of 1872 provided free and fertile homesteads for colonists; the formation of the North-West Mounted Police in 1873 ensured Prairie residents' safety; and the formation of the department of the Interior influenced a lot of strong willed and hardworking migrants to this area (Teeple, 2019). In the mid- to late-nineteenth century, Europe's economic and social conditions were becoming increasingly difficult. It has been stated and discussed by Da & Garcia (2015), that during this period, Europe's population increased at an astonishing scale while mortality rate fell, resulting in a demographic excess. As a result, there were labour constraints and resource competition. As powers reorganized and boundaries changed, racial turmoil in Europe were also strong in the late 1800s. Population growth and inequality caused Hungarians, Romanians, and Ukrainians to migrate to Canada's west coast. As per the discussion of Bhandar (2016), these “Sifton” settlers were hardy European farmers who had a reputation for surviving harsh climates. Despite the fact that many immigrant populations were driven away from civilization by derogatory reasons, some communities came to Canada for the important effects and opportunities offered by Canadian immigration organizations (Teeple, 2019). The procurement of ethnically suitable refugees by Canadian immigration authorities intensified as commercials for the Canadian West were circulated in various European countries. It has been discussed by Chartrand (2019), that between 1867 and 1914, the British, Belgians, Americans, Poles, Dutch, Germans, Finns, and Scandinavians were the most racially and culturally attractive immigrants to Canada – if not any of the most prosperous Prairie farmers.

As per the discussion of Teeple (2019), the most significant reform occurred after 1896, when Clifford Sifton implemented an ambitious immigration programme aimed at encouraging settlers from all backgrounds and nationalities. Not only did the Department of the Interior launch an international advertising campaign, but Sifton also changed the land-grant scheme, making it much easier to obtain more land. As per the discussion of Kaye (2019), he also gave incentives to steamship corporations and employees who assisted in the migration of people from other countries to the west. The national government initiated the idea of ethnic background block establishment to entice new landowners from Europe. It can also be noted and said that this law enabled entire families to abandon their ancestral homelands and relocate in large numbers to the Prairie West, whereby entire neighbourhoods were put down for everyone. The national government was active in attracting Mennonites from Russia's Ukraine, and also some Norwegians, Icelanders, Danes, Mormons, and Doukhobors, using this clause.

Also as per the discussion of Morton (2017), this was the main reason for which the Dominion Lands Act had come into effect. This act was passed in 1872 and it declared that there would be provisions for granting the lands to the settlers. There had been free farmhouses of 160 acres for the farmers who had already residence built in a claimed land for three years, this act had been responsible for settling down the prairies, where the land could be available through surveys. The individual Canadians were asked to show evidence and the proof that their land had been improved and had an increasing value. It would only then be that the Dominion Lands Board would be validating the applications and allowing the patent letters to the settlers. It has been discussed by Chartrand (2019), that the Dominion Act did help the settlers and attracted them definitely, but it also entailed that the people and the inhabitants would have no kind of control over their lands. However, what had been the most important advantage was that it acknowledged the previously unsettled claims. It also addressed the grievances of the Metis community in West Canada. Along with the land acquisition, it also aimed and focused on safeguarding the aboriginal rights. The Dominion Act was implemented mainly because even though the indigenous population would want or not, there would be several immigrants who would hover over the lands and there would be less amount of lands for the original setters. Thus it was essential and necessary for the government of Canada to arrange for secure home and the amenities for the indigenous people and their children. The Dominion Lands Act had been responsible for sub dividing the lands and through this, there had been the largest survey grid in the entire world. The surveyors of the Dominion Land, had been managing five different branches which involved the Dominion lands, the Indian Affairs, the Geological Survey of Canada, Ordnance and Admiralty Lands, and the North-West Territories. Free homesteads typically made up less than part of a township's total land area, with the rest being state, railroad, and Hudson's Bay Company land. On the even-numbered parts of the area, the farmsteads were commonly strewn about. While homestead legislation changed over time, settlers were still expected to complete a series of measures. For homesteads of less than eighty acres, the homesteader, who had to be at least eighteen years old or a woman with dependent children, had to pay $5. The settler was to go to the department's Dominion Lands Agency, announce his willingness to be a British citizen if he was not already one, pay the full amount, and gain rights to the property he wanted. Settlers may also nominate somebody else to work on their request and make transactions on their request, with six months to take immediate ownership of the property from the date of incorporation.

As per the discussion of Knowles (2016), it has been stated that Canada had been a home ground for several migrants and immigrants which actually helped the nation to grow into a collective state, with people belonging to different communities and cultures. Thus there had been a need to develop a Canadian identity since it had been the house of people from almost all throughout the world The French people and the Icelanders had preferred to migrate to Canada in need of a favorable climatic condition and environmental relief. First Nations (Neeganagwdgin, 2019).  Despite the fact that British immigrants were generally incompetent at rural farming, many other attractive groups of immigrants found success in Prairie farming. American citizens, Poles, Dutch, Germans, Finns, and Scandinavians were all effective colonists. As per the discussion of Naylor & Kontos, (2016), most of these populations get distorted in the “American” migrant classification, since these societies often tried their success in the American West until heading north and settling indefinitely in Canada. These people, including the French, faced high cost of land and overpopulation in the American West, prompting them to migrate to Canada. It also has been stated by Brown & Cook (2016), that these communities were extremely desirable immigrants to Canadian immigration and citizenship organizations because they were comfortable with the Prairie climate and environmental conditions based on their experiences in the American West.  They were culturally and linguistically appealing settlers with physical resemblance to the British, they were adapted to democratic processes, and they did not participate controversial cultural preservation (Brown & Cook, 2016).  Through the demand for a minority nationalism, the nation of Canada had grown to be a role model for the theorists, to improve the constitutional crisis that existed. As per the discussion of Neeganagwdgin (2019), constitutionalism and nationalism are the two different concepts which are necessary to build a national identity. There had been several constitutional issues between the nation states e multinational states had engaged themselves in the gradual process of building a nation, where they would enjoy a common identity, as Canadians and not from people with different cultural identities. Developing a common nation, and building a common identity essentially involved eradicating the different political beliefs and policies and centralizing the laws and the demands of the people. Thus homogenization had been the main goal behind development and enhancement of the economic integration. As a result, the development of the Northwest Territories was pivotal to the survival of the national policy framework as this western area contained ample fertile land and natural wealth. It has been discussed by Naylor & Kontos (2016), that it was anticipated that western natural resources would drive the growth of eastern Canadian manufacturing, and that urban manufacturing companies would become a buyer of western goods. The realization of this dream necessitated a tough immigration system. In 1871, the state sent observing parties out northwest to separate the territory into neighborhoods and parts for agriculture in order to develop the Northwest for colonization.

As per the discussion of Nieguth & Raney (2017), although the main aim for integration of the diverse communities, there also had been illegal and undesirable immigrant groups. Advantages had been taken by several of the groups of the Sifton period and they used this opportunity to flee from their original home ground. These people had been the black people of America they had the motive of receiving freedom and surviving from the long oppression that they were existing in these people were the Jews, the Mormons, and also the Doukhobors and the Mennonits. It also has been discussed by Nieguth & Raney (2017), that they escaped and resettled in the Western Canada during this time so that they could escape and flee from the discrimination that they were suffering from in United States. However, although there had been a tendency of building a common nation and a united Canada, there had been several issues because the population of the Black people were often not allowed entry everywhere and were also not allowed to settle in the urban Canada.

Thus it has been discussed by Da & Garcia (2015), that between 1867 and 1914, colonization to the Prairies differentiated the land by creating a strong agricultural and resource-based system in the West, as well as a network of distinct cultures that continue to exist in the Prairies nowadays. Migrants come to the Prairies for a variety of reasons, but they remained because with the prosperity and stability they found there. Between 1867 and 1914, there was a surge in immigration, which had a significant effect on the growth of the Prairies and has completely altered Canada's population, environment, and history.

References:

Bhandar, B. (2016). Status as Property: Identity, Land and the Dispossession of First Nations Women in Canada. darkmatter Journal, 14.

Bothwell, R., Drummond, I., & English, J. (2018). Canada since 1945. University of Toronto Press.

Brown, R. C., & Cook, R. (2016). Canada 1896-1921: A nation transformed (Vol. 14). McClelland & Stewart.

Carter, S. (2016). Imperial plots: Women, land, and the spadework of British colonialism on the Canadian Prairies. Univ. of Manitoba Press.

Chartrand, V. (2019). Unsettled times: indigenous incarceration and the links between colonialism and the penitentiary in Canada. Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice, 61(3), 67-89.

Chartrand, V. (2019). Unsettled times: indigenous incarceration and the links between colonialism and the penitentiary in Canada. Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice, 61(3), 67-89.

Da, W. W., & Garcia, A. (2015). Later life migration: sociocultural adaptation and changes in quality of life at settlement among recent older Chinese immigrants in Canada. Activities, Adaptation & Aging, 39(3), 214-242.

Kaye, V. (2019). Early Ukrainian Settlements in Canada 1895–1900: Dr. Josef Oleskow's Role in the Settlement of the Canadian Northwest. University of Toronto Press.

Knowles, V. (2016). Strangers at our gates: Canadian immigration and immigration policy, 1540–2015. Dundurn.

Morton, D. (2017). A short history of Canada. McClelland & Stewart.

Naylor, R. T., & Kontos, A. (2016). Dominion of capital: Canada and international investment. In Domination (pp. 33-68). University of Toronto Press.

Neeganagwedgin, E. (2019). The Land Since Time Immemorial: A Review of the Assimilation Policies on Indigenous Peoples Through Canada's Indian Act. ab-Original, 3(1), 136-142.

Nieguth, T., & Raney, T. (2017). Nation‐building and Canada's national symbolic order, 1993–2015. Nations and nationalism, 23(1), 87-108.

Teeple, G. (2019). Land, labour, and capital in pre-Confederation Canada. In Capitalism and the national question in Canada (pp. 43-66). University of Toronto press.

Yarrhi, E., & Regehr, T. (2006). Dominion Lands Act | The Canadian Encyclopedia. Thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/dominion-lands-policy#:~:text=The%20Dominio n%20Lands%20Act%2 0was,land%20for%20First%20Nations%20reserves.

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