Glossary: Settlement
Canadian Northern Railway: Deemed
"Canada's Second Transcontinental" the Canadian Northern
Railway was incorporated in 1899 following the amalgamation of two
small Manitoba grain-transporting branch lines. At its peak the
CNoR possessed 16, 093 km of transcontinental railway with lines
connecting Montreal to Vancouver. However, as a result of the
outbreak of the war in 1914 and high construction costs, the Canadian
Northern Railway encountered serious financial difficulties. On the
recommendation of a Royal commission, in 1917 the federal Government
decided to combine the operations of the government-owned Canadian
Government Railways and the privately owned, but financially troubled,
Canadian Northern Railways System. The new railway was called the
Canadian National Railways in 1918. To learn more about this railway,
visit the Canadian
Northern Railway website.
Canadian Pacific Railway: Canada's
first transcontinental railway connecting the Atlantic with the
Pacific coast. In 1872 the Canadian Pacific Railway was
chartered by Parliament in Ottawa as the fulfillment of a promise to
British Columbia to construct of a Pacific railway within ten years of
their joining Canadian Confederation. Although the rail line
faced scandals and shortages of money, the last spike was drove in by
Donald Smith, Lord Strathcona. By mid-1886, regular trains were running through to the Pacific shores,
thereby enabling Vancouver to emerge as the new West Coast terminus.
In years to follow, the CPR carried settlers and
supplies into the west and far west Plains, took their products out to
market, and prospered both on its land sales and mounting western
traffic.
Dominion Lands Act: An act passed by the federal government in 1872
in order to encourage settlement. Under the terms of this act,
the government provided 160 acres (65 hectares) of free land to each
head of a family or 21 year old male if he paid a $10 registration
fee, resided on the land for three years, cultivated 30 acres (12
hectares), and built a permanent dwelling.
Head Tax: Legislated as part of the
Chinese Immigration Act, 1885. The Act stipulated that any
person of Chinese origin who wanted to enter Canada was required to
pay the Federal Government a $500/person fee that was called the
"head tax". The tax was so expensive that, in many
cases, only one family member could afford the trip to Canada, having
to leave their wives and children behind. From 1885-1923 the
Federal Government collected an estimated $123-million from this tax.
The Chinese Immigration Act, 1923 halted Chinese immigration
altogether until 1947.
Homestead:
A house that is located on land occupied by the owner, surrounded by
outbuildings, exempt from seizure and forced sale for debt.
Under the Dominion Lands Act, the "permanent dwelling" and
all farm buildings surrounding it were considered the homestead.
Homesteader:
A person, or group of people that lived and worked on a homestead.
Many of the immigrants who travelled to Canada became homesteaders.
Immigrant:
A person who leaves one country (generally their home country) in
order to settle permanently in another, also known as settlers.
National Policy: Policy directive of
the Conservative government of John A. MacDonald aimed at
nation-building and creating a healthy industrial economy. The
National Policy was based on three main ideas: the National Policy, or
high protective tariff; the completion of a transcontinental railway;
and the settlement of the West through Immigration. The
Conservative government believed that all Canadians would benefit from
this policy and that through it Canada would become a nation in more
than name only.
Navvy: Slang term used to describe migrant labourers, usually
those that worked on the railways and roads.
Northwest Territories: Region in western Canada also known as
Rupert's Land, aquired by the Canadian Government in 1869. The
Northwest Territories Act of 1875 determined that the area would be
governed by an appointed council until such time as the population
warranted the necessity of elected officials. The capital of the
region was initially Battleford, until 1882 when it was moved to
Regina. The province of Manitoba was incorporated in, while British
Columbia joined confederation in . In 1905 the Laurier
government created two more western provinces out of the Northwest
Territories, Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Polygamy: Custom of being married to more than one person at a
time. Usually the marriage of a man to more than one woman, or
the practice of having several wives, at the same time.
Racism: Any communication, action or
course of conduct, whether intentional or unintentional, that denies
recognition, benefits, rights of access to any person or community on
the basis of their membership or perceived membership in a racial,
ethnic or cultural community.
Remittance Men: During the late
1880s the British government began exiling men who had committed an
"indiscretion." Such men were often exiled to Canada
where they lived on money sent from their families back home.
These "remittance men" were generally of the upper-middle
classes and well-educated. Many of them found work on the
ranches and became a prominent part of Western Canada's social
landscape during the quarter century prior to World War I.
Ruperts Land: Territory comprised of northern Quebec and Ontario.
Manitoba, most of Saskatchewan, southern Alberta and segments of the
North West Territory and Nunavut that was granted to the Hudson’s
Bay Company in 1670 by Charles II of England. Named in honour of
Prince Rupert, the King’s cousin and the Hudson Bay Company’s
first governor the company was also granted a monopoly on the furs in
and complete control of the territory. By 1870 the Hudson’s Bay
Company had constructed nearly 100 fur trade posts in the territory
but, in 1869 the Canadian government purchased Rupert’s Land from
the Company for 300 000 British pounds.
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