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Making modern Canada

After the American Civil War(1861-5) there were fears that the strengthened United States might try to annex some Canadian territory. As a defense, the provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Quebec signed the British North America act, creating the dominion of Canada, in 1867. at the time much of the west was in the hands of the Hudson's Bay Company, but in 1869 its territory was bought by the government, and overnight Canada tripled in size.

Two new provinces, Manitoba (1870) and British Columbia (1871), joined the expanding nation, the latter partly because it was promised a rail link to Ontario. The first line from the heartland to the Pacific (the Canadian Pacific Railway) was opened in 1885; the rail route eastwards from Montreal to Halifax had been opened in 1876.

Prince Edward Island joined Canada in 1873, and Saskatchewan and Alberta in 1905. the development of railways and the purchase of the Hudson's Bay Company lands opened the PRAIRIES to settlement and agriculture, and bought more European immigration.

The population doubled between 1900 and 1930. A lot of the newcomers came form central and southern Europe. Many of them stayed in the expanding cities and helped give Canada its rich ethnic diversity.

In the First World War, Canada sent more that, 600 000 men out of a total population of less than 8 million to fight in Europe. Canadians again hurried to the Allied side in September 1939. Canadians also fought in the Korean War and provided peacekeeping forces for Cyprus, Suez and elsewhere.

Many political institutions have British origins, Canada is a constitutional monarchy under Queen Elizabeth II. The Crown's powers are administered by a governor-general, now always a Canadian. There is a federal Parliament in OTTAWA, which has two houses. The House of Commons plays the dominant part. It has 282 members who are elected every five years. The upper house, the Senate, has 104 members who are appointed by the governor-general on the advice of the prime minister, and who serve until the age of 75. The two houses have similar powers, but all major legislation is introduced and first debated in the House of Commons. The Senate can veto legislation, but rarely does so.

Each of the ten provinces has its own elected parliament with a single house, but the Yukon and Northwest Territories have only limited self-government. In any case provincial laws are binding only within the province concerned, whereas federal legislation is nationwide. At times there are conflicts between federal and provincial governments. A recent dispute involved the right to develop oil and other mineral resources off the coast of Newfoundland. The provincial governments of Alberta and Saskatchewan have also been at odds with the federal government over the price of oil produced from their territories.

Next: Agricultural and natural resources