Lecture 9: Prairies Flashcards
What were the four goals that the new Dominion acheived as a result of the Canadian Pacific Railway?
- East-west transportation link uniting Canada coast to coast
- The vast territory west of Rupert’s land was secured for Canada
- With treaties in place, settlers could purchase farmland
- The western grain economy flourished as they could be transported to ports and then shipped to Europe
What was a major consequence of the settling of Western Canada?
the end of a hunting economy and placed diverse Indugenous peoples under a colonial system of assimilation in accordance with the Indian Act
What were settlers promised in Manitoba under the Dominion Lands Act of 1872?
“cheap” land in Manitoba → 65 ha of land for $10
Where did an influx of prospective homesteaders begin arriving from in Manitoba after 1872?
Ontario
How did the minister of the Interior Clifford Sitfton try to lure more settlers to Western Canada?
Sending thousands of posters, pamphlets, and advertisements to Europe and the USA to promote free homesteads and assisted passages
Where did Sifton cast a wider net of advertisments to after 1896 for “less desirable” immigrants?
Central and Eastern Europe
Why did English-speaking Canadians get upset of about the arrival of “less desirable” immigrants?
Because they believed in British racial supieriority
What led to a stark difference in cultural makeup between Central and Western Canada?
The 2 million central/eastern European settlers (from Germany, Ukraine, Russia) → who did not speak English and French
Who caused a linguistic assimilation form in Western Canada?
The children of the Eastern European immigrants formed a non-British but English-speaking society
What were the two farmer repercussions of the CPR being built in a realtively southern route (along Winnipeg, Regina, and Calgary)?
- Provided easy access for farmers to markets
- Roughly 1/4 of landed opened to homesteaders were in Palliser’s Triangle → dissatisfaction with the CPR monopoly lead farmers to SEEK an alternative rail route to ship their grain to Europe, the northern rail line was known as the Hudson Bay Railway
What were the two factors that turned prairie farmers against pring wheat?
- Low world prices
- high rail transportation costs
What was the government subisdy for grain exports until 1995 called?
The Crow Rate
Why did famers turn way from wheat production?
The loss of the Crow subsidy and higher canola prices
Who is the world’s leading canola producer?
Western Canada
Why is wheat a necessary secondary crop?
It allowed the soil to replenish its nitrogen level after 2/3 years of growing canola. Farmers use a 2 or 3 year canola → 1 year wheat cycle
Why have farmers recently switched wheat for lentils?
They add nitrogen to soil quicker
What is the new Prairie crop staple?
Canola
What country drives global demand for canola, and why?
China, because they use it for vegetable oil
Why did exports of canola from Canada continue to increase even after China cancelled nearly half of their imports?
Other countries (notably UAE, and France) increased their imports and resold it.
Why is canola so popular among prairie farmers?
- Profitabilty - higher prices
- They can truck the canola to canola refineries (they produce canola oil) → particulally to the two in Yorktown and NA’s largest refinery in Clavet
What is potash and why is it useful?
Potassium salts → essential nutrient for plant growth (95% of world potash goes into fertilizer)
What is significant about the Prairie Evaporite (southern SK)?
Most potash is found there
What CMAs have the biggest growth in Western Canada?
Calgary, Edmonton, and Saskatoon
Which demographic has the largest population growth?
Indigenous
Where is the most urbanized region in Western Canada?
Calgary-Edmonton corridor → one of densest in Canada
What influence does the density of universities in the Calgary-Edmonton corridor have?
It is a hub for knowledge-based activities where high-tech industries thrive and cutting-edge research takes place
Known as the “Gateway to the North”, what does Edmonton serve as?
A staging centre for the oil sands and diamond mining in NWT → also a hub for science and technology (AI research)
Is Manitoba’s economy more diverse than AB and SK?
Yes, ranging from aerospace to agri-buisness to insurance
Why does Winnepeg have a particularly longer history of colonization and settlement?
Its location at the confluence of Red River and Assiniboine River
Why was Manitoba so significant in the past and why did it decline
It was the Gateway to the West controlling thr grain trade and serving as the wholesale hub for Western Canada until after WW2 when the oil boom in AB stimulated growth
Where is the birthplace of Métis Nation?
Winnipeg
What city has the largest Indigenous population in Canada?
Winnepeg - over half
What is kind of forest is in Northern prairies?
Boreal
What is the prarie economy based on?
agriculture and energy resources
Where did Alberta get its name?
Princess Louise Alberta was the 4th daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert
Where did Saskatchewan get its name?
Cree for “swift flowing river”
Where did Manitoba get its name?
Cree for “ straigths of great spirit”
What physiographic regions are the praries located in?
Interior Plains and Canadian Shield