Statute Labour in Canada

Question 1

statute labour in Canada (and in PEI specifically)

Answer 1

• colonies didn’t have a means to tax people in order to fix roads, so instead every able-bodied male had to spend some time as a statute labourer on the local roads
• In PEI, men over 21 who performed their statute labour could vote for members of legislative assembly

Question 2

how did statute labour influence Canadian citizenship?

Answer 2

• At the time, manliness was kind of a pre-req for full Canadian citizenship
• Women obviously blocked from voting, but so were less masculine men

Question 3

why was statute labour tied to voting?

Answer 3

• Prior to the statute labour law, people were only allowed to vote if they owned and improved their property, raising its value
• Tied to bourgeois value of property ownership -> believed it was ultimate marker of an autonomous individual
• George Coles and his Liberals amended this, creating a second way to vote -> through statute labour
• Allowed men of all classes to vote, regardless of race, religion, or economic situation
• • However, not a perfect system – still excluded schoolteachers and men over 60, as well as young statute laborers

Question 4

removal and reinstatement of statute labour

Answer 4

• Eventually, the government got rid of statute labour and replaced it completely with a tax -> if you paid the tax, your name was put on a voter list
• However, it didn’t cover the amount needed to fix roads, and people hated taxes
• Some people (poor people especially) would prefer to work than pay a tax
• Negative reactions were so strong that statute labour was re-instilled