Transcript Significant Forces That Have Shaped Canadian Identity

Significant Forces
That Have Shaped
Canadian Identity
DEMOGRAPHIC FORCES
AND IDENTITY
*Demography-The grouping of citizens according to specific
characteristics
1. An Aging Population
Demographers suggest that by 2056,
up to 30 percent of of Canadian
residents will be senior citizens.
This may place a strain on social
services and the health care
system
2. Changing Immigration
Patterns
In the decades after confederation
(1867), most immigrants came
from Britain and Western Europe.
As the 20th Century progressed this
began to change. Immigrants
began to come from non-European
countries, thus creating a more
diverse society.
3. Increased Urbanization
By 2006, more than 80 percent of people
were urbanites
This change in the urban-rural balance is
fuelled in part by immigrants…about 73
per cent of immigrants settle in one of
Canada’s 3 largest cities: Toronto,
Montreal and Vancouver.
4. Aboriginal Population
Growth
In 2006, the number of Aboriginal people
in Canada topped one million for the
first time since the government started
keeping records.
Overall the number of Aboriginal people
increased by 45 per cent, which the
non-Aboriginal population increased
only by 8 per cent
SOCIAL FORCES AND
IDENTITY
1. Refugees and Immigrants
Helping refugees is a cornerstone of Canadian
policy accepting about 221,000 immigrants
and refugees per year.
To ensure fairness a point system is used to
decide which immigrants to accept. Criteria
includes advanced education and fluency in
English or French
2. Multiculturalism
Immigration has changed the face of Canada.
By 2006 the country’s people came from over 200
different ethnic origins.
3. People With Disabilities
In 2007, Canada was among the first
countries to sign the United Nations
Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities.
Despite the commitment to the UN
convention, studies have shown that the
poverty rate among Canadians with
disabilities is twice that of those without.
4. Women and Pay Equity
To narrow the gap between men’s and
women’s incomes some provinces
(including Manitoba and Ontario) have
passed specific laws requiring employers
to offer pay equally
CULTURAL FORCES AND
IDENTITY
1. Official-Language
Minorities
French and English are official languages in
Canada-thus, Canadian heritage is
responsible for ensuring that both
languages thrive.
More than two million Canadians belong to
an official language minority community
(Anglophone in Quebec and Francophone
in the rest of Canada)
POLITICAL FORCES AND
IDENTITY
1. Aboriginal Peoples and
Self-Determination
Before the 1600’s Aboriginal people enjoyed selfdetermination, however as settlers flooded in the
Aboriginal people became a minority.
There right to self-determination was severely
limited as the government tried to force them to
abandon their own culture and join the dominant
culture.
2. The Oka Crisis
In the spring of 1990 the village of Oka,
Quebec decided to expand a golf course
on the land that Mohawks from the
Kanesatake reserved claimed as their
own.
On July 11th, violence erupted, shots were
fired, and a police officer was killed.
3. The Royal Commission on
Aboriginal Peoples
As a result of the Oka crisis Brian Mulroney set
up a royal commission in 1991 to look into
and recommend solutions to this
controversial issue.
The commissioners summed up their
recommendations with these words “The
main policy direction, pursued for more than
150 years, first by colonial then by Canadian
governments, has been wrong.”
4. Sovereignty
Many francophone Quebecois believe that the only
way to maintain their language and distinct
cultural identity is to work toward sovereignty.
A referendum was held and out of 93.5 per cent of
eligible voters cast ballots as Quebecois voted to
stay in Canada by a slim margin of 50.5 per cent
to 49.42 per cent.
YOUR TASK…
Now that you have a brief overview of each
of the significant factors that have helped
shape Canadian Identity, your task is to
read pages 28-37 and add any relevant or
helpful information from the text into your
notes. These notes will be very helpful in
creating your PowerPoint project for the
final culminating assignment.