Confederation marked the start of a political union in Canada. Yet in many ways, Canada was still a fragmented country. The original inhabitants— First Nations and Inuit—along with French and English colonists, the Métis, and immigrants from different parts of the world populated Canada’s vast expanse of land. But ideas on how to unify the people of Canada led to further conflict and division.

Immigration to Canada increased from the 1890s to the early 1900s. Immigrants brought new languages and cultural traditions. These languages and cultural traditions were different from the Aboriginal, French, and English languages and traditions already present in Canada. Some immigrants chose to settle where other members of their cultural community lived. Examine Figure 6.1, which focuses on a Jewish restaurant in Toronto. At this time, Jewish people had only recently begun to immigrate to Canada in significant numbers. How do you think the mostly English-speaking residents of the neighbourhood would view this restaurant?

Many English Canadians believed that ethnic diversity was a threat to the unity of the country. J.S. Woodsworth was a Protestant minister and missionary who later became a member of Parliament. Woodsworth spent time as a missionary in Winnipeg and Toronto, helping those who were poor. He spoke publicly about the Christian duty to help immigrants to Canada. He also wrote about the valuable contributions made by immigrants. Read Woodsworth’s statement from 1905 in the quote below. What are his views on the cultural direction Canada should take? How do you think immigrants and French Canadians would have reacted to Woodsworth's comments?

Tensions increased as settlers moved into regions where the French were once the majority. Because of its French heritage, the region that became Manitoba in 1870 had been mainly Catholic for much of the 1800s. By the 1890s, Catholics made up less than 15 percent of the Manitoba population.

In 1890, Manitoba’s Official Language Act made English the only official language in the province. The legislation dictated that schools would be run in English only as well as in the courts and government. Manitoba’s French population felt their language and culture were being threatened and that their rights that were once guaranteed under the Manitoba Act were being violated. The new law outraged many groups inside and outside of the province. French Catholic leaders pursued the issue in court and called on the federal government to overturn the provincial decision.

The Laurier-Greenway compromise had important consequences for French Canadians and the growing immigrant population. Any community with 10 or more students who spoke a language other than English could establish a separate school. Bilingual teachers would conduct classes using English and the language of the immigrant community.

Look at the picture below which shows Manitoba's first school for Ukrainians. What is the significance of the students holding up the British flag?

These two new provinces wanted to continue the same language policy. The French minority in Alberta and Saskatchewan objected because they wanted French rights. Prime Minister Laurier compromised again. He gave minorities the right to maintain separate schools; however, teachers were required to teach the provincial curriculum. Read the speech excerpt that Laurier gave to a crowd in Edmonton, Albert, on September 1, 1905 when Alberta was created as a province. How do you think French Canadians may have reacted to ideas in this speech?

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, many francophones left Québec in search of land to farm and other work opportunities. Tens of thousands moved to the United States, but smaller numbers moved to Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. By 1910, 10 percent of Ontario’s population was French Canadian and the Association for French-Canadian Education was established in Ontario. This organization worked to secure French language education for francophone children. By 1911, francophones accounted for almost 25 percent of Ottawa’s population alone. The increase in French presence and language protection made some Anglo-Ontarians (English-speaking Ontarians) fearful of a French Catholic takeover.

REGULATION 17

In 1912, the Ontario government introduced Regulation 17 with the hope of winning political support from the English who opposed the French language and culture. This law limited French language instruction to Grades 1 and 2. The new law angered francophones in Ontario. It was challenged in the courts and criticized in the francophone press. The French in Ontario continued to fight for their rights. Over time, the Franco-Ontarian culture grew, and an official Franco-Ontarian flag was created. On February 22, 2016, the Ontario government issued a formal apology to Franco-Ontarians for Regulation 17. Look at the picture below, which shows some students from Chatham, Ontario celebrating Franco-Ontarian Day on September 25, 2013. How does the Franco-Ontarian flag symbolize identity and unity?

The Laurier-Greenway compromise meant that French and Catholic Canadians outside of Québec no longer had the same rights as English and Protestant Canadians. It also meant French Catholics could not rely on the support of English Catholics.

Québec politician Henri Bourassa was a member of Parliament in Laurier’s federal government. Like many French Canadians, he saw the Laurier-Greenway compromise as a betrayal of French Catholic rights. Bourassa left federal politics in 1907 to become a Québec provincial politician and journalist. Read Bourassa’s statement in the quote below. What argument does Bourassa use to defend French language rights?

1. Why did some English Canadians oppose language rights for French Canadians and immigrants?

2. How did the Laurier-Greenway compromise change the status of the French culture in Canada?

3. What impact did the Laurier-Greenway compromise have on some immigrant communities?

4. How does Laurier’s compromise reflect education in Canada today?