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Social Studies 20-1

Nationalism and Identity
Historical Perspectives on Canada

© 2021 Edmonton Public Schools Field Validation Draft June 2021

Learning Outcomes
General Outcome: Students will explore the relationships among identity, nation and
nationalism.

Knowledge and Understanding

4.6 examine historical perspectives of Canada as a nation (Louis LaFontaine and Robert
Baldwin, the Fathers of Confederation, First Nations treaties and the Indian Act, Métis and
Inuit self-governance, Louis Riel, Sir Clifford Sifton, Henri Bourassa, French-Canadian
nationalism, Pierre Trudeau, National Indian Brotherhood)

4.4 explore multiple perspectives on national identity in Canada

Skills and Processes

S.1 develop skills of critical thinking and creative thinking
● evaluate personal assumptions and opinions to develop an expanded appreciation of a
topic or an issue
About this Resource
This resource contains information and activities on the multiple perspectives
on Canada as a nation.
Assessment Considerations
Observations, Conversations and Products

Observe students as they engage in the activity. Notice students:

● discussing various perspectives on Canada as a nation.
● explaining why various perspectives have been excluded from mainstream expressions of Canadian history.

Engage in conversations with students about the activity using questions such as:
● What are the various historical perspectives on Canada as a nation?
● Which perspectives have had a dominant influence on the views of Canada as a nation?
● How and why were some group’s perspectives excluded from the story of Canada as a nation?

Review students’ responses. Consider whether the student is able to:

● identify the reasons why some perspective have been excluded from mainstream expressions of Canadian
history.

Record evidence of students’ learning based on the above.

Canada as a Nation
● The development of Canada as a nation is
complex.
● There are many groups and individuals
who contributed to the formation of
Canada over many years.
● Often, the story of Canada has been told
from only the perspective of the British
colonialists.
Canada as a Nation
● For many years, the history of Canada taught in
schools and represented in mainstream media
was told through the lens of British settlers.
● The story of Canada has often left out the
contributions of Indigenous, Asian, African,
French and other minority groups.
● To understand the nation of Canada, all
perspectives must be considered.
 Louis-Hippolyte LaFontaine
● Louis-Hippolyte LaFontaine was a British politician
who became the first premier of the United Province
of Canada.
● LaFontaine worked with Robert Baldwin to unite
Upper and Lower Canada.
● He helped develop and institute the concept of
responsible government. This would become a
important feature in the Canadian parliamentary
system.
Robert Baldwin
● Robert Baldwin was a British politician who
worked with Lafontaine on developing and
leading the responsible system of
government in the United Province of
Canada from 1842 to 1843.
● Their leadership was seen a first step
towards independence from Britain.
Lafontaine and Baldwin
● Do you think the contributions of Lafontaine and
Baldwin have been overlooked in Canadian
history?
● Which perspective on Canada as a nation do you
think would include Lafontaine and Baldwin?
The Fathers of Confederation
● The Fathers of Confederation refers to the thirty-six
British men who met at several conferences that led to
the confederation of Canada.
● The Charlottetown Conference and the Quebec
Conference were held in 1864.
● Some of the Fathers of Confederation met at these
conferences and the meetings led to the creation of a
constitution and the country of Canada.
● Sir John A. Macdonald was Canada’s first prime minister
and is often seen as the Father of Confederation.
The Fathers of Confederation
● Do you think the Fathers of Confederation
have always been a part of the mainstream
historical narrative of Canada as a nation?
● Why has Sir John A. Macdonald become a
controversial historical figure in Canada?
Treaties and Agreements with First Nations
● After Canada became a country, the Dominion of Canada, in 1867,
consisted of Upper and Lower Canada and some of the maritime
provinces.
● However, Canada wanted to expand its territory west and north.
● British law, established in the Royal Proclamation of 1763, dictated
that Canada must sign treaties with the First Nations peoples who
were living on the territory before they could settle or live there.
Royal Proclamation of 1763
● First Nations peoples were recognized as
sovereign “nations” under British law; therefore,
newcomers were required by law to negotiate
treaties.
● First Nations people have been living on the land
we now call Canada since time immemorial.
● First Nations people have always seen
themselves as sovereign. At the time of Canada
becoming a nation, many First Nations
communities were open to signing treaties.
The Numbered Treaties
● From 1871 to 1921 there were eleven treaties signed between various
First Nations groups and the British monarch.
● The British crown negotiated and signed treaties with First Nations
people on behalf of the Canadian government.
● The British believed that the agreements were for the First Nations
people to cede their land to the Canadian government.
● The First Nations believed that the agreements were to share the land
with Canada.
The Numbered Treaties
● The eleven numbered treaties are foundational to
the creation of Canada as a nation.
● The numbered treaties laid the foundation for the
creation of provinces that would join
confederation.
● The treaties were also agreements between
sovereign groups, and established a relationship
between First Nations people and the nation of
Canada.
The Numbered Treaties
Treaties 1 to 7:
● solidified Canada’s claim to lands north of
the US-Canada border.
● enabled the construction of a national
railway.
● opened the lands of the North-West
Territories to agricultural settlement.
The Numbered Treaties
Treaties 8 to 11:
● facilitated access to natural resources in
northern Canada.
● further opened the West for settlement.
● secured a connection between British
Columbia and central Canada.

Photo from the signing of Treaty 8 in Fort

Vermillion, 1899
Beliefs about the Benefits of Treaties
The Crown believed they were to receive:
● peaceful access to lands for settlement, farming, railways and
development.
● minimal costs for westward expansion and prevention of costly
wars with First Nations peoples.
● protection for Western lands by stopping American expansion.
-
Beliefs about the Benefits of Treaties
First Nations believed they were receiving:
● physical survival of their nations.
● peaceful relations with the newcomers.
● respect for cultural and spiritual survival as distinct nations by the
preservation of traditions and institutions.
● a transition to a new lifestyle by learning different technologies within
education, economics and health, as well as other benefits.
-
The Indian Act
● The Indian Act was passed by the government of Canada
in 1876.
● The Indian Act is a collection of hundreds of laws that
dictate what First Nations people can and can’t do.
● Hundreds of oppressive laws were put into place,
including:
○ the creation of residential schools.
○ the banning of cultural ceremonies and practices.
○ the creation of reserves and the pass system which
didn’t allow people to leave the reserve.
The Indian Act
● The Indian Act legislated policies that allowed the
government to remove or ignore the promises made to
First Nations people in the treaties.
● This allowed the government to settle areas and extract
resources without recognition of the legal rights of the
First Nations people.
● Canada developed as a nation with the help of racist and
oppressive policies against people whom they had made
legal agreements to live and work together with.
The Métis
● The Métis people often refer to themselves as the
“true Canadians.”
● The Métis people and culture developed through a
combination of First Nations and European
traditions.
● Many people see the Métis as integral in the
formation of Canada as a nation. They participated in
the fur trade and were responsible for the creation
of the province of Manitoba.
Louis Riel
● Louis Riel was the leader of the Métis people in the Métis
settlement of Red River (present day Winnipeg).
● Riel led a resistance movement against Canadian
expansion into their territory. This is known as the Red
River Resistance of 1869.
● The resistance led to negotiations between the Riel and
Macdonald that eventually led to the creation of the
province of Manitoba in 1870 and the establishment of
rights for the Métis.
Métis Self Governance
● The Métis have always had a strong sense of self government.
● After the Red River resistance the Métis were denied their rights and
were forced to move northwest.
● Strong Métis governance led to a second resistance against Canadian
expansion called the Northwest Rebellion of 1885.
● Canadian military fought battles against the Métis to eventually
establish the province of Saskatchewan.
Clifford Sifton
● Clifford Sifton was a Canadian politician who
encouraged and facilitated a mass migration of
Europeans to western Canada in the early 1900s.
● His policies and work led to millions of immigrants
coming from Europe to settle in Canada.
● These policies excluded immigrants from
non-European nations. Many argue that Canada as a
nation has strong connections to European culture
and worldview because of a focus on accepting
European immigrants.
Henri Bourassa
● Bourassa was a federal and provincial politician who
advocated for the inclusion of French language and culture
to become a part of Canadian nationhood.
● He worked to help establish French language and culture
into the political, education and economic institutions of
Québec.
● His work also helped influence the establishment of Canada
as a bilingual country, with French being one of the two
official languages in all parts of the country.
French-Canadian Nationalism
● France was the first European nation to
establish a colony in what we now call
Canada.
● French colonialists were part of the creation
of United Province of Canada and the
confederation of Canada as a nation.
● Many people see the French language and
culture as integral to Canada as a nation.
Indigenous Rights
● The oppressive policies of the Indian Act have
allowed the Canadian government to keep
Indigenous people out of the mainstream political,
social and economic society.
● This has also contributed to the lack of recognition
of Indigenous people as part of the history of
Canada as a nation.
Indigenous Rights
● In 1982, the Assembly of First Nations (formerly known as the National
Indian Brotherhood) was created.
● This organization is made up of the elected chiefs from First Nations
communities from across the country.
● They have been advocating for the recognition of Indigenous rights in
Canada. They are pushing the government to honour the numbered
treaties and are working to have Indigenous perspectives be included in
the mainstream narratives about Canada as a nation.
Historical Perspectives on Canada
● What are the various historical perspectives on Canada as a nation?
● Which perspectives have had a dominant influence on the views of
Canada as a nation?
● How and why were some groups perspectives excluded from the story of
Canada as a nation?
● Which groups not discussed in this presentation were also excluded from
mainstream narratives about Canada as a nation?