From Sea to Sea to Shining Sea By Mobiyuz Watch

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Canada by 1913 had undergone a dramatic transformation. Starting with just 4 provinces and split between Anglo-Canadians and French-Canadians, by 1913 the path of the nation seemed to be living up to the ideals of Prime Minister Alfred Laurent, whose 24-year tenure from 1889 to 1913 would remain unchallenged by all future prime ministers: "The 19th century has been the century of the United States. The 20th century shall be the Canadian century."



The Dominion of Canada began as the "Province of Canada" before 1867 saw confederation bring Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia into a single Dominion with a newly elevated degree of self-government. At the same time, the Confederation had plans of its own: Sir John A. MacDonald, the first Prime Minister, sought to absorb the lands Britain and the Hudson Bay Company still controlled in North America, to create a domain that would be nearly imperial in stature. Succeeding prime ministers continued this expansion by absorbing Rupert's Land and British Columbia. From this territory, more provinces and territories were carved out. And it came rapidly. Rupert's Land came in 1868, just after the confederation was organized. Alaska was annexed in 1870 just 10 years after Britain acquired it. And quite interestingly, Denmark agree to the sale of Greenland as its economy flagged following German unification and the construction of the Kiel Canal to bypass Denmark's control over the Øresund, and Greenland was similarly attached to Canada in 1873.



Canada had to aggressively push for immigration to their nation, seeking to pull immigrants away from the massive stream moving toward the United States. And it was successful; between 1880 and 1910, more than 4 million immigrants came to Canada to settle the prairie. Toronto grew in size and stature, as did Quebec City and Montreal. Halifax grew into one of the largest ports in North America, while Vancouver evolved into Canada's primary port on the west coast. Winnipeg, Regina, Edmonton, and Thunder Bay became major cities of the interior as they evolved through being provincial capitals. The Yukon Gold Rush saw the Yukon territory swell with people who then returned to the main Canadian cities, further swelling its population.



Canada is now one of the world's largest nations. And the 20th century truly seems that it will become the "Canadian Century".

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Published : Jan 23, 2019