Abstract
The Canadian Confederation entails the process through which the Canada emerged in 1867 when three colonies under Britain formed the four provinces Canada. During the emergence of Canada in 1867, several factors played vital roles in its formation and these factors include political, economic and social factors and other forces and actors. The National Policy was introduced by John Macdonald in the year 1879 and it entailed the implementation of high tariffs on the manufactured imported products so as to safeguard and protect manufacturing industries in Canada. The National Policy was also very crucial in the development of the rural Prairie West as cattle ranching activities were introduced in the region. The paper will discuss the factors that led to the emergence of Canada, analyse the National Policy and its significance for the development of the rural Prairie West.
Political, Economic and Social factors, actors and forces that were instrumental in the emergence of Canada in 1867
Several factors played a significant role in the emergence of Canada in 1867. These factors include political, economic and social factors in combination to other forces and actors. The political factors played a considerable role in the emergence of Canada because by the mid 1860s, the Great Britain had almost lost its concern for the colonies it controlled in North America and particularly Canada. The loss in interest was mainly because these colonies had become a huge monetary, military and political load for the Great Britain. As a result, Britain wanted to detach itself from some colonies and also give other colonies some independence so as to reorganize the colonies' political organization. Additionally, the political organization of Canada during the late 1850s and mid 1860s was exceedingly unpredictable. For instance, there were regular government crises that had taken place annually from 1855 to 1858 and also two times in the year 1858 and 1863 to 1865. As a result, there was the need for a legislative union for the colonies in the Northern America under the control of Britain and this resulted in the emergence of Canada (Barman, 2007).
The economic factors that resulted in the emergence of Canada in 1867 revolved around the success Canadian railway companies. In the year 1855, with the ever increasing cost of construction, the government started a colossal outlay with the Grand Trunks Railway firm so as to bail out the project. However, the dedication indicated an economic devastation for the government as it could not effectively service the interest accrued from the debts. As a result, the administration of the Union was compelled to raise the import tariffs so as to generate revenue even though these move never solved the economic challenges of the colony. The government was forced in 1860 source for more funds in buying out the debts accrued by the Grand Trunks Railway firm and this forced the Canadian debts to hit a high of $50 million. With the imminent expiry of the Reciprocity Treaty signed with the U.S., the Canadian government was forced to shift its markets to the British Atlantic colonies. With the expiry of the Treaty in 1866, Canada had few markets and this necessitated the emergence of the confederation so as to establish new markets (Easterbrook & Aitken, 1988).
The social factor that resulted in the emergence of Canada in 1867 was mainly on the demographic pressure that was as a result of the rapid population expansion. The population increase in Canada meant that the government spending on the provision of basic needs and employment opportunities increased and this factor was effectively solved by the emergence of the confederation (Barman, 2007).
There were other forces and actors that were influential in the emergence of Canada in 1867 such as the security factors in the region. By the year 1863, Britain was unwilling to finance the defence of its colonies in North America and consequently, the United Canada was left with the responsibility to have its own defence. After the end of the American Civil, Britain had worries with regards to the U.S. response to its support for the Southern cause. As a result, Britain had no option but to retreat from its colonies in the Northern America so as to normalize relationship between Canada and U.S. resulting in the emergence of Canada in 1867 (Barman, 2007).
The National Policy and its significance for the development of the rural Prairie West
The National Policy was an economic program in Canada that was brought into force by John Macdonald in the year 1879 and the policy basically required the implementation of high tariffs on manufactured imported products so as to safe guard and protect manufacturing industries in Canada. For a long time, the National Policy remained in force in Canada so as to protect safeguard the local Canadian manufacturing industries (Clarence, 2005). The National Policy contains three key sections that include the construction of the transcontinental railway line, developing tough immigration policies and the shielding the growing Canadian industries with high tariffs. In addition, the manufacturers in Canada enjoyed low customs duties when importing the required raw materials and other unfinished items lowering the production cost as a result. The purpose of the national policy was mainly to produce a real nation that supports its national economy by protecting its local industries against stiff competition from the international and developed industries.
The National Policy played a crucial role in the development of the rural Prairie West by the introduction of cattle ranching. The rural Prairie West during the early years of the confederation did not effectively attract settlers due to the unfavourable agricultural technology and conditions and low wheat prices. During the 1870s, the National Policies in the Prairie West were not working as the rangers from United States usually crossed the line with their cattle to graze on the Canadian prairie. The native inhabitants of the rural Prairie West were mostly restricted to the reserves. When the buffaloes became extinct by 1879, the Canadian government was forced to use large sums of money in importing beef to supply to the Indians and other natives of Canada (MacLachlan, 2003).
Through the National Policy, the Canadian government in 1879 the managed to buy about 1,000 heads of breeding cattle so as to enhance the domestic supply of beef; the cattle ranches were established in the rural Prairie West for the native inhabitants. Consequently, in line with the policy of import substitution as outlined in the Macdonald's National Policy, the Canadian prairie adopted the cattle ranching role as the measures in promoting their economic standards. Regulations were introduced such as the Dominion Land Act that was enacted in 1889 and it prohibited cattle from grazing on land that has not been leased resulting to the end of the open range system in the Prairie (MacLachlan, 2003).
Over a period of few years, the National Policy played an important role in transforming the rural Prairie West as the cattle industry boomed. The area was also covered by the Transcontinental Railway line and this ensured that the beef that was exported to Britain was possible as the British import regulations were in favour of the beef imports from Canada as compared to America (MacLachlan, 2003). In addition, the number of cattle ranches in the rural Prairie West increased considerably as the plain experienced a cattle boom. As a result, the National Policy played a vital role in ensuring that the rural Prairie West experiences economic development for the benefit of the Canadian economy and the lives of the inhabitants.
References
Barman, J. (2007). The West beyond the West: A History of British Columbia. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
Clarence, B. L. (2005). “Canadian Tariff Policy” in Canadian. Journal of Economics and Political Science, 21(4), 513–530.
Easterbrook, W. T., & Aitken, H. G. J. (1988). Canadian economic history. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
MacLachlan, I. (2003).The Historical Development of Cattle Production in Canada. Retrieved from https://www.uleth.ca/dspace/bitstream/handle/10133/303/Historical_cattle_Canada.pd f?sequence=3
