In 1901, Canada was a loosely bound nation of roughly 5.3 million inhabitants clustered primarily in the central and eastern parts of the country.  Both in function and in national identity, Canada was still very much a British colony.  Citizens in the East had little in common with citizens of the west, and all parts in between.  As the twentieth century drew to a close, Canada was known globally as the first nation of both hockey and peacemaking; one of the wealthiest and most livable countries in the world.  If Canada was born in 1867, then the twentieth century was the young country’s formative years.  Many people and events shaped the direction the growing country would take, but the most influential have indelibly imprinted their ideas and deeds into the national identity

Sir Wilfred Laurier

Sir Wilfred Laurier, the seventh Canadian Prime Minister, led the country through the turn of the century, from 1896 to 1911.  The first French Canadian prime minister, Laurier’s two primary contributions to the national identity are the English-French relations and the immigration waves that settled the west.  While the British had conquered the French for control of the Canadian colony in the 18th century, there was still a large population of French Canadian inhabitants living in Canada.  Laurier adopted a policy of conciliation towards the French Canadians, no doubt influenced by the fact that he, himself, was French Canadian.  His policies encouraged the continuation of the Quebecois culture and allowed it to persist through to today.  This is no small feat given the relatively small island of French speaking Quebecois amid the vast English speaking continent.  By not forcing assimilation of the Quebecois into English society, Laurier has enabled the largest French speaking population outside of France to flourish, developing its own unique identity in the process.  This has not been without controversy nor conflict.  And for better or worse, Laurier’s policies are also a direct contributing cause to the seemingly endless debates about Quebec separation.  Western Canadians tend to resist and resent what are perceived as preferential policies towards Quebec, not just in terms of language and culture, but in education, finance, and immigration policy.  The lively and heated debates about the status of Quebec have in no small way shaped politics in Canada right up to the present day.  Whatever argument Canadians may make about the status of Quebec today, there can be little doubt that there would be none had the Quebecois been assimilated into the ruling British society.

In addition to preserving the French culture in Canada, Laurier adopted immigration friendly policies which led to the largest influx of immigrants in Canadian history.  Prairie land was heavily advertised in Europe, and much of the prairies were settled by immigrant farmers from Eastern Europe.  Russian, Ukranian, German, Polish, and Slavic families set out into the Canadian west in search of freedom and prosperity.  It was their efforts that established Canada as one of the largest wheat producers in the world.  Furthermore, allowed to flourish in the cultural mosaic, their customs and traditions have heavily influenced Canadian culture.  From perogies and borscht to Mennonite sausage, to gaily decorated Ukranian Easter eggs, eastern European immigrants have shared the best of their homelands with the primarily British descendants that dominated Canada prior to 1900.

Lester B. Pearson

Canada is perhaps best known throughout the world today for its peacekeeping and humanitarian efforts.  Lester Pearson, the inventor of peacekeeping, must be acknowledged for this contribution to Canadian identity.  Long before his term as Canada’s fourteenth prime minister, Pearson served extensively as a diplomat, culminating in the development of the UN Peacekeeping force which ended the Suez Conflict in 1956.  Pearson’s invention earned him a Nobel Peace Prize; he is still the only Canadian to have received this honour.  Domestically, however, Pearson also made great contributions to Canada’s social safety net.  During his term as prime minister, he oversaw legislation to establish the national medicare system, national labour standards, Canada Pension Plan, Canada Student Loans, and increased payments for veterans and families.  Idealistic and passionate about fairness and equality, Pearson also revised Canada’s outdated and discriminatory immigration laws and expanded protections for the rights of women. 

Despite warnings that Pearson’s grand plans would bankrupt the country, the Canadian economy grew and flourished, in part due to Pearson’s Auto Pact of 1965.  The US - Canada agreement paved the way for the Ontario automobile industry which provided jobs and contributed greatly to the nation’s GDP through the latter part of the twentieth century. 

While it may not have a great effect on the day to day life of Canadians, there is one other contribution which Lester Pearson must be acknowledge for - the Canadian flag.  Despite Confederation taking place nearly 100 years earlier, the Canadian flag with its unmistakable red maple leaf did not exist prior to 1964.  Over the objection of British loyalists, the new flag replaced the British colonial flag which had flown for nearly 100 years, finally cementing the Canadian identity as separate from its colonial roots.

Tommy Douglas

When Canadians are polled as to what makes Canada unique, one of the top answers is always the national medicare system.  The province of Saskatchewan, under the guidance of premier Tommy Douglas, brought the first government administered, single payer health care system to North America.  It was his own experience as a child of immigrant parents struggling to pay for the doctor’s bills incurred as a result of his badly broken leg that inspired Douglas’ belief of health care as a basic human right.  Despite a nasty doctors strike and pressure from insurers, Douglas fought for and won his health care system.  Once Douglas broke through the barriers to successfully introduce medicare in Saskatchewan (at the same time reducing the provincial debt), Lester Pearson had much less opposition to bringing Douglas’ program to the entire country a few years later. 

Despite waning support for the NDP and far left politics in Canada, the social ideals and reforms introduced by Douglas have, for the most part, been embraced by the country and integrated in the national identity.  In addition to health programs, Douglas first brought infrastructure spending and labour reform to Saskatchewan, without running up deficits.  This would serve as a model to the other provincial and federal governments as to how to provide for citizens without breaking the bank.  Canadian social ideals such as universal health care, minimum standards of living, minimum employment standards, equality and justice, all were in large part developed and shaped by Tommy Douglas.

These three men, Laurier, Pearson, and Douglas, have shaped the country of Canada in ways that will remain into the twenty first century and beyond.

Reference:  www.cbc.ca The Greatest Canadian series

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