CANADIAN INDEPENDENCE

What is a revolution?

• My opinion of revolution is when a country that is ruled and colonized by a
• Much more powerful country tries to overthrow the ruling government.

Is violence needed?

• I think violence is only need if absolutely necessary in a revolution.
• If you attempt a peaceful revolution and it doesn't work or brings
• More punishment onto your country, then violence is a needed thing.

CANADA BEFORE INDEPENDENCE

• Canada was first colonized by the British and French.
• But the British eventually drove the French from their claim.
• The first permanent settlement was made in the year 1604.

CONDITIONS UNDER COLONIZATION

• The British were pretty fair to the French-Canadians still living in Canada
• They let them have a freedom of religion and practice of the French civil laws
• But eventually the British started to pass laws and acts
• To control the Canadian people in the early-to-mid 1900's.

REASON FOR INDEPENDENCE

• The Canadian people ere feeling very melancholy after the American
• revolution in the 1700's.
• This led to a rise in republicanism in the Canadian people.
• Also, several acts to try to keep control of the people were being passed
• by the British royal parliament.

THE STRUGGLE

• Attempted revolutions in Canada were attempted, but none were very successful.
• But, some government affairs and some acts/treaties ended up being successful.

KEY FIGURES

• Some key people in the Canadian revolutions that happened were;
• William Lyon Mackenzie: rebellion leader in the "Upper Canada Rebellion"
• Robert Nelson: rebellion leader in the "Lower Canada Rebellion"
• Louis Riel: Led the "Saskatchewan Rebellion" with the Métis natives.

THE REBELLIONS OF 1837

• The "Upper and Lower Canada Rebellions" of 1837 were
• very unsuccessful rebellions. The rebels were poorly armed and trained,
• and the British armies had no problem putting them down.
• The Lower Rebellion sparked the people of Upper Canada to revolt against their rulers.
• The lower rebellion was fought in modern-day Quebec and the Upper in modern-day Ontario.

THE RED RIVER REBELLION

• The red river rebellion was an attempt at setting up a provisional government
• in Canada by Louis Riel and the Métis natives in modern-day Manitoba.

THE KING-BYNG AFFAIR

• The King-Byng Affair was a constitutional crisis between a
• prime minister and a Governor General.
• Prime minister William L. Mackenzie King asked the Governor General
• to dissolve parliament and call fresh elections, but Byng refused.
• King eventually won elections and no Governor General would ever refuse a prime minister again.

THE STATUTE OF WESTMINSTER

• This statute implemented decisions at a British imperial conference in 1926 & 1930
• It declared the self-governing dominions were to be regarded as
• " Autonomous communities within the British empire, equal in status, in no way
• subordinate one to another in any aspect of their domestic or external affairs,
• though united by a common allegiance to the crown."

CANADA TODAY

• Canada in today's world is a Democratic Constitutional Monarchy.
• The Governor General is David Johnston and the Prime Minister is Stephan Harper.
• Canada does have a parliament, but also has a Supreme Court.
• Canadians primarily speak English and French.
• Canada played a huge role in the victories of WW1 and WW2, fighting fiercly.