The Political State of Canada before 1914

A comparison to today

Who was in charge then?

• King Edward VII 1901-1910 and King George V 1910-1936 of the British Empire– Powers vested to Governor General of Canada

(Monarch’s Representative in Canada)• Prime Minister Sir Wilfred Laurier became

Canada’s 7th Prime Minister and First French-Canadien Prime Minister of Canada– He was elected on July 11, 1896 and was Prime

Minister until October 5, 1911– Was the leader of the Liberal Party

Political Power• A collage of Canadian Members of Parliament

elected in 1896.

Why all old white guys? (with awesome facial hair)

• Caucasian women couldn’t vote until 1918• Asians couldn’t vote until 1948• First Nations couldn’t vote until 1960

• How do you think this would have impacted Canadian policy?– Socially, Economically, Politically?

Who is in charge now?

• Queen Elizabeth II 1952 – Present– Governor General Michaëlle Jean

• Prime Minister Stephen Harper is Canada’s 22nd Prime Minister and leader of the Federal Conservative Party

Political Power

• A collage of current MPs in Canada

Multicultural?

• Compare the different MPs with the difference in public opinion about immigration.– Are the two related?– Do you think Canadians are more open to

immigration?• Do our current MPs represent our population?• How would a more culturally diverse

parliament benefit Canadians? How could it have a negative impact?

Exit Slip

• Everyday (hopefully) we will do a quick exit slip. This helps me to get your reaction to the class so we can adjust accordingly.