HISTORY OF QUEBEC AND CANADA 
MODULE 5 
QUEBEC AND CONFEDERATION 

                                                                         
 
 

1. Two of the following texts characterize social and economic changes which took place in Quebec during the first phase of industrialization (1867-1896). 

    1. The dairy industry assumed an important role in agricultural production. 
    2. Mining became an important aspect of the Quebec economy. 
    3. Houses were hurriedly built to meet the needs of a rapidly growing urban population. 
    4. "The question is this. We must either have Confederation or be taken over by the United States". 
    5. American capital became important in the Quebec economy, particularly after the First World War. 
A) WHICH TEXT RELATES TO A SOCIAL CHANGE DURING THIS PERIOD ?           Text _____ 

B) WHICH TEXT RELATES TO AN ECONOMIC CHANGE DURING THIS PERIOD ?  Text _____ 
 

2. WHICH THREE OF THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS CHARACTERIZE QUEBEC SOCIETY WITHIN CONFEDERATION BETWEEN 1867 AND 1896? 

    1. The working conditions of factory workers were terrible. 
    2. French Canadians emigrated to the United States in large numbers. 
    3. Women obtained the right to vote in Quebec. 
    4. In working class districts every family could afford to have good medical treatment. 
    5. The Roman Catholic Church continued to maintain a great influence over the people. 
    6. The government did nothing to modernize farming in Quebec. 
     
                    ____                ____                ____ 
         
         
3. FROM EACH OF THE SETS, SELECT THE STATEMENT THAT CHARACTERIZES AN ASPECT OF QUEBEC SOCIETY IN THE PERIOD BETWEEN 1867 AND 1896. 

ECONOMIC ASPECTS 
1. The textile and shoe industries developed in the Montreal region. 
2. Gold and silver mines were opened up in the Abitibi region. 
3. The aluminum industry developed as a result of hydro-electricity. 

SOCIAL ASPECTS 
4. British immigrants settled on the seigneuries. 
5. Thousands of French Canadians emigrated to the United States. 
6. The Catholic Church lost its control over the administration of schools and hospitals. 

POLITICAL ASPECTS 
7. The BNA Act granted Quebec control over national defense and money and banking. 
8. Quebec supported the hanging of Louis Riel. 
9. Premier Honoré Mercier demanded greater autonomy for Quebec. 

ECONOMIC ASPECT ____            SOCIAL ASPECT ____            POLITICAL ASPECT ____ 
 
 

4. WHICH THREE STATEMENTS DESCRIBE QUEBEC SOCIETY IN THE PERIOD 1867 -1896 ? 

    1. Massive emigration to the United States 
    2. The opening of new areas of colonization: Laurentians, Saguenay-Lac St.-Jean 
    3. Reciprocity with the United States 
    4. Well-paid workers and good working conditions 
    5. The forming of the first labour unions 
    6. Equal wages for men and women doing similar work 
     
                  _____                         _____                         _____ 
     
     
5. In the second half of the 19th century, Canada experienced growth problems which had to be solved. 

ASSOCIATE EACH OF THE PROBLEMS PRESENTED BELOW WITH  A PROPOSED SOLUTION. 

PROBLEMS 
1. John A.Macdonald governed the country without respect for provincial powers. 
2. Quebec suffered a serious agricultural crisis. 
3. French Canadian workers went in large numbers to work in American textile mills. 

SOLUTIONS 
a) The Laurentians and the Saguenay-Lac St.-Jean regions were opened up for colonization. 
b) French-Canadian farmers turned to dairy production. 
c) England reaffirmed the principle of provincial autonomy. 

PROBLEMS                                   SOLUTIONS  
1.                                                              ___  
2.                                                              ___  
3.                                                              ___ 
 
 

6. ON THE TIME LINE, PLACE AN X IN THE BOX THAT DESIGNATES THE HISTORICAL PERIOD COVERED BY THE FOLLOWING THREE DOCUMENTS. 

Document 1 
Mercier's government encouraged colonization, agriculture and the extension of railways and roads in order to link the areas of colonization with the rest of Quebec. 

Document 2 
Half a million French Canadians emigrated to the United Strates. At the same trime many farmers moved to the cities or to unsettlesd areas in Quebec, where they cleared land. 

Document 3 
The number of dairy cows increased fron 296 000 to 734 000. By the end of this period Quebec had 1207 cheese factories and 445 butter factories. 
 

                               /___________/_____________/_____________/____________/  

                       1791                   1812                      1837                       1867                    1896 
 
 
 
 
 
 

7. FROM EACH OF THE FOLLOWING SETS, SELECT THE ELEMENT WHICH CHARACTERIZES QUEBEC SOCIETY IN THE PERIOD 1867-1896. 

ECONOMIC 
1. The construction of hydro-electric plants 
2. The development of the shoe and textile industries 
3. The development of the timber trade 

SOCIAL 
4. Cholera epidemics 
5. A predominantly urban population 
6. Deplorable living and working conditions for working people 

POLITICAL 
7. The Riel rebellions 
8. The first laws governing working conditions 
9. The absence of responsible government 

                  ECONOMIC _____           SOCIAL _____          POLITICAL _____ 
 
8. Between 1850 and 1867, the United Province of Canada faced serious problems. At the political level, no government remained in power for very long and ministerial instability paralyzed parliament. At the economic level, the American government refused to renew the Reciprocity Treaty and Canada had to find a new market for its goods. This situation led politicians to adopt a political solution that would profoundly affect the future of Canadian politics. The solution was planned at three important conferences : Charlottetown, Quebec, and London. 

WHAT IS THE NAME GIVEN TO THE SOLUTION IMPLEMENTED IN 1867, WHICH WOULD SHAPE THE FUTURE OF THE CANADIAN POLITICAL SYSTEM ? 

____________________________________ 
 
 

9. FROM EACH SET, CHOOSE THE FACTOR THAT CAN BE ASSOCIATED WITH THE FIRST PHASE OF INDUSTRIALIZATION IN QUEBEC. 

POLITICAL FACTORS 
1. National Policy 
2. Inter-provincial conferences 
3. BNA Act 

ECONOMIC FACTORS 
4. Construction of railroads 
5. Dairy production 
6. Hydro-electric production 

SOCIAL FACTORS 
7. Increase in religious communities 
8. Urbanization 
9. Emigration towards the United States 
 

                            POLITICAL _____                ECONOMIC _____                SOCIAL _____ 
     
 
 
 
 

10. WHICH THREE DOCUMENTS REPRESENT CHANGES THAT OCCURRED IN QUEBEC SOCIETY IN THE PERIOD BETWEEN 1867 AND 1896 ? 

Document 1 
350 000 French Canadians left Quebec for the United States. Overpopulation of the countryside and soil depletion were two key factors that forced French Canadians to emigrate to the New England states. 

Document 2  
The first unions fought to assure safety in the factory, to impose the ten-hour workday, and to forbid the employment of workers under the age of 15. 

Document 3 
Illness, especially cholera, sometimes broke out on these ships. When the immigrants landed, they were put in quarantine on Grosse Ìle near Quebec City.  

Document 4 
Railways in the West and the establishment of Alberta and Saskatchewan as provinces showed the growing importance of wheat and the Canadian West. 

Document 5  
Women were given the right to vote during the war, largely because it was felt  they would support the war effort. 

Document 6  
The number of dairy cows increased fron 296 000 to 734 000. By the end of this period Quebec had 1207 cheese factories and 445 butter factories. 

          _____                _____                _____ 

           

11. COMPLETE THE TABLE BY PLACING EACH OF THE FOLLOWING NUMBERS ON THE APPROPRIATE LINE.  
    1. The government completed the transcontinental railway. 
    2. The increase in population created a larger Canadian domestic market. 
    3. The government feared that the Americans would seize parts of the West if it were left unsettled.
 

        PROBLEMS                               PROPOSED SOLUTIONS                            POSITIVE EFFECTS 
 
In view of the depression                  The government imposed protective            Canadian businesses developed 
Canadian businesses                          tariffs on foreign products.                            and the federal government 
wanted to reduce the sale                                                                                              had a new source of revenue. 
of American products in                                                                     
Canada. 
 

                                                              The government encouraged 
________                                           European  immigration to the                           __________ 
                                                              Canadian West. 
 
 

Canada lacked the means                                                                                               Canadian businesses could now 
to move goods and people                __________                                                     sell their products in the newly 
across its vast territory.                                                                                                 settled Canadian West. 
 
 
 
 

 CORRECTION KEY 
 

1.     SOCIAL CHANGE:          Text 3  

        ECONOMIC CHANGE:    Text 1 

 
2.      1       2       5 
 

3.     ECONOMIC ASPECT:      1      SOCIAL ASPECT:       5        POLITICAL ASPECT:      9 
 

4.      1       2       5 
 

5.      PROBLEMS                        SOLUTIONS 

                1                                              c 
                2                                              b 
                3                                              a 
 

6.     /___________/_____________/_____________/_____X_______/ 

    1791                 1812                       1837                       1867                      1896 
 
 

7.      ECONOMIC:         Shoe and textile industries 

         SOCIAL:               Deplorable living and working conditions 

         POLITICAL:        The first laws governing working conditions 
 

8.     Confederation or British North America Act or Federation 
 

9.      POLITICAL         1           ECONOMIC          5                 SOCIAL         9 
 

10.      1       2       6 
 

11.     PROBLEMS                    PROPOSED                    POSITIVE 
                                                    SOLUTIONS                  EFFECTS 

                  3                                         1                                   2