Bibliography

References

2011 Vancouver Stanley Cup riot. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Vancouver_Stanley_Cup_riot

Canadian Pacific. (n.d.). Our history. Retrieved from http://www.cpr.ca/en/about-cp/our-history

Chapleau and the Canadian Pacific Railway. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.chapleaulibrary.com/crichton/VC5/vc5.htm

D. (2008, March 30). Terry Fox ESPN. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjgTlCTluPA

Historic Canada. (n.d.). Underground Railroad. Retrieved from http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/en/article/underground-railroad/

History.com Staff. (2009). Underground Railroad. Retrieved from http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/underground-railroad

P. (2010, August 19). Canadian Pacific Railway. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqRWQa0rIso

Same-sex marriage in Canada. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Same-sex_marriage_in_Canada

Scrivener, L. (2010, April 11). How Terry Fox changed Canada | Toronto Star. Retrieved from https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2010/04/11/how_terry_fox_changed_canada.html

Terry Fox. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Fox

Terry Fox. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/terry-fox/

Same-Sex Marriage Becoming Legalized

On July 20, 2005, Canada became the fourth country in the world, and the first country outside Europe, to legalize same-sex worldwide nationwide with the enactment of the Civil Marriage Act which provided a gender-neutral marriage definition. Court decisions, starting in 2003, had already legalized same-sex marriage in eight out of ten provinces and one of three territories, whose residents comprised about 90% of Canada's population. Before passage of the Act, more than 3,000 same-sex couples had already married in those areas. Most legal benefits commonly associated with marriage had been extended to cohabiting same-sex couples since 1999.

I am proud of this as a Canadian because there are many countries which do not tolerate same-sex marriage and to be a country who accepts love as it is, is really amazing. The United States just recently made same sex marriage legal in all 50 states and that was about a year ago. So to know that there are people in Canada who are happily married and living a healthy live with the ones they love and not being discriminated against feels really great. 

The Durham Report

Lord Durham, a British politician, was sent to North America in 1838 to investigate the causes of the rebellions the previous year in the colonies of Upper and Lower Canada. Durham's famous Report led to a series of reforms and changes including the union of the two Canada's into a single colony. The Report was controversial, and its recommendations were progressive for their time. Many argued that his report was racist, he believed that the English speaking would be dominant and the French Canadians would become the minority, describing them as people “without history and without literature.” He said they would gradually abandon their identity. In his report he criticized the “family compact” and chateau clique. He said they were unfit leaders and didn’t take into consideration all of the people’s needs, only caring about their own. He stated that they should separate British affairs from local Canadian affairs. If people were able to run their own affairs they would be satisfied and feel that they had some control over their own lives.

This is important to Canada as people now have a right to vote and a say in their government. Another key point in the Durham Report was that they should grant a responsible government. This means that the governor had to answer to the voters who elected the Assembly. The governor needed to accept their decisions, regardless of whether they agreed with them or not. This seems like a more fair government for everyone rather than just having wealthier people make all the decisions. Even though some of the things he said in his report weren’t necessarily fair to all the people, he helped to stop the chaos of the Rebellion.

I think the Durham Report is something for Canada not to be proud of because although it shaped the government for the future, the actual report itself was racist and inconsiderate. He did not treat everyone fairly or handle the situation how it should have been done.   

Underground Railroad

The Underground Railroad was a secret network of abolitionists who helped African Americans escape from enslavement in the American south to free northern states to Canada. Any enslaved person who reached Upper Canada became free upon arrival, a small number of enslaved African Americans in search of freedom began to enter Canada, primarily unassisted. The Underground Railroad was not an actual railroad and it did not actually run on railway tracks. It was a complex, furtive network of people and safe houses that helped persons enslaved in Southern plantations reach free soil in the North.

The abolitionists were committed to human rights and equality. Railroad terminology and symbols were adopted to cover the activities of the network and to keep the public and slaveholders in the dark. Those who helped escaping slaves in their journey were called “conductors.” They guided fugitives along points of the Underground Railroad, using various ways of transportation over land or by water. The terms “passengers,” “cargo,” “package” and “freight” referred to escaped slaves. Passengers were delivered to “stations” or “depots,” which were safe houses. Stations were located in various cities and towns, known as “terminals.” These places of temporary refuge could sometimes be identified by lit candles in their windows or by strategically placed lanterns in the front yard. While an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 freedom seekers came to Canada during the last decades of enslavement in the US, the decade 1850­­–60 alone saw 15,000 to 20,000 fugitives reach the Province of Canada when it became the main terminus of the Underground Railroad.

The Underground Railroad is important to Canada because it was a safe place during the era that enslavement was legal. Canada was the place everyone wanted to go. Canada meant freedom. This issue was ended in 1865 when the US constitution banned slavery. I’m a really big advocate for ending slavery around the world and I think that the Underground Railroad was an important step to help stop enslavement in the US and Canada. Although there is plenty of slavery still going on around the world, 1865 was a critical year for improving African Americans future.

The 2011 Stanley Cup Vancouver Riot

City organizers had set up a two-block long fan zone on six-lane Georgia Street near the Rogers Arena. Two big screen TVs were set up for fans to watch the game. The bars were high. The Vancouver Canucks made it to game seven of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Boston Bruins. Hundreds of people gathered around in downtown Vancouver to watch the game. Due to the last riot in 1994, police and government tried their best to make sure everything was under control, although the riot began immediately after the conclusion of the Boston Bruins’ win over the Vancouver Canucks.  At least 140 people were reported as injured during the incident. After the riot, thousands of volunteers organized on social media sites to clean up the damage. The estimated 15,000 volunteers, many taking a day off work, had stated that they went downtown to clean up the damage to "... show that not all Canucks fans are like that."

This is important to Canada because it shows the rest of the world how real and intense we are about hockey. Although it shows that some Canadians are very serious and love hockey, most Canadians think of the riot as something to not be so proud of. People were hurting others and damaging businesses solely due to the fact that their hockey team lost and that is not what being Canadian is about. I chose this personally as something that I’m not proud of, it happened close to home and because of a sport that i really love. It’s horrible that fans of these sports would do so much damage over a game. I believe it was many criminals and anarchists who participated in the riot and disguised themselves as fans. There was countless media coverage on the riot which led to the rest of the world having knowledge of this incident and giving the rest of the world an incorrect view of what Canadians are really like.

The Canadian Pacific Railway

     The Canadian Pacific Railway is a transcontinental railway connecting the east coast to the west coast. After British Columbia joined confederation in 1871, it was promised that there would be a railway linking to the rest of Canada. At the time, this promise seemed extravagant, if not rash. No politician had a clear idea of the route that it would take and they did not know how much the railway would cost. The only major industrialist in Canada who had enough money to fund a railway was Sir Hugh Allan, whom has made this money by shipping and manufacturing, and also in railway building in eastern Canada. Allan and his American backers were not prepared to build a transcontinental railway because it would be far too difficult. The railways early construction was filled with controversy, overthrowing the Conservative government of John A. Macdonald in 1873 and forcing an election.

     There were many dangers for the workers of the Canadian Pacific Railway. The workers had to work long hours regardless of rain or shine. Explosives were needed to blow out parts of mountains to build the railway. This resulted in many workers being injured or killed on the job. Workers who were injured were often sent home with no compensation and families of workers who were killed often had no notice of what happened to their loved ones. The majority of workers were Chinese and English workers. Although they were doing the same amount of work, Chinese workers were paid less and given less food, because of this it caused them to be very weak due to their lack of nutrients and it made it hard for them to work to their fullest potential. 

     Canadians should be proud of this event because if it wasn’t for the railway, Canada would not be such a great country and we would not be as united as we are today. The railway did a fantastic job of connecting the east coast to the west coast. I chose this event because all my family lives on the east coast and I think it was good that they made a transportation system that would make it easy for me to visit them if i were living in that time period. I also chose this event because it is something that Canada is known for. We are known for having a railway that connects one side of the country to the other. I also chose this because if we did not have the Canadian Pacific Railway, our trading rights with the rest of the world would be cut off. The railway gives us an easy way to transport goods to countries overseas including countries in Europe and Asia.

Terry Fox and the Marathon of Hope

Terry fox was a Canadian athlete, humanitarian and cancer research activist. After having his leg amputated in 1980, he decided to embark on a cross-Canada run to raise money and awareness for cancer research. Although the spread of his cancer forced him to end his journey only after 143 days and 5,373 kilometers, and eventually cost him his life, his legacy has grown and continued worldwide. The annual Terry Fox Run has grown to involve millions of participants in over 60 countries and is now the world’s largest one-day fundraiser for cancer research. Terry Fox hoped to raise one dollar from each of Canada’s 24 million people and as of now over $650 million has been raised in his name.

Terry Fox is an important role model for all Canadians because he put his life in danger in order to raise awareness for something, which in that time, did not have much awareness at all. Thanks to Terry, us as Canadians and the rest of the world have worked together to make a big step in cancer research for those who are suffering with it. This event has more of an impact on Canada and especially British Columbia because of the fact that Terry Fox  was born and raised in the Lower Mainland and he planned to run across our home land.

The Marathon of Hope is something for the entire country to be proud about, a fellow Canadian has made a difference in the future lives of those dealing with cancer and helped bring attention to the issue. Along with Canadians being proud of this event, it was something that brought the whole world together. Here you saw a young kid who was hurting but kept going. His determination pervades your psyche. He had all these things against him. If he could do what he did with all those obstacles, imagine what the country as a whole could accomplish. Terry’s journey had a large impact on the community and he has made a lasting impression. He now has schools, streets etc. named after him and he has caused many organizations to begin their own fundraisers for cancer research.

I chose this event as something for Canada to be proud of because i have participated in the Terry Fox Run at school every year since Kindergarten. Terry Fox is a role model for me as he proved that having problems and issues doesn’t stop you from doing the things you love and that it is possible possible to overcome those obstacles. Although he did not get to finish his marathon he made an impact on Canadians and people everywhere and helped cancer research in the long run.