Abstract The paper examines some of the major changes in Canada with regard to its national transportation policies since the late 1960s. As a starting point, the writer uses the National Transportation Act (1967) to mark the beginning of a new era in transportation policy in Canada. This discussion illustrates that the move towards privatization of Canada's transportation network has been part of a broad legislative pattern in Canada intended to reduce operational costs, improve efficiency and insure safety among the transportation networks of the Canadian nation.
From the Paper "Without question, national transportation networks in Canada have been crucial to the development of the nation since at least the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. Physically, Canada is the second largest nation in the world, coming in only behind the Russian Federation. Given a nation of that size, with metropolitan regions literally stretched across the width of North America, it is no wonder that national transportation policy should play such a primary role in Canadian national policy. The purpose of this essay is to examine some of the major changes that have occurred in Canada with regard to its national transportation policies since the late 1960s."
Abstract The paper discusses the recent suggestion by a black university professor in Toronto that a special school for just for black students is necessary to combat inherent racism is the inevitable result of well-intentioned but ineptly managed multicultural policy. The paper contends that the idea that racism could be lessened by a segregated educational system is perhaps the ultimate example of what is wrong with the current culture. The paper maintains that Canada has become more a Babel of ethnocentric, solipsistic and racist enclaves, pampered by a guilty white liberal elite, than a truly multicultural or liberal community.
Abstract This paper examines how the Northwest Rebellion of 1885 is one of the most controversial events in Canadian history through the review of two articles. It looks at how the rebellion that mostly involved Metis insurrectionists and government troops has raised many questions about the composition of communities in the North-West, how people lived in these communities and the relationships between Metis, European Canadians and First Nations people.
From the Paper "The Northwest Rebellion of 1885 is one of the most controversial events in Canadian History. This rebellion that mostly involved Metis insurrectionists and government troops has raised many questions about the composition of communities in the North-West, how people lived in these communities and the relationships between Metis, European Canadians and First Nations people (Francis and Smith 44-45). One the most frequent debates concerns the level of popular support for the rebellion among the Metis. Canadian historians display a range of opinions about the support for the rebellion among the Metis."
Abstract This paper looks at and reviews two articles that deal with the following question: What problems faced immigrant and native groups in Canada in the late 19th and early 20th century? The articles in question are: "Reluctant Hosts: Anglo-Canadian View on Multiculturalism in the 20th century" by Palmer and "Owen Glendower, Hotspur and Canadian Indian Policy" by Miller. "
Abstract This paper examines current sociopolitical attitudes in Canada about cultural diversity, which are generally conducive for achieving a Canadian society that fully accepts multiculturalism. Unfortunately, progress is not being made at an even pace in all areas of the country. It looks at how, in order to address this, Canada's national education system should take the lead in setting a multicultural example for the entire country.
From the Paper " It is evident that current sociopolitical attitudes in Canada are generally conducive for achieving a Canadian society that fully accepts multiculturalism, but progress is certainly not being made at an even pace in all areas of the country. In order to address this, Canada's national education system should take the lead in setting a multicultural example for the entire country. This can be achieved by cultivating multicultural awareness and acceptance in Canadian classrooms through course content and curricula, while emphasizing that cultural diversity is a beneficial reality that needs to be understood and accepted, not a problem that needs to be resolved. "
Abstract This paper reviews the effect that economic change has had on the Canadian family structure as a unit. This paper also discusses the influence that the sexual revolution had on this issue which lead to more women starting to work outside of the family home.
From the Paper "Since the 1960s, a change has been occurring in the structure of the family in Canada. This change began with a rising divorce rate in conjunction with economic change when "increased work responsibility of women also tended to bring about changes in the structure of the family" (Vago, 1989, p. 132). Causative and contributing variables have operated in a complex interaction. An escalation in divorce rates, for example, had its origins in other changes such as the sexual revolution and the large-scale entry of women into the workforce."
Abstract This paper discusses Nellie McClung, the women's suffrage leader of the early 1900s whose efforts in the area of women's rights altered the course of history for all Canadian women. The paper explores her work in women's suffrage, as well as the events that created change, and her role as a strong voice within the social order.
From the Paper "In the early 1900s women had gained two roles in society - caring for their families and working alongside men in the labor market. However, in the latter position women were still viewed as lesser human beings than men, forced to accept lower wages, and to work in conditions that were unsafe, as well as unhealthy. While the general societal feeling of the time was that a woman's first concern should be to tend to her family's needs, the immense rise in poverty also forced the world to accept women in the labor market in order for families to survive. With women being caught in this dual position it was evident for some that work to secure women's rights had to be accomplished in order to ensure that one day women might be capable of receiving the respect that they deserved in all of their roles within the social order."
Abstract This essay is an overview of how the Toronto neighbourhood of Cabbagetown has transformed over the years as seen through the eyes of writers. According to this essay, Cabbagetown has morphed, getting larger here or smaller there, depending upon any given definition. And while there has been improvement on some fronts, there have also been the social experiments gone awry in Regent Park and St. Jamestown.
From the Paper "Back in the sixties and seventies, Toronto author Hugh Garner, a Governor General's Award winner, took Cabbagetown's border debate international with a series of literary looks at the community. In doing so, he documented phases of the community's profile complete with glimpses of how it started and what it had become, giving a history of shifts in the community as character. And, although 26 years dead, Garner managed to not only document his here-and-now, but forecast the area's slow gentrification efforts that continue revolving around what may very well be the city's longest running border dispute (Smith 21)."
Abstract The book and the two articles chosen for review were selected as they represent critical "bookends" in the field of Canadian urban geography during the formative period in which immigration transformed physical and social landscapes of Canada's cities. As this review demonstrates, while Donald Kerr's and Jacob Spelt's "The Changing Face of Toronto: A Study in Urban Geography" explores the geography of Toronto as both a "natural" and a human construct, articles by Carlos Teixeira and Gilles Lavigne on how Portuguese immigration has shaped residential neighbourhoods in Montreal and Toronto focus on the human element in the shaping of space.
Abstract This paper discusses slavery in North America and compares the slave trade in Canada and the United States. Various issues are discussed including the first African slaves brought to the British North America in the 1600's to abolishment in the 19th century. The paper discusses how many African-Canadians still face challenges, according to the Ethnic Diversity Survey that was released in September 2003, nearly one-third (32%) of African-Canadians said that they had experienced some form of racial discrimination or unfair treatment sometimes or often in the five years prior to 2003.
From the Paper "It is difficult to imagine that in a country that prides itself on safeguarding multiculturalism and equality among all peoples, slavery once existed. In fact, some experts argue that human trafficking in North America continues to this day. The thought of treating a human being like a piece of property and judging people based on their race is disturbing and immoral."
