Canada population

About 90% of the population is concentrated along 160 km of the Canadian-American border. Ethnic composition: Anglo-Canadians - 40% of the population, French Canadians - 27% of the population, other Europeans - 20%, American Indians - 1.5%, other ethnic groups, most of them come from Asia - 11.5%. During the first census of Canadians in 1871, it was found that 50% of residents of British origin and 30% of French people live in the country. Since then, a steady decline in these two communities has begun. This process is explained by two reasons: a decrease in emigrants from the UK and France and an increase in the number of emigrants from other countries of Europe, Southeast Asia and Latin America. Immigrants arriving in Canada settle in areas similar in climate and nature to their historical homeland, form fairly cohesive communities, preserve their language, traditions and religion. For example, Ukrainians live mainly in the forest-steppe and steppe regions of the country, the Dutch live in the plains of southwestern Ontario, where they are engaged in vegetable growing, just like their ancestors in Europe. The Chinese, Portuguese, Greeks, Italians form large communities in large cities, especially in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Prior to the colonization of Canada, according to preliminary estimates, up to 200 thousand Indians and Eskimos lived in the country. The subsequent wars and the spread of diseases led to a reduction in their numbers. But in the XX century. With the improvement of medical services and an increase in the birth rate, the revival of the Indian tribes began. The status of an Indian is legally determined by the Indian Act of 1876. In accordance with it, about 542 tribes occupy more than 2,250 reservations in Canada. Due to the limited natural and productive resources, the standard of living in them is lower than in the rest of the country. Moreover, in recent years, a legal incident has arisen, during the formation of Canada, as a state, the lands that previously belonged to the Indians were not legally transferred to the British crown. The leaders of the Indians put forward claims (and in the courts) for compensation for these losses.

Eskimos - a group of peoples speaking one of the Paleo-Asian languages, make up no more than 27 thousand people. They live in villages of 50 to 500 inhabitants. Industrial offensive to the North of Canada at the end of the 20th century. led to a deterioration in their habitat, and lower prices for furs only worsened the situation of these peoples. The government currently subsidizes social and educational programs for this community. Catholics make up 45% of believers, followers of the Canadian United Church - 12%, Anglicans - 8%, other churches - 35%.

^ National composition of the population Canada can be described as very complex and at the same time quite simple. It is composed because this country is inhabited by more than 100 distinct ethnic groups speaking dozens of different languages. Among them (in descending order) are English, French, Chinese, Italian, German, Lunjabi, Polish, Ukrainian, Spanish, Dutch, Greek. And simple because not one of them, except the first two, speaks more than 3 °% of the country's inhabitants. So all the numerous languages, with the exception of English and French, can be called the languages \u200b\u200bof national minorities. In fact, Canada is actually bi-national countrythe national composition of the population is determined by two large nations - Anglo-Canadians and Franco-Canadians. Moreover, neither one nor the other makes up the majority in it.

This feature of the national composition of the population of Canada is associated with its originality. historical development. After all, Canada, like the United States, is a country of mass European colonization. It is estimated that at least 13 million people have arrived here from Europe over the past 400 years.

Formation anglo-Canadian nationbegan in the XVII century. along with the first migration flows from the British Isles, in which the British, Scots, and Irish participated. After 1763, when Canada came into British possession, they increased markedly. After the War of Independence and the formation of the United States, a flood of "loyalists" poured here - those English immigrants to the United States who did not want to stay in this country and supported the British army during the war, and after its defeat they preferred to relocate to the remaining English Canada. At the same time, the assimilation of various non-British ethnic groups by Anglo-Canadians began, primarily through mixed marriages of immigrants from the British Isles with persons of German, Dutch and Scandinavian descent.

Today, the number of Anglo-Canadians in Canada is 18 million people, or 58% of the total population. This share is less than in late XIX century, when the Anglo-Canadians made up 2/3 of the total population of the country. Nevertheless, it is the largest nation of modern Canada. Anglo-Canadians form the main population in nine out of ten provinces (except Quebec). In each of them, communication in English prevails, and in many provinces it is spoken by more than 9/10 residents.

Canada's second largest nation is french Canadians.It was based on the few first French immigrants (mainly from northern France) who settled here back in the 17th century. After the already mentioned transition of French Canada to Great Britain in 1763, the French Canadians were completely isolated from their homeland, France. This contributed to their especially close internal cohesion, intertwining of family ties and, ultimately, the formation of a special nation that preserved the ancient dialect of the French language, national customs and folklore. Mixed marriages are not typical for Franco-Canadians, which increases their isolation.

Today, the number of French Canadians in Canada is more than 7 million people, or 22% of its total population. This share is also less than at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, when the French Canadians accounted for 1/3 of the total population of the country. To some extent this is explained by the fact that recently the birth rate among the French Canadians has sharply decreased, although before that for more than two centuries it had the highest rates. About 4/5 of all French Canadians are concentrated in the former French Canada - in the province of Quebec, where they make up about the same share in the total population.

Separate compact groups of French Canadians also live in the provinces of Ontario and New Brunswick (the former French colony of Acadia).

In addition to the two large "founding nations", a significant portion of the population of Canada is formed by quite numerous transitional ethnic groups, or national minorities.The assimilation of part of the population of these groups with the Anglo-Canadians is offset by the influx of new migrants. Typically, such transitional groups do not have their distinct ethnic territories, forming only separate intersperses in the general Anglo-Canadian background of settlement, and in large cities grouping in separate quarters.

The three largest transitional groups in Canada are German, Italian, and Ukrainian. Canadian Germans are settled everywhere, but their stratum in the steppe provinces is especially great. Unlike Germans, long-time settlers, Italians are among the relatively recent migrants. They live mainly in cities, especially in Montreal and Toronto. Ukrainians began to emigrate to Canada at the end of the 19th century, and the peak of this emigration was in the period before the First World War. They settled mainly in the steppe provinces, forming rather compact national ranges. Like the French Canadians, Canadian Ukrainians retain their native language and have little involvement in mixed marriages. The remaining transitional groups include immigrants from Europe (Scandinavians, Dutch, Hungarians, Poles, Lithuanians, Latvians, Jews, Greeks), as well as from non-European countries (Chinese, Japanese, Filipinos, Indians, Arabs).

Fig. 211. Administrative divisions of Canada until 1999

Finally, the Canadian population deserves a separate highlight indigenous peoples.The 1982 Constitution of the country includes three groups. Firstly, they are representatives of numerous Indian-speaking tribes speaking 58 languages, of which 800 thousand are people. Including 600 thousand people are referred to status Indians who have the corresponding "Indian status" and enjoy certain privileges. About half of them live in 2000 reservations, which together occupy 30 thousand km 2. Secondly, these are the Indian-European mestizos (there are about 200 thousand of them), the descendants of the English and French marriages with Native American women, concluded during the initial development of the Canadian West and North. Thirdly, these are the Canadian Eskimos (self-designation inuitwhich means "man", "people"). There are about 50 thousand of them, and it is they who make up the bulk of the inhabitants of the coast of the Arctic Ocean and the islands of the Canadian Arctic archipelago.

^ National relations in Canada and before, sometimes they became acute. But this especially applies to the last decades, when they began to literally shake the entire federation building. There are three main problems of this kind.

The first one is the problem of French-Canadian nationalism.There is perhaps no more acute problem in the recent history of Canada.

At first glance, this may seem strange. In fact, French-Canadian Quebec is the largest in area (three France could be located on its territory) and the second most populous province in Canada, giving more than 1/5 of the country's GNP. Through the territory of Quebec passes a deepwater waterway along the river. St. Lawrence. On this river, there are cities such as Montreal, in which almost half of the provincial population lives and which is often called Canadian Paris, and Quebec, almost all of whose population is Franco-Canadians. But it is especially important that French, along with English, serves as the official language of Canada. The equality of these two languages \u200b\u200bis strictly observed. Not only official documents, but even labels of goods sold, announcements and inscriptions throughout the country are made in two languages.

Nevertheless, it cannot be denied that the French Canadians in Canada experience national discrimination. It began when the dominion of Canada was formed in 1867, when the bi-ethnic nature of the state was not adequately reflected in the country's constitution. The orders that prevailed in Canada assigned the French Canadians the role of "secondary" citizens, and the province of Quebec itself - the role of a kind of economic appendage of the English-speaking provinces.

The national and especially economic inequality of the two "founding nations" began to manifest itself especially in the middle of the 20th century. It turned out that the Anglo-Canadians occupy key positions in the economy of the country and in its social hierarchy, that the living standards of the French Canadians are significantly lower than the national average, that their earnings are incommensurable with the earnings of the Anglo-Canadians living in Quebec, that unemployment in this province is much higher, and the level of education and health care is lower than in English-speaking provinces. We can also mention that, unlike the neighboring province of Ontario, the basis of the economy of Quebec was and is constituted by industries belonging to the "lower floors".

All this in the 60-70s. XX century caused a boom in French-Canadian nationalism. Requirements not only for expanding the rights of the French language in the English-speaking provinces, but also for the creation of a two-member Canadian federation, became widespread. Moreover, organizations, movements and groups began to emerge in Quebec that called for the complete self-determination of this province - right up to its separation from Canada and the creation of a “sovereign Quebec”. Such extreme separatist tendencies created the ground for the emergence of terrorist organizations and even led to the introduction of temporary martial law in 1970. Then the negotiation process was continued. Nevertheless, Quebec was the only province in Canada that did not sign the new constitution in 1982. This was a response to the refusal of the Anglo-Canadians to accept the recognition of Quebec status of "special society."

Subsequently, conciliation negotiations continued in 1987, and all ten provinces adopted a new document identifying Quebec as a “unique society” within Canada. However, by the appointed date (June 1990), it had not been approved, mainly because of the opposition of some Anglo-Canadian provinces. In 1992, a new draft constitutional reform was agreed, but it also did not gather a majority of the vote in a Canadian referendum, which stimulated a new wave of Franco-Canadian separatism. And in 1994, the Quebec Party, which stood for its full sovereignty, won the elections to the National Assembly of Quebec. A direct consequence of this was the referendum held in October 1995 on the complete independence of the province. If it were successful, Canada would break up into two geopolitically and economically independent parts, which could cast doubt on its further existence. But the francophone separatists did not win this referendum.

Nevertheless, one cannot ignore the fact that 2361 thousand people voted against the separation of Quebec from Canada, and 2308 thousand voted for the separation: therefore, only 53 thousand votes, or a little more than 1, were not enough for the supporters of the separation to win the referendum % Immediately after the referendum, the Canadian federal authorities stepped up their policies in two directions. On the one hand, they offered Quebec the most favorable conditions for him, proclaiming the province as a “special community” and endowing it with additional constitutional rights. On the other hand, they appealed to the Supreme Court of the country with a request on whether Quebec has the right to unilaterally secede from the federation. It can be added to the above that in Québec itself, far from all Franco-Canadians are in favor of secession from Canada. At the beginning of 2003, the Quebec party lost the election of a liberal party in favor of preserving the federation. In 2006, the Prime Minister proposed to proclaim Quebec "a nation (country) within a united Canada." But the debate around this issue continues.

The second acute national problem can be identified indigenous issueOf Canada. The indigenous population has also recently intensified the struggle for their rights. To a certain extent this is due to the reorientation of part of it from hunting to employment and, accordingly, relocation to the cities of the Canadian North. Aboriginal peoples have long been demanding a special amendment to the country's constitution providing for their right to self-determination. As a result, in 1993, a provision was introduced into the Constitutional Act that indigenous peoples of the country have an inalienable right to self-government within Canada. And this right was realized in 1999. Another thirteenth constituent entity of the federation called Nunavut arose (translated from Eskimo - “our land”). The territory of Nunavut was separated from the North-Western territories, the area of \u200b\u200bwhich as a result was reduced by 2/3. Nunavut occupies 2 million km 2, or 1/5 of the total area of \u200b\u200bCanada (Fig. 212), although it is inhabited only by 21 thousand people, mostly Inuit, with an average population density of 1 person per 100 km 2. The rights of the territory of Nunavut are similar to the rights of the Yukon and the Northwest Territories: a legislative assembly, an executive cabinet, and a court were created here. Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien called the formation of Nunavut a great day, not only for this territory, but for the whole of Canada.

Here is how D.V. Zayats describes this day in an article on the formation of Nunavut. “On the night of March 31 to April 1, 1999, the starry sky above Iqualuit, a small northern Canadian town, blossomed with amazingly beautiful fireworks. Solemnly sounded the Canadian anthem. To the applause of numerous spectators, including Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien, Governor-General Romeo Le Blanc, representing the Queen of England in Canada, and Jane Stewart, Minister of Indigenous Affairs and Development of the North, yellow-red-white slowly began to rise along the flagpole flag. The evening of the next day was decorated with a gala concert never before seen in this cold circumpolar region, in which popular artists participated. Canadian national television broadcast live festivals throughout the country. The National Bank issued a special commemorative coin on the same day. ”

The third problem is the problem of foreign immigration.Immigration has always been characteristic of Canada. But recently, its composition has noticeably changed. In contrast to the past, immigrants (about 200 thousand people annually) now account for only 19% of immigrants from Europe, while immigrants from Asia - 57%, Latin America - 13, Africa - 7% (the rest are from the USA). From the above figures it follows that today, "color" immigration to Canada, which has acquired the most massive character, is sharply predominant.

Fig. 212. Nunavut Territory (according to D.V. Zaitz)

Non-European immigrants used to lead a relatively closed lifestyle within their city blocks, but now they are spread throughout the country. The Chinese language, for example, became the third among the most widely spoken languages \u200b\u200bof Canada, and Vancouver, the administrative center of British Columbia, where especially many Chinese live, became jokingly called Chaywan (from the English. China - China). Hence the constant, starting from the second half of the 1960s, an increase in intransigence towards “alien” immigrants, an increase in the number of racist organizations.

Under these conditions, the Canadian government is conducting multiculturalism policy(multiculturalization), which, by design, should contribute to the formation of a unified Canadian society, reflect the interests of each citizen, regardless of his ethnic origin. This policy is implemented as a series of special programs.

133. Mining Canada

Modern Canada is one of the largest miningworld powers. Among the economically developed countries of the West, it is second only to the USA in the development of this industry. AT mining industry Canada employs 350 thousand people, and its share in the country's GDP is 4%. On a per capita basis, fuel and raw materials are extracted annually at approximately $ 700 (in the US - at $ 50). In addition, the country's mining industry is extremely diverse: 26 types of metallic, 24 types of non-metallic raw materials and all known types of fuel are mined here.

It is clear that the natural basis for such a powerful development of this industry was the exceptional natural wealthCanada's minerals. Suffice it to say that in its bowels there are more than 4/5 of all Western potash reserves, about 2/3 of nickel and zinc, 2/5 of lead and uranium, and about 1/3 of iron and copper ore, titanium, and tungsten. To this list, one can add quite large reserves of oil and natural gas, coal, cobalt, platinum, gold, silver, asbestos and some other minerals.

This diversity is primarily due to the peculiarities of the geological and tectonic structure of the territory of Canada. The basins and deposits of iron, copper, nickel, cobalt ore, gold, platinum, and uranium are genetically related primarily to the Precambrian Canadian shield, which is composed of crystalline rocks that come to the surface. Occupying an area of \u200b\u200b4.6 million km 2, it stretches from the Canadian Arctic archipelago to the Great Lakes and p. St. Lawrence. In the west of the country, where the Mesozoic folding region is located mainly and the Cordillera belt passes, pools and deposits of copper, polymetallic, molybdenum, tungsten, and mercury ores are especially common. And the oil, gas, coal basins on the tectonic map of Canada should be sought within the marginal trough of the Cordillera and smaller intermountain troughs.

A general overview of Canada’s mining industry is provided in table 70.

The data in table 70 indicate that Canada is producing large amounts of fuel, ore, and non-metallic minerals. At the same time, non-competitive first and second places are occupied by oil and natural gas (Fig. 214), although Canadian oil is more modest in world production, as follows from the same table. In the mining of ore minerals, the picture is formed, one might say the opposite. Their share in the structure of the Canadian mining industry is relatively small, and in world indicators it is very significant. This is evidenced by Canada's first place in uranium production, the second in cobalt and nickel production, and the third in primary aluminum. Iron ore, copper, lead, titanium, tungsten, gold, silver, platinum can also be added to this list. Canada has a very strong position in the extraction of certain types of nonmetallic raw materials (potash salts, asbestos, and native sulfur).

Table 70

MINING INDUSTRY OF CANADA IN 2005–2007

* From imported raw materials.

The most important feature of the mining industry in Canada is its export orientationmore than 4/5 of all mining products are supplied to the world market. Canada is a leading global exporter of uranium, nickel, copper, zinc, titanium, molybdenum, silver, platinum, asbestos, and potassium salts. In value terms, about 60% of Canadian mineral exports are in the USA, 25 - in Western Europe and 10% to Japan.

We turn now to geographical aspectsthis industry. There are various options for mining zoning in Canada. In the most generalized form, one can obviously talk about the most developed Southern region, coinciding with the main resettlement zone in the country, and about the Canadian North.

Within the Southern region, which has the most favorable economic and geographical position, a wide variety of minerals are being mined - coal, oil, natural gas, copper, polymetallic, nickel and other ores, uranium, gold, potassium salts, asbestos. Including the extraction of nickel, potassium salts and asbestos is of global importance.

Of the nickel deposits, Sudbury is best known in Ontario. Nickel reserves here exceed 60 mnt with an average metal grade of ore equal to 1.5%. In addition, the ores of this deposit contain copper (1.2%), cobalt, gold, silver, platinoids, selenium and tellurium, which are extracted in passing. The Sudbury deposit has been operating since the end of the 19th century, and the depth of development here exceeded 1.5 km. The main deposits of asbestos are located in the south of Quebec. They are developed both underground and open pit.

Fig. 213. Canadian Mining Structure (by value)

Potash salts in Saskatchewan were discovered during oil drilling only during the Second World War. Further exploration showed that there is the largest potash basin, the salt-bearing stratum of which extends for 800 km with a width of 250 km. Potash salts occur in the upper part of this sequence at a depth of 700-800 m in the north to 2500 m in the south. Their total reserves exceed 10 billion tons of K 2 0, and the average content of potassium oxide in the working formations is 25–35%. In the 1990s the extraction of potash salts in this basin was 9-10 million tons. It is conducted by the mine method. However, sinking of mine shafts is difficult due to quicksand, which has to be frozen, and the shafts themselves are fixed with cast-iron tubing, as in the construction of the subway.

The Canadian North is the largest area of \u200b\u200bnew development, the “face” of which is primarily determined by the mining industry. It produces the bulk of oil and natural gas, iron ore, tungsten, and some non-ferrous metals. An important distinguishing feature of the Canadian North is its extremely low population. Only 400 thousand people live here, or 1.3% of the total population of the country, while the share of the North in Canada is 70%. Therefore, the development of the mineral resources of the Canadian North is carried out mainly on a rotational basis.

The essence of the shift method is that shift (shift) of workers arrives from the base city for several weeks or a month or two, and then returns home, while a new shift arrives in their place. At the same time, near small mines, mines and opencast mines, usually only small shift camps arise with social facilities necessary for life. Even in the larger mining villages of the Canadian North, the population, as a rule, does not exceed 5-10 thousand people.

The Canadian North, in turn, is usually divided into two parts: the Middle North and the Far North.

Part ^ Mid Northincludes the northern provinces of Newfoundland, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. It covers an area of \u200b\u200bapproximately 3 million km 2 with a population of 300 thousand people. Extraction of many minerals is carried out within its limits, but among them oil, gas, uranium and iron ore can be particularly distinguished.

More than 80% of the oil and natural gas produced in Canada comes from northern Alberta. Hydrocarbon deposits were discovered here in the late 40s - early 50s. XX century. That served as the main stimulus for the rapid growth of both the administrative center of the province of Edmonton, and the "oil capital" of Canada, Calgary; both of them are distinguished by their arrangement, an abundance of skyscrapers, etc. Oil and natural gas are transported through pipelines from here to other provinces of Canada, especially in the eastern direction - in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. A significant portion of oil and natural gas is exported to the United States. For this, the Edmonton-Regina-Chicago oil pipeline was built. The USA also acts as the sole importer of Canadian natural gas (in the amount of 60–70 billion m 3 per year).

Fig. 214. The share of individual provinces of Canada in the country's mining products

In addition, in the province of Alberta, 400 km northeast of Edmonton, there are the world's largest tar sand deposits, located in the basins of the Athabasca, Peace River and others. These sands, containing about 14% of oil products, occupy 80 thousand km 2. The potential reserves of liquid hydrocarbons in them are estimated at a huge figure of 75 billion tons; it means that a significant part of all possible hydrocarbon resources on the planet is concentrated here. The development of Alberta tar sands and the production of oil from them began in the 1960s. Interest in them especially increased after the energy crisis of the mid-1970s. But even after world oil prices fell again and this interest decreased markedly, enterprises for the production of oil from sand continue to work here, producing 60 thousand tons of liquid fuel daily. In 2000, due to rising oil prices, Canada's oil resources were revised upwards, from 1 to 24 billion tons! As a result, according to this indicator, the country took the 2nd place in the world after Saudi Arabia. On the whole, Alberta’s province accounts for more than half of Canada’s mining output (Figure 214).

In the neighboring province of Saskatchewan, in the area of \u200b\u200bLake. Athabasca, Canada’s largest uranium ore deposits are located, providing 3/5 of all uranium mining in the country. The first uranium settlement Uranium City appeared here back in the 1960s. Currently, mining is carried out mainly at the Key Lake and Cigar Lake deposits, which are among the largest in the world (annual production is 5,000-6,000 tons).

And in iron ore, the northern part of the province of Quebec is especially distinguished, more precisely - the Labrador Peninsula. The iron ore basin on this peninsula was explored during and after the Second World War. It is located in the Labrador Trough of the Canadian Crystal Shield and stretches from north to south with a narrow horseshoe-shaped 600-kilometer strip (Fig. 215). The average iron content in the rich ores of this basin is 55–60%, but there are still large reserves of relatively poor ores. The development of iron ore, which began in the mid-1950s, is carried out primarily by open pit mining. To transport iron ore, a special ore railway was built from the main development centers - Schefferville and Labrador City - to St. Lawrence Bay. From here, 3/4 of the iron ore is exported to the USA and Western Europe, the rest is used in Canada itself. Despite a recent decline in production, more than 30 million tons of iron ore are mined annually.

In the north of Manitoba, the largest nickel mining operations are underway.

Its contribution to the development of the country's mining industry also makes ^ Far NorthCanada is a vast area, located mainly north of the 60th parallel and occupying 3.9 million km 2 with a population of about 100 thousand people. The Far North includes the Yukon, Northwest and Nunavut territories.

Yukon territory at the end of the XIX century. became famous all over the world for the "gold rush" that engulfed the river basin. Klondike. The fate of gold miners who have become ill with this “fever” is described as Jack London. Nowadays, gold, silver, copper, polymetals are also mined here. The vast Northwest territories prior to World War II were allocated by uranium mining in the Great Bear Lake area. Now gold, polymetals, tungsten and other ores are mined here.

Fig. 215. Iron ore industry of the Labrador Peninsula

The prospects for oil and natural gas production in the estuary are not very clear. Mackenzie, as well as within the so-called Extreme North - on the shelf and islands of the Canadian Arctic archipelago. Back in the 1970s. two trans-Canadian gas pipelines were developed to link these new areas with the gas network of southern Canada and the United States. However, for environmental and other reasons, a moratorium was imposed on these projects, and work on the Arctic shelf was suspended. Private firms and the Canadian government chose to do exploration work in the more southern offshore areas first. The same applies to projects for transporting northern oil by tankers.

Fig. 216. Forests of Canada
On the other hand, in the early 1990s. interest in diamond deposits in the Northwest Territories sharply increased, where geologists discovered rich kimberlite pipes.

134. Forestry Canada

Canadian Forestry is an important component of global forestry. It employs approximately 800 thousand people, and its annual production exceeds $ 50 billion. Such high rates are largely due to favorable natural conditions for the development of forestry.

At the beginning of the XX century. Canada has been described as a country of grain growers. Indeed, before the outbreak of World War I, agriculture was the basis of its economy, on which its manufacturing industry mainly developed. The vast majority of the country's population was employed in agriculture and related industries. In the global market, Canada has acted as the largest producer and supplier of wheat and other agricultural products.

Due to the economic crisis that has erupted since 1929, the situation of Canadian farmers has deteriorated sharply. The fall in wheat prices ruined thousands of small farmers, they were not able to pay either debts to banks and loan agencies, or taxes to the state. Not only grain harvested, but also many hectares of land were seized from farmers in payment of debts and interest on loans. The situation worsened by the fact that in the 1930s, drought continued in the Canadian steppes for 8 years. The earth dried up, turned into dry powder, and the wind blew away the top layer of the soil, raising clouds of dust. Since the mid-30s, abandoned farms have become characteristic Canadian landscape. Broken farmers went to the cities in search of work. The situation improved significantly during the Second World War, when Canadian agricultural products were widely marketed. But after the war, Canadian agriculture began to decline. U.S. competition and declining imports of Canadian agricultural products to England have drastically worsened the situation of Canadian farmers. There is an active process of consolidation of capitalist farms and the ruin of small-scale farming, replenishing the ranks of the Canadian proletariat. The number of farms decreased from 623 thousand in 1941 to 575 thousand in 1956. From year to year the number of people employed in agriculture is reduced, if in 1941 another third of the amateur population was employed in it, then in 1951 g. - only one sixth.

By the nature of agricultural production, Canada is divided into four areas:

1) the agricultural population of British Columbia, concentrated in mountain valleys and along the coast, is engaged in dairy farming, poultry farming, gardening (growing apples and berries), seed growing, vegetable growing and flower growing. Products are sold primarily to nearby markets in Vancouver and Seattle (USA);

2) the steppe provinces - Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, in which about 71% of the cultivated area of \u200b\u200bthe country is concentrated, these are areas of large-scale monocultural wheat farming;

3) the provinces of Ontario and Quebec are the oldest agricultural regions of the country; here dairy cattle breeding, vegetable growing, horticulture and poultry farming have developed, which satisfy the demand of the country's major industrial centers located here;

4) dairy farming and horticulture are developed in the coastal provinces, the latter being almost exclusively exported (to England).

Machines are widely used in agriculture in Canada, especially on the farms of the steppe provinces and in Ontario, but in some parts of the country horse-seeders, simple harvesters, mowers are also of great importance, and in the coastal provinces you can still see a harness of oxen.

A characteristic feature of agriculture in Canada is its high productivity and the insignificant use of wage labor in it. Canada is a country of family farms. On average, 77% of farms in the country are owned by farmers 1. Most of the land occupied by farms is cultivated by the farmers themselves and their family members (only 21.5% are cultivated by tenants and 1.2% by “wage labor). This is possible due to the presence of large families and extensive mechanization of agricultural labor. It is used mainly during harvesting, at which time special trains “harvest excursions” run along the country's railways, transporting seasonal workers to various agricultural areas, and a large percentage of seasonal workers are students.

As a reaction to the dominance of monopolies in agriculture in Canada, a cooperative movement developed. It began in 1915, and in 1942 there were already 418 local societies with 36,761 members, united by the central federation.

Employmentof the population

In 1951, the amateur population of Canada amounted to 53.1% (5286 thousand people) of the total population over 14 years old.

The country's industrial development is causing a fundamental change in Canadians' occupations. If before the First World War the farmer and the lumberjack were the central figures in the country's economy, now most of Canadians are employed in industry, especially in manufacturing.

As a result of the country's industrial development and the ruin of farming in recent years, a rapid increase in the urban population and a relative decrease in the number of people living in rural areas have been observed in all provinces of the country. In 1951, 62% of the Canadian population lived in cities and urban settlements, while in 1941 this percentage was 57. Over 10 years, from 1941 to 1951, the country's rural population in absolute terms increased by 3%, urban - by 30%. Particularly striking is the growth of the suburban areas of Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Quebec and other cities, whose population over the decade (1941-1951) increased by 68%, while the population of the cities themselves grew by an average of 15%. The highest percentage of urban population in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec, in which two-thirds of the country's industrial proletariat is concentrated.

Along with the growth of the industrial proletariat, there is a tendency to increase in the proportion of people engaged in unproductive labor, which is associated with an increase in the armed forces and an increase in the banking, commercial, and administrative staff. In 1953, for example, out of 5314 thousand people of the amateur population, 2316 thousand were engaged in unproductive labor. A large percentage are ministers of worship, of whom in 1951 there were more than 566 thousand people. 2

About 3 million Canadians were engaged in productive labor, of which about 1 million were in manufacturing, the rest in agriculture, transport, construction and mining.

Most Canadian women are housewives. In 1951, about 24% (1164 thousand people) of all women in Canada over 14 years of age were employed. (In 1901, this percentage was 13.5.) It is characteristic that the number of working married women is growing from year to year (in 1941, 1 out of 21 married women worked, and in 1951 1 out of 9). The main part (754 thousand) of employed women work in service enterprises or are persons of free professions. In Canada, there are many women ministers of worship and nuns (322 thousand people; 244 thousand men) 1. Productive labor was occupied by 257 thousand Canadians.

The most widely used female labor is in the food, textile and clothing industries (174 thousand people), fewer women are employed in transport (5 thousand people) and in the construction industry (3 thousand people), and there is almost no female labor in mining and forestry industry.

Nationalstructureof the populationOf Canada

Canada is a country of two nations: Anglo-Canadian and Franco-Canadian. Although the Anglo-Canadian nation is dominant, it is possible to call Canada the Anglo-Saxon country only with reservations. Anglo-Canadians (British, Scots, Irish and their descendants) in 1951 accounted for only 47.9% of the total population of the country (6709 thousand people). The proportion of Anglo-Saxons in the population of Canada tends to decrease: in 1901, the national average was 57%, in 1941. - 49.68%, in 1951 - 47.9%.

The second place is occupied by the Franco-Canadian nation, accounting for 30.8% of the total population and 80% of the population of the province of Quebec (4319 thousand people). The rest of the Canadian population is made up of various national groups - immigrants from Europe and Asia and their descendants. One of the most numerous groups are Canadian Slavs, the number of which reaches 1 million people. According to the underestimated 2 data of Canadian statistics in 1951 in Canada, there were:

Slavs - only about 800 thousand people, including:

Then follow:


Germans.............		Latvians ...................
Scandinavians ...		The Chinese .... 32 528 (42 519-
Dutch......		The Japanese .... 21 663 (23 342-
Jews ...............		Emigrants from other countries
Italians .....		Asia ....................
Hungarians ...........		Negros........................
Finns ...........		Indians ...................
Flemings and Walloons		Eskimos ..................
Austrians ....
Romanians ..........
Lithuanians .........

Most national groups are the second and third generation of immigrants from Europe and Asia. However, they retained their language, their cultural characteristics and religious organizations. As a rule, they are bilingual, although among the youth of the third generation there are many who do not know the language of their fathers and grandfathers and speak only English.

The bulk of emigrants from countries of Eastern Europe began to arrive in Canada from the end of the XIX century. The migratory flow continued until the 30s of the XX century, when immigration was sharply limited due to the economic crisis. Immigration was especially great in 1901-1915. During this period, more than 3 million immigrants arrived in Canada. For the decade 1921-1931. 1262 thousand people immigrated. After the Second World War (until the end of 1953), 958 thousand immigrants arrived in Canada. Of these, 30% were immigrants from the British Isles, the rest from Central and Eastern Europe (including the so-called displaced persons). After 1952, immigration to Canada is gradually declining.

According to the 1951 census, 85% of the population of Canada were its natives, 6% were natives of England and its dominions, 2% of the United States and 6% of other countries in Europe and Asia. Migrants from Eastern Europe were mostly peasants; they rushed to the steppe provinces: Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. By 1951, the descendants of these settlers made up a significant part of the population of the steppe provinces: 58% of the population of Saskatchewan, 50% of the population of Manitoba, 52% of the population of Alberta.

Due to these conditions in Canada, along with general trends in the country's development, each province has its own characteristics in both the economic and public life of the population. Canada France and Canada English are still different, in the territory of which various national groups are interspersed with islets.

132. National Issues in Canada

National composition of the populationCanada can be described as very complex and at the same time quite simple. It is composed because this country is inhabited by more than 100 distinct ethnic groups speaking dozens of different languages. Among them (in descending order) are English, French, Chinese, Italian, German, Lunjabi, Polish, Ukrainian, Spanish, Dutch, Greek. And simple because not one of them, except the first two, speaks more than 3 °% of the country's inhabitants. So all the numerous languages, with the exception of English and French, can be called the languages \u200b\u200bof national minorities. In fact, Canada is actually bi-national countrythe national composition of the population is determined by two large nations - Anglo-Canadians and Franco-Canadians. Moreover, neither one nor the other makes up the majority in it.

This feature of the national composition of the population of Canada is associated with the uniqueness of its historical development. After all, Canada, like the United States, is a country of mass European colonization. It is estimated that at least 13 million people have arrived here from Europe over the past 400 years.

Today, the number of Anglo-Canadians in Canada is 18 million people, or 58% of the total population. This share is less than at the end of the 19th century, when the Anglo-Canadians made up 2/3 of the total population of the country. Nevertheless, it is the largest nation of modern Canada. Anglo-Canadians form the main population in nine out of ten provinces (except Quebec). In each of them, communication in English prevails, and in many provinces it is spoken by more than 9/10 residents.

Separate compact groups of French Canadians also live in the provinces of Ontario and New Brunswick (the former French colony of Acadia).

Fig. 211. Administrative divisions of Canada until 1999

National relationsin Canada and before, sometimes they became acute. But this especially applies to the last decades, when they began to literally shake the entire federation building. There are three main problems of this kind.

The first one is the problem of French-Canadian nationalism.There is perhaps no more acute problem in the recent history of Canada.

Fig. 212. Nunavut Territory (according to D.V. Zaitz)

In 1867, it received the status of the first British dominion, i.e., a completely self-governing overseas possession of the British crown. The head of state is considered the Queen of England, represented by the Governor General. But the real legislative power belongs to the parliament, and the executive to the government.

While Canadians fought for their independence, their country's economy was gradually subordinated to its rich southern neighbor. Americans invested in the development of resources. Canadians received jobs and salaries, Americans - their profits.

Canada is a multinational country. The basis of the population is made up of two peoples - the French Canadians and the Anglo-Canadians. Seven million people French Canadians come from ten thousand immigrants from France XVII - XVIII centuries., This is 31% of the total population of Canada. 11% are indigenous people and immigrants from other countries.

The majority of the country's population are Anglo-Canadians (about 58% of the inhabitants of Canada); their ancestors moved from the UK. The official languages \u200b\u200bare English and French. Anglo-Canadians occupy major posts in the economy and this leads to an exacerbation of ethnic conflicts. The French Canadians populate the province of Quebec and put forward demands for the creation of an independent Franco-Canadian state.

Indigenous people are Indians (1 million people) and (50 thousand people). The first of them came to this land more than 25 thousand years ago from Asia. 1/3 of the population of Canada are several dozen other ethnic minorities. These are Germans (1 million people), Dutch (500 thousand), Chinese, Greeks, Portuguese, Arabs, Russians, Ukrainians.

In the northern regions, which occupy 70% of the country's territory, 1.5% of its inhabitants live. These are mainly indigenous peoples - Indians and Eskimos, and the islands of the Canadian archipelago are uninhabited. The average population density in the country is 2.8 people / km2. The urban population is 80%. The cities of Canada have the same appearance as the cities of the United States. The major financial and commercial, administrative, transport, scientific and cultural centers of the country are Toronto,. The “capital of the Far West” Vancouver, the “capital of oil and gas” Edmonton and Calgary are developing rapidly. A large number of geographically dispersed small settlements are associated with the development of the northern regions.

14% of the country's population is employed in the sectors of material production, and 75% in the non-productive sphere.