Similarities Between John A Macdonald And Louis Riel

The Politicians Upon first glance, John A Macdonald, Louis Riel, and James Douglas could not be more different. Each from varying backgrounds, races, and socioeconomic status, in any country other than Canada these men may have been forgotten by history. However, it is the commonalities that make these men extraordinary. These men of learning, hard work and adventure brought together a nation from ocean to ocean, connecting a continent despite differences of opinion, conflicting perspectives, and, ultimately, one bringing about the death of another. Clearly, the birth of Canada was attributed to these founding fathers: the Scotsman, John A Macdonald; the Metis leader, Louis Riel; and the Afro-Caribbean, James Douglas.

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Macdonald’s hard work and dedication led to the Quebec Conference, where four of the colonies decided to unite. Under the British North America Act, Canada’s first constitution, the Dominion of Canada was officially born. Macdonald was appointed the first Prime Minister and immediately set into motion what would later be called his National Policy. Composed of three directives (protective tariffs, increased immigration, and the creation of the CPR), Macdonald’s policy was very well received and he ended up being re-elected to continue the growth of Canada through the confederation of Manitoba, British Columbia, and Prince Edward Island under his leadership. However, not all of his actions were beneficial to the country as a whole. A prime

The majority of the Japanese to arrive came in the early 1900s to the west coast. Some of them went inland for mining towards Alberta; however many stayed in British Columbia to pursue fishing. They expanded the fishing market in BC and competed against large white-run fisheries. In order to succeed in the business, they needed to work additional hours, as they were given only a meager income. In addition to their businesses, they integrated into Canadian society through sports. In 1914, they established a baseball club called the Asahi. This gained recognition for the Japanese especially when they began winning many of the league champions, primarily in the 1930s. However, the team was sadly disbanded in 1941, after the attack on Pearl Harbor and the internment of the Japanese Canadians. According to James Marsh, 21,000 innocent people were “detained and dispossessed”, “interned for the rest of the Second World War”, with “their homes and businesses… sold by the government in order to pay for their detention” (James H. Marsh, 2012). Following the war, the Japanese were allowed to work; however the fishing industry never recovered and they began working more on forestry. It took more than forty years for the Japanese to be apologized to, but the government under Mulroney proposed a fund where the Japanese who were affected by the Internment Camps