Social Studies 10

Governments differ in who holds power and how it is limited: parliamentary democracy (elected legislature, executive drawn from it), constitutional monarchy (a monarch as head of state, limited by a constitution), autocracy (power concentrated in one ruler), republic (an elected or appointed head of state, no monarch), and theocracy (religious authority holds political power).

Political and economic ideologies differ in how much control government should have over the economy and society: socialism and communism (collective/state control), capitalism (private ownership, free markets), fascism (authoritarian nationalism), liberalism (individual rights, gradual reform), and conservatism (tradition, limited change).

Canada divides government across levels — local, regional, provincial, and federal — each responsible for different areas (e.g., municipalities handle local services, provinces handle education and health care, the federal government handles national defence and currency).

The Indian Act imposed Crown- and federal-government-controlled governance structures on First Peoples communities, including band councils — a system distinct from, and often replacing, First Peoples' own traditional governance.

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, part of the Constitution, protects fundamental rights and freedoms (such as expression, religion, and equality) from government interference.

Canada's autonomy grew through a series of milestones: the First World War (Canada fought and negotiated as a distinct nation), the Statute of Westminster 1931 (formal legislative independence from Britain), and the Constitution Act 1982 (Canada gained the power to amend its own Constitution without Britain's approval).

Canadian identity is not singular: First Peoples identities (status, non-status, First Nations, Métis, Inuit), Francophone identities (Acadian, Québécois, Franco-Ontarian), and immigrant and multicultural identities all exist within — and shape — what "Canadian" means.

Autonomy also grew through Canada's independent participation in international institutions like NATO and the United Nations, where Canada acts as a sovereign nation rather than as part of the British Empire.

Shared national symbols (such as the flag, hockey, or the CBC) offer a common reference point, but they coexist with, rather than replace, these distinct group identities.

Residential schools were government-funded, church-run institutions designed to separate First Peoples children from their families, languages, and cultures — part of a broader system of discriminatory policies against First Peoples in BC and Canada.

The Chinese head tax was a fee the Canadian government charged specifically to Chinese immigrants entering Canada, designed to discourage Chinese immigration.

In 1914, the Komagata Maru arrived in Vancouver carrying passengers from British India who were denied entry to Canada under discriminatory immigration laws designed to restrict immigration from South Asia.

Racial segregation in BC shaped where communities could live and gather; Hogan's Alley was Vancouver's historic Black neighbourhood, a centre of community life for Black Vancouverites.

During the Second World War, the Canadian government forcibly removed Japanese-Canadians — including Canadian-born citizens — from the West Coast, confiscated their property and businesses, and confined many in internment camps, without evidence any had done anything wrong.

The Quiet Revolution (1960s) was a period of rapid social and political change in Quebec that fuelled a growing sense of distinct Québécois identity and nationalism; the October Crisis (1970) saw the federal government invoke emergency powers in response to FLQ kidnappings.

The Meech Lake Accord (1987) and the Charlottetown Accord (1992) were attempts to amend the Constitution to address Quebec's demands and other regional concerns — both ultimately failed to gain the required approval.

The Oka Crisis (1990) and the Gustafsen Lake standoff (1995) were armed standoffs over disputed land claims, both drawing national attention to unresolved First Peoples land rights.

Canada has played significant roles in global armed conflicts — the Second World War, the Korean War, the Suez Crisis (where Canadian diplomacy helped pioneer peacekeeping), the Gulf War, Rwanda, and Afghanistan — each shaping Canada's military and diplomatic identity.

Canada has been a member of major international organizations across the 20th and 21st centuries — the League of Nations (interwar collective security), the United Nations (global co-operation and peacekeeping), NATO (a military alliance), and NORAD (continental defence with the US).