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Settling the West: Immigration to the Prairies from 1867 to 1914
Settling the West: Immigration to the Prairies from 1867 to 1914
Summary
Western Canada received millions of immigrant settlers from 1867 to 1914, creating key industries such as agriculture, mining, and oil, and causing the Prairies to grow rapidly. Accessible transportation, free homesteads, safety, and work in Canada contributed to this immigration boom, as well as overpopulation, underemployment, discrimination, and environmental conditions in the immigrants’ home countries. This period of population growth later shaped Canada’s society, economy, and culture.
by Erica Gagnon, Former Collections Researcher
(Updated January 28, 2022)
Introduction: The Immigration Boom to the Canadian West
From 1867 to 1914, the Canadian West became home to millions of immigrant settlers seeking a new life. Their resettlement in the region was underpinned by the displacement of Indigenous peoples. The resulting immigration boom created key industries still important to Canada’s international role – like agriculture, mining, and oil. The Prairie Provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta grew rapidly in these years as settlers began to transform the Prairie flatland and establish unique cultural settlements. Many motivations brought immigrants to Canada: greater economic opportunity and improved quality of life, an escape from oppression and persecution, and opportunities and adventures presented to ‘desirable’ immigrant groups by Canadian immigration agencies. By examining these motivations, we can better understand Prairie immigration experiences and the evolution of settlement patterns.
The immigration boom leading up to 1914 was one of the most important periods of Canadian population growth. Several significant changes occurred in Canada after 1867 that made the Prairie immigration boom possible. In 1871, the Canadian government entered into Treaty 1 and Treaty 2 to secure consent from Indigenous nations of those lands for immigrant settlement and for the development of natural resources. The Dominion Lands Act of 1872 created free and fertile homesteads (of 160 acres) for settlers from land previously inhabited by Indigenous peoples. The establishment of the North-West Mounted Police in 1873 guaranteed the safety of Prairie settlers and further dispossessed Indigenous residents. The creation of the Department of the Interior in 1873, helped to attract economic immigrants, and established the minister responsible as “…the Superintendent General of Indian affairs, and… have the control and management of the lands and property of the Indians in Canada.”[1] The construction of a transcontinental railroad made transportation and travel accessible greatly expanding European settlement in the Prairies and further entrenched settler colonialism in Western Canada.
In 1870, no urban centres existed on the Prairies. By 1911, thirteen cities with populations over 5,000 had been established.[2]
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