The Peopling of Canada: 1891-1921

Canada in the 1920s was a very different place than Canada in the 1890s. In some ways, Canada had come of age. Participation in the first World War encouraged a sense of Canada as a nation independent from Great Britain. As well, both social reformers and women's activists had made inroads. Canadians, on the whole, were more involved in matters, such as immigration, which were capable of influencing and shaping the character of Canada. Immigration became more restricted as anti-foreigner sentiment and war-time hostilities asserted themselves. As well, 1921 was a year of deep depression, marked especially by the collapse of the international wheat market. In the 1920s some provinces even took the first steps towards becoming welfare states.

By 1921 the size and distribution of Canada's population had changed dramatically from 1891. In contrast to the West's very low population density in 1891, the Prairie provinces in 1921 held a significant share of the nation's population. Although Ontario and Quebec were still the most populous regions, the population of the West had grown exponentially during the settlement era. On the other hand, the population of the Maritime provinces had become increasingly significant in terms of Canada's total population distribution.

Population Distribution of Canada 1921

By 1921 Canadian society was much more secular and better educated than in 1911. More Canadians lived in incorporated towns and cities than in 1891. In the West urban centres remained linked to agriculture and the growth of cities depended on the growth of farming pursuits. Manufacturers remained based in eastern Canada because of lower production costs. The east also had an excess of cheap labour, cheap power sources, an abundance of mineral resources and the transportation facilities to make production. By 1921 the only western cities with populations over 25,000 were Winnipeg, Vancouver, Victoria, Regina, Saskatoon, Edmonton, and Calgary.

Overall, between 1911 and 1921 the number of farms in Canada continued to increase. Small decreases in agricultural land occurred in the Maritimes and Ontario, but a very large - almost 100 per cent - increase in agricultural land was gained on the prairies. British Columbia and Quebec expanded slightly their amount of agricultural land. The prospects of farming, however, were quickly dampened in the 1920s. Farming costs rose over these years, and therefore profits and real wages dropped. Bad weather, fluctuating yields and poor prices on world markets also hurt Canadian agriculture. The 1920s also witnessed the beginning of serious droughts on the southern prairies.

During this era the Prairie Provinces and British Columbia received the largest percentages of foreign-born migrants in Canada. While Ontario's ratio of foreign-born to native-born population grew slightly, the percentage of foreign-born residents in Quebec and the Maritimes went virtually unchanged.

Native-Born and Foreign-Born Population: Canada 1921

At the end of the Settlement Era, Canada's population was still primarily of British and French origin. In 1921 ethnically British persons actually constituted a greater percentage of the population than they had in 1891. High birth rates in Quebec contributed to the stability of the French-speaking population in Canada. Although the Germans constituted a smaller proportion of ethnic groups in Canada in 1921 than in 1891, their population had grown throughout the period. However, foreign immigration had made inroads in the bicultural identity of Canada. In 1921 approximately 16 per cent of the population did not identify ethnically with British or French origins. Those recognised as Indians under the Indian Act constituted only 1 per cent of the total population.

Percentage Distribution of Ethnic Groups in Canada: 1921

This table shows provincial variation in the ethnicity of Canada. Regional conditions attracted immigrants of differing ethnic groups. For instance, many Asian immigrants, came to work in British Columbia on railway construction and lumber camps, while Saskatchewan was a destination for rural peasants from "Other European" countries, such as Austrians, Galicians (Ukrainians), Hungarians, Russians, Serbo-Croatians, Lithuanians, Poles, and Icelandic peoples. Certain ethnic groups predominated in Canada's cities. By 1921 Toronto contained a large population of Italians. Approximately two-thirds of Canadian Jews lived in Winnipeg, Toronto, and Montreal. Greeks, Macedonians, Syrians, Lebanese and Armenians were also more likely to live in cities and to practice trades rather than farming. Those of French origin continued to comprise the overwhelming majority of Quebec, as did those of British origin in Ontario.

Ethnic Groups in Canada by Province, 1921

Between 1919 and 1931 1.2 million immigrants arrived in Canada. The immigration rates of the previous decade, however, did not reappear in the 1920s. During the 1920s immigration accounted for only 14 per cent of the total population growth. Part of the decline in immigration was the after-effect of the First World War. The Canadian government increased their sanctions against certain immigrant groups, and the war-torn atmosphere of Europe left many without the means to immigrate. As well, the Canadian government continued to maintain their preference for would-be farmers, domestic servants and agricultural workers.