Western Canada

Question 1

What kind of climate does Western Canada have?

Answer 1

Continental climate, which includes:

• Low annual precipitation
• Extreme temperature fluctuation
• Dry air masses
• Far enough away from the oceans, combined with a massive mountain range which blocks a lot of moisture from reaching the region

Question 2

What is Evapotranspiration, and why is it important?

Answer 2

Evapotranspiration is the process by which water is transferred from the land to the atmosphere by evaporation from the soil + other surfaces, and transpiration from plants.

It’s a crucial way for scientists to measure drought, which is extremely important for an agricultural region

Question 3

What was this region known as before confederation?

Answer 3

It belonged to the HBC, and was part of “Rupert’s Land”

Settlers of the region were known as the “Red River Colony”, who had to live amongst First Nations

Question 4

When did agriculture start developing in the region?

Answer 4

1870-1914

Question 5

Who was the leader of the Métis, and founder of Manitoba? What did he do?

Answer 5

Louis Riel

He led resistance movements against the Canadian government to preserve their rights, culture, and homeland, which were greatly under pressure from settler influence.

He was eventually defeated and captured in a battle, found guilty of treason, and hanged. This was after several resistances that he led against the government.

Question 6

How did the agriculture industry change throughout time?

Answer 6

• A shift from hands-on labour to machinery
• Farmers began needing more land to make a profit by the 1920s. From only needing a quarter-section for profit, to needing a half-section for profit.
• The loss and upscaling of the iconic “grain elevator”. Economies of scale pushed out these elevators and replaced them with massive ones that had substantially larger capacities.
• The railroad has always remained important for Western Canada.

Question 7

What percentage of farms closed down between 1971 and 2006 in Alberta?

Answer 7

21%

Question 8

What percentage of farms closed in Saskatchewan between 1971 and 2006?

Answer 8

42%

Question 9

What percentage of farms closed in Manitoba between 1971 and 2006

Answer 9

45% (highest of any province)

Question 10

What percentage of farms closed in Western Canada between 1971-2006?

Answer 10

35%

Question 11

Where does Western Canada rank in GDP contribution as a region?

Answer 11

2nd

Question 12

Where does Western Rank in population size as a region?

Answer 12

3rd

Question 13

Which province is Western Canada set to overtake in population in near future?

Answer 13

Québec

Question 14

Which three countries/international regions does Western Canada mainly trade with?

Answer 14

USA

Pacific Rim

European Union

Question 15

What was Western Canada’s population in 2016?

Answer 15

6.7 Million (18% of the country)

Question 16

How many Indigenous people lived in Western Canada in 2016?

Answer 16

Just over 500,000

Question 17

What causes a water deficit?

Answer 17

When evapotranspiration is greater than the annual average precipitation

Question 18

What percentage of Canada’s GDP does Western Canada produce?

Answer 18

24.8%

Question 19

What percentage of Canada’s land does Western Canada make up?

Answer 19

20%

Question 20

What are the four physiographic regions of Western Canada?

Answer 20

Interior Plains

Canadian Shield

Hudson Bay Lowlands

Cordillera

Question 21

What are the four leading mineral resources?

Answer 21

Oil

Gas

Coal

Potash

Question 22

What’s the most vulnerable area in the region for drought?

Answer 22

Palliser’s Triangle/ Dry Belt

Question 23

What three environmental challenges does bitumen extraction create?

Answer 23

Emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere

Scarred industrial landscapes from open-pit mining

Seperating oil from bitumen uses a ton of water (from the Athabasaca River), plus heat. Toxic waste is created and drained into huge tailing ponds

Question 24

How much toxic water is produced each day by Alberta’s oil sands industry?

Answer 24

1.8 billion litres

Question 25

What are the agricultural regions of Western Canada?

Answer 25

Dry Belt

Fertile Belt

Agricultural Fringe

Question 26

Who acquired land form the HBC in 1810 to accommodate Scottish settlers?

Answer 26

Lord Selkirk; near Fort Garry

Question 27

Who inhabited Western Canada during the 19th century?

Answer 27

Métis and Plains people

Question 28

Who was the leader of the Métis, which mounted the Red River Rebellion of 1869?

Answer 28

Louis Riel

Question 29

What four important “nation-forming” goals were accomplished goals with the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway?

Answer 29

• A coast to coast transportation link for Canada
• The securing of the Red River Valley
• Opportunity for people to settle in the Canadian Prairies
• Ability to ship grain-products to the world’s major grain market in Great Britain and Europe.

Question 30

What are the three major oil sands areas of Western Canada?

Answer 30

Cold Lake, Athabasca Oil Sands, and Peace River

Question 31

What is the name of the reserves where gas-related waste is pumped into?

Answer 31

Tailing Ponds

Question 32

What are the trends in primary, secondary, and tertiary sectors in Western Canada from 2005-2016?

Answer 32

Small decrease in Primary (People being replaced by machines)

Extremely tiny decrease of Secondary sector of workers

Slight increase in tertiary sector of workers

Question 33

What kind of soil makes up Western Canada’s rich agricultural land base?

Answer 33

Chernozemic

Question 34

Describe the 1st phase of Agricultural Transition for Western Canada

Answer 34

Liberalization of international trade market with USA. Loosened trading barriers with the US and other countries creates more of a global demand for the industry

The disappearance of The Crow Benefit in 1995, which was a subsidy for shipping rates. Ensured that the rail costs for grains were very low, and allowed Western Canada to thrive despite the long distances of transport

The end of the NAFTA agreement, which has now been replaced with the CUSMA agreement. Our future relationship with the US is hard to predict

Question 35

Describe the 2nd phase of Agricultural Transition for Western Canada

Answer 35

Triggered by higher prices for grain, canola, and meat. Influenced by the growth of China’s growing middle class.

Increased global demand for biofuel crops and more specialized grains. Think of vans that run on Canola Oil/Vegetable Oil. People turning away from carbon emissions

Question 36

How big could the industrialized area of Western Canada’s oil sands become?

Answer 36

As big as England!