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Geography of Canada > Lecture 9: Prairies > Flashcards

Lecture 9: Prairies Flashcards

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1
Q

What were the four goals that the new Dominion acheived as a result of the Canadian Pacific Railway?

A
  1. East-west transportation link uniting Canada coast to coast
  2. The vast territory west of Rupert’s land was secured for Canada
  3. With treaties in place, settlers could purchase farmland
  4. The western grain economy flourished as they could be transported to ports and then shipped to Europe
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2
Q

What was a major consequence of the settling of Western Canada?

A

the end of a hunting economy and placed diverse Indugenous peoples under a colonial system of assimilation in accordance with the Indian Act

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3
Q

What were settlers promised in Manitoba under the Dominion Lands Act of 1872?

A

“cheap” land in Manitoba → 65 ha of land for $10

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4
Q

Where did an influx of prospective homesteaders begin arriving from in Manitoba after 1872?

A

Ontario

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5
Q

How did the minister of the Interior Clifford Sitfton try to lure more settlers to Western Canada?

A

Sending thousands of posters, pamphlets, and advertisements to Europe and the USA to promote free homesteads and assisted passages

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6
Q

Where did Sifton cast a wider net of advertisments to after 1896 for “less desirable” immigrants?

A

Central and Eastern Europe

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7
Q

Why did English-speaking Canadians get upset of about the arrival of “less desirable” immigrants?

A

Because they believed in British racial supieriority

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8
Q

What led to a stark difference in cultural makeup between Central and Western Canada?

A

The 2 million central/eastern European settlers (from Germany, Ukraine, Russia) → who did not speak English and French

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9
Q

Who caused a linguistic assimilation form in Western Canada?

A

The children of the Eastern European immigrants formed a non-British but English-speaking society

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10
Q

What were the two farmer repercussions of the CPR being built in a realtively southern route (along Winnipeg, Regina, and Calgary)?

A
  1. Provided easy access for farmers to markets
  2. Roughly 1/4 of landed opened to homesteaders were in Palliser’s Triangle → dissatisfaction with the CPR monopoly lead farmers to SEEK an alternative rail route to ship their grain to Europe, the northern rail line was known as the Hudson Bay Railway
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11
Q

What were the two factors that turned prairie farmers against pring wheat?

A
  1. Low world prices
  2. high rail transportation costs
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12
Q

What was the government subisdy for grain exports until 1995 called?

A

The Crow Rate

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13
Q

Why did famers turn way from wheat production?

A

The loss of the Crow subsidy and higher canola prices

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14
Q

Who is the world’s leading canola producer?

A

Western Canada

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15
Q

Why is wheat a necessary secondary crop?

A

It allowed the soil to replenish its nitrogen level after 2/3 years of growing canola. Farmers use a 2 or 3 year canola → 1 year wheat cycle

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16
Q

Why have farmers recently switched wheat for lentils?

A

They add nitrogen to soil quicker

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17
Q

What is the new Prairie crop staple?

A

Canola

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18
Q

What country drives global demand for canola, and why?

A

China, because they use it for vegetable oil

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19
Q

Why did exports of canola from Canada continue to increase even after China cancelled nearly half of their imports?

A

Other countries (notably UAE, and France) increased their imports and resold it.

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20
Q

Why is canola so popular among prairie farmers?

A
  1. Profitabilty - higher prices
  2. They can truck the canola to canola refineries (they produce canola oil) → particulally to the two in Yorktown and NA’s largest refinery in Clavet
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21
Q

What is potash and why is it useful?

A

Potassium salts → essential nutrient for plant growth (95% of world potash goes into fertilizer)

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22
Q

What is significant about the Prairie Evaporite (southern SK)?

A

Most potash is found there

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23
Q

What CMAs have the biggest growth in Western Canada?

A

Calgary, Edmonton, and Saskatoon

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24
Q

Which demographic has the largest population growth?

A

Indigenous

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25
Where is the most urbanized region in Western Canada?
Calgary-Edmonton corridor → one of densest in Canada
26
What influence does the density of universities in the Calgary-Edmonton corridor have?
It is a hub for knowledge-based activities where high-tech industries thrive and cutting-edge research takes place
27
Known as the "Gateway to the North", what does Edmonton serve as?
A staging centre for the oil sands and diamond mining in NWT → also a hub for science and technology (AI research)
28
Is Manitoba's economy more diverse than AB and SK?
Yes, ranging from aerospace to agri-buisness to insurance
29
Why does Winnepeg have a particularly longer history of colonization and settlement?
Its location at the confluence of Red River and Assiniboine River
30
Why was Manitoba so significant in the past and why did it decline
It was the Gateway to the West controlling thr grain trade and serving as the wholesale hub for Western Canada until after WW2 when the oil boom in AB stimulated growth
31
Where is the birthplace of Métis Nation?
Winnipeg
32
What city has the largest Indigenous population in Canada?
Winnepeg - over half
33
What is kind of forest is in Northern prairies?
Boreal
34
What is the prarie economy based on?
agriculture and energy resources
35
Where did Alberta get its name?
Princess Louise Alberta was the 4th daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert
36
Where did Saskatchewan get its name?
Cree for "swift flowing river"
37
Where did Manitoba get its name?
Cree for " straigths of great spirit"
38
What physiographic regions are the praries located in?
Interior Plains and Canadian Shield
39
Describe the winters and summers in the Prairies
Hot dry summers, cold, dry winters
40
What causes extreme temperature in the Prairies (-40 - 35)?
Far distance from ocean moderating influences
41
Why are the Prairies flat?
There used to be a large sea that occupied the region (this is why we sea fossils because they lived on the coast)
42
What are the Great Sand Hills?
Unique landscape in Southwestern Saskatchewan that has sandy dunes scultped by wind
43
How was the prairie land originally divided for Eastern European settlers?
1/4 of a square mile lots
44
How did the large Metis populations in the area react to the surveying of the land?
They were already living there and formed organized rebellions → some semi nomadic Peoples felt little choice but to sign treaties
45
Descibe the singular lots that each Eastern European family was given
No access to electricity or plumbing
46
Definition: Fairway Wheat Grass
Strain of wheatgrass that's roots anchor soils preventing dust storms
47
How did Homesteaders feel once they arrived
1. Lonely 2. Unprepared for the climate (cold, drought, wind, thunderstorms, hail)
48
Definition: Summer Fallow
The practice of leaving land idle for a year or more to accumulate soil moisture (homesteaders did this)
49
What did the Prairie dissatisfaction with federal government lead to?
Creation of many new political parties
50
What was the CCF (co-operative commonwealth federation)
Socialist political party founded in 1932, now known as the NDP
51
What was the social credit party?
Very religious political party that no longer exists but peaked in the 40s and 50s
52
What is the reform party?
Very conservative party founded in Alberta that no longer exists
53
What was the Canadian Alliance?
What the reform party became for 3 short years, and was once led by Stephen Harper before it merged with Conservative Party
54
What did John A MacDonald want to build?
The railway from atlantic to pacific
55
Who did Canada have to buy land from for the railroad?
Hudson Bay Company
56
Where did villages and towns develop in Prairies?
Linearlly along railway, providing basic services for nearby farmers
57
Where did larger towns develop in Prairies? What did they provide?
Around grain elevators, roughly every third settlement and provided more diverse services (ex schools, clinics) --v--v--t--v--v--t--v
58
Why have rural populations declined in the prairies since we started building highways, cars, and trucks?
1. Farms became larger and more mechanized leading to lower population density 2. Grain farms became more common (no livestock therefore minimal staffing)
59
Why did village populations decline when we started building highways, cars, and trucks?
1. Villages served to service farms, but farmer populations to decline 2. An incresaed use of trucks and cars as opposed to railroads, new roads tended to skip small villages 3. Infrequently used railroads and roads were shut down
60
Describe the cycle of change for village loss
Decline in villages → closing local roads and rails → decline in villages → ...
61
What are dormitory towns?
bedroom communities → residential towns where poeple work in nearby cities
62
While small villages declined, what 3 larger communities saw growth?
1. Dormitory towns 2. sites of provincial services (capitals) 3. resource towns
63
What is the most popular crop in the prairies today? Why?
Canola, demand for ethanol as alternative fuel
64
What are the 3 divisions of agricultural land in Prairies? What differentiates them?
Fertile belt, dry belt, agricultural fringe length of season and soil moisture
65
Describe the output of the agricultural fringe
Low quality, used to feed animal
66
Describe the fertile belt's soil, growing season, and output
Very moist soil, adequare frost free period canola, wheat, beans, peas, sunflowers, also mixed farming (crops mixed with animals)
67
Definition: Continuous farming
A practice where the stubble left after harvest is not removed; the stublle aids in controlling weeds and eeducing soils erosion from wind
68
Describe the famring in the dry belt
Ranching, and sometimes wheat continous farming is common and irrigation is necessary due to long periods without rain
69
Where do Canadian oil exports go?
98% to US
70
How many jobs does the oil industry provide?
500,000 in Canada
71
What is the trend for carbon emissions in the oil sands?
Downward
72
Where is the major oil production centre?
Fort McMurray
73
What technological advancement allowed oil output to greatly increase?
A method to seperate oil from sand (bitumen)
74
How is oil separated from sand?
1. Bitumen mixed with hot water 2. transported to processing plants where large hydrocarbon melcules are reduced to smaller ones 3. This is then transported to refineries through large pipelines (one goes to sarnia)
75
What is the water problem in the oil industry?
The water used to seprate the oil from sand becomes toxic sludge and cannot be released into rivers or lakes → leakage can effect nearby surface water
76
How is toxic sludge disposed?
Placed in deep pits and burried
77
Where are coal, potash, and uranium deposits found?
Coal in Alberta near rockies, potash and uranium in Saskatechewan
78
What is Thompson?
A resource town (nickel)
79
Where is most lumber production in the praries?
Alberta
80
What is Flin Flon?
A largest resource town based on forestry
81
What is a Gateway city?
cities in central prairies that act as collection and disttribution points between cities and hinterlands to the north
82
How is the size of gateway cities linked to the economic cities strength of the hinterlands?
The smaller the city, the weaker the hinterland (ex: Thompson and Prince Albert)
83
Give an example of a gateway city and hinterland in each province
Edmonton → Northern AB Prince Albert → Northern SK Thompson → Northern MB
84
Describe growth in the Edmonton Calgary corridor
very fast
85
Where are Shell, Imperial Oil, and Petro-Canada headquartered
Calgary
86
Apart from oil, what industry helps the Calgary economy?
Tourism → proximity to Rockies
87
Explain the correlation between unemployment rates and oil prices
Oil dependancy
88
What is the most northern 1,000,000+ city in NA (you can see northern lights frequently)
Edmonton
89
Why did Manitoba used to be a gateway city?
All goods that were shipped to the prairies from the manufacturing core of Canada passed through Winnipeg
90
Why did the amount of grain shipped to Winnipeg decrease?
As Vancouver grew larger
91
When did Winnipeg stop being the largest CMA in the prairies?
1970s
92
Why does the Red River flood?
1. flows south to north through impermeable chernozemic soil 2. In the Spirng, a melting snowpack in the south (Fargo, USA) adds to the discharge 3. At the same time, ice in the north creates a damming effect
93
What is the Red River Floodway
Artificial waterway 48km long designed to divert excess water around Winnipeg → estimated saved billions in economic losses since it opened in '69
94
In terms of the amount of tar sands oil reserves, where does Canada stand relative to the rest of the world?
Canada has the biggest tar sands oil reserve in the world
95
What surprised the Fort McMurray fire cheif about the behaviour of the Fort McMurray wildfire?
He was surprised that people saw a connection between the oil pollution in the city to the fires that happened → he didnt expect it to jump a 1200ft wide river but embers shoot up and drop on the other side of the river
96
What change has been noticed in the length of the forest fire season in Western Canada?
It now begins one month earlier than it did before
97
What is the total emissions cap set by the AB government in comparison to total current emissions?
The cap is 100 megatons and they emit 70 megatons

Geography of Canada (12 decks)

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