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Western Canadian Populism: Reflections on the Turner Thesis and Canada

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Western Canadian Populism: Reflections on the Turner Thesis and Canada Western Canadian Populism: Reflections on the Turner Thesis and Canada by Philip J. Kachmar B.S., The University of Scranton, 2011 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FUFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in The Faculty of Graduate Studies (Political Science) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) August 2012 © Philip J. Kachmar, 2012 Abstract Frederick Jackson Turner’s influential Frontier Thesis has been widely applied in the United States to explain the development of America’s democratic and individualistic political culture. Despite Canada’s North American location, colonial heritage, and sprawling geography, the Frontier Thesis failed to take root in the collective imagination of early Canadians. However, as the economic influence of the Canadian west has shifted, so too has the relevance of Turner’s thesis for Canada. This paper asserts that political developments in 19th, 20th, and 21st century western Canada can be explained, at least in part, through an application of the Frontier Thesis. I begin by comparing Turner’s argument to the works of Harold Innis and J.M.S. Careless to illustrate why the frontier had a greater effect on 19th century America than 19th century Canada. The results of this comparison illustrate the need for a reconsideration of the frontier’s relevance in the Canadian west. I argue that, although Canada’s early western political culture was dominated by European influences, historical and geographical factors ultimately facilitated the emergence of western Canadian populism. ii Table of Contents Abstract.........................................................................................................................................ii Table of Contents...................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgements....................................................................................................................iv Turner, the Frontier, and Canada: An Introduction.........................................................1 The St. Lawrence, Defensive Expansionism, and the Canadian Hinterlands ..............3 Political Cultures Across Borders........................................................................................ 15 The 20th Century Canadian “Frontier”.............................................................................. 31 The Political Significance of Western Populism............................................................... 41 Concluding Reflections on Turner and Canada............................................................... 46 Works Cited .............................................................................................................................. 48 iii Acknowledgements First, I would like to express my thanks to my professors and colleagues in the Political Science at UBC for their support and guidance. More specifically, I would like to thank Dr. Philip Resnick for his boundless insight into Canadian politics and his patience. Second, I thank the United States Department of State, the International Education Institute, and Fulbright Canada for their generous funding package and support services. Third, I extend my thanks to my professors and classmates at the University of Scranton for preparing me for this project. Last, but certainly not least, I would like to thank my parents and younger brother for their love and support. iv Turner, the Frontier, and Canada: An Introduction Frederick Jackson Turner’s influential Frontier Thesis provides a valuable structural framework for understanding the development of American society. He argued that the vast and undeveloped North American continent allowed for citizens of the United States to shirk notions of European hierarchy in exchange for rugged individualism and democracy (Turner, “Frontier,”). While Turner’s thesis surely contains some elements of truth, his arguments do raise questions regarding the extent to which the frontier influenced the development of Canadian society. Since Canada shares the same geographical vastness and rugged topography as the United States, assuming Turner’s thesis contains at least a kernel of truth, the frontier experience must have had some influence on the development of Canada. In this paper, I will examine the extent to which the frontier shaped Canada’s societal evolution. In order to accomplish this task, I will begin by examining Donald Creighton and Harold Innis’s Laurentian Thesis, as well as J.M.S. Careless’s Metropolitan-Hinterland Thesis. Both of these theses emphasize the powerful influence of European-dominated, central Canada on the evolution of the Canadian west. By contrasting these theories with the Turner thesis, I intend to illustrate the benefits and limitations of each approach. My argument will center on the way in which strong cultural influences coupled with geographical separation and the passage of time have shaped Canada’s North American character and strong regional identities. Because Canadian westward expansion occurred with a much higher degree of British influence than on the American frontier, an application of the Turner thesis to Western Canada must take into account these divergent historical circumstances. Therefore, I will 1 emphasize the idea that physical separation from established social institutions serves as the true catalyst of political and cultural innovation on the frontier. In order to illustrate the effects of the interplay between these factors, I will conclude by examining historical and contemporary examples of the populist evolution of the Canadian frontier. 2 The St. Lawrence, Defensive Expansionism, and the Canadian Hinterlands In order to illustrate the similarities and differences between the development of the frontier in Canada and the United States, it is essential to discuss the competing theories that purport to describe these phenomena. Harold Innis’s seminal work, The Fur Trade in Canada, examines the impact of staple trade on Canada’s economic and political development. Because of the popularity of beaver hats among wealthy Europeans, he argues, a unique system of trade developed in the areas surrounding the St. Lawrence River. European colonists exported beaver pelts to Europe in exchange for a variety of manufactured goods, which were unavailable in North America. The colonists then traded tools relevant to the fur trade to aboriginals in exchange for beaver pelts. While these sorts of trade relations were not unprecedented in North America, they are unique in that they fostered a close relationship between European elites and North American colonists (Innis, Fur Trade, 385). Because Canadians became reliant upon industrialized Europe to import manufactured goods, their societal development was heavily influenced by European norms. This economic system also seems to partially explain Toryism’s powerful influence on early Canadian politics. Since Canada was heavily reliant on British exportation of manufactured goods, enacting public policy compatible with these interests was of the utmost importance. Innis’s account of Canadian development significantly contrasts with Turner’s arguments regarding the American frontier. Turner asserted that westward expansion facilitated a fundamental break from old-world traditions. He argued that as successive generations moved west, they replaced European social norms with American values. Turner asserts that these values created a disconnect between the European values of the 3 East Coast and the challenges of life on the frontier (Turner, The Frontier). Instead of the subordination described by Innis, the American West, according to Turner, experienced greater freedom and autonomy. He asserted that, if a frontiersman felt constricted and dominated by the practices of his region, he would simply move further to the West (Ibid, 9-10). This radical sort of freedom does seem to be a powerful catalyst for the development of new traditions to cope with dynamic realities. It also explains the development of Jacksonian, populist democracy inside the United States. Because moving further West could diffuse power and influence concentrated on the Eastern seaboard, individuals had greater freedom to create institutions better suited to their environments. Both Turner and Innis’s theories are certainly of descriptive value for the United States and Canada, respectively. They are also valuable in that they illuminate the variables the have created differences between the two countries. Geographical and climatologic realities seem to underlie the contrast between the economic and political development of Canada and the United States. While the frontier of the United States boasted vast swaths of arable land, the Canadian frontier was less suited for agricultural development. Currently, 18.01% of land in the United States is arable. This sharply contrasts with Canada, where only 4.57% of land is suitable for farming (CIA World Factbook). Although these statistics do not provide quantifiable insight into the realities of agriculture in the 18th and 19th century, they do illustrate the potential land use of settlers during the time period. What agriculture was to the United States, the fur and timber trade was to Canada. While beaver pelts and timber were plentiful, they were not valuable in and of themselves. Instead, they required a system of trade with Europe to 4 import manufactured goods in exchange for staples (Innis, Fur Trade, 386).
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