Manitoba, Canada Information

Select a province from the list or map to learn more. Alberta British Columbia Manitoba New Brunswick Newfoundland Nova Scotia Northwest Territories Nunavut Ontario Prince Edward Island Quebec Saskatchewan Yukon

Manitoba

Manitoba is one of Canada's provinces. It is the fifth Canadian province (created by the government in 1870). Its population as of January 1, 2006 (Statistics Canada) was 1,178,348 (Manitobans). It is the easternmost of the three Prairie provinces.

Its capital and largest city (containing over one half the provincial population) is Winnipeg. Other important cities and towns include Brandon, Thompson, Dauphin, Swan River, Churchill, The Pas, Selkirk, Portage la Prairie, Gimli,Flin Flon, Steinbach, Morden, and Winkler.

Geography

Manitoba is located in the longitudinal centre of Canada, although it is considered part of Western Canada. It borders Saskatchewan to the west, Ontario to the east, Nunavut and the Hudson Bay to the north, and the American states of North Dakota and Minnesota to the south.

The province has a coast along Hudson Bay, and contains the eleventh-largest fresh water lake in the world, Lake Winnipeg, along with other large lakes: Lake Manitoba, and Lake Winnipegosis. Manitoba's lakes cover approximately 14.5% or 94,241 km² of its surface area. Lake Winnipeg is the largest lake within the borders of southern Canada, and is one of the last remote lake areas with intact watersheds left in the world. Large rivers that flow into the east side of Lake Winnipeg's basin are very pristine, with no major developments along them. Many pristine islands can be found along the eastern shore of this grand lake. There are thousands of lakes across the province.[2] Important watercourses include the Red, Assiniboine, Nelson, Winnipeg, Hayes and Churchill Rivers.

Most of Manitoba's inhabited south, near or in Winnipeg, lies within the prehistoric bed of Glacial Lake Agassiz. This south central part of the province is flat with few hills. However, there are many hilly and rocky areas in the province, along with many large sand ridges left behind by glaciers. Baldy Mountain is the highest point at 832 m above sea level (2,727 ft) and the Hudson Bay coast is the lowest at sea level. Other upland areas include Riding Mountain, the Pembina Hills. Much of the province's sparsely-inhabited north and east lie within the irregular granite landscape of the Canadian Shield, including Whiteshell Provincial Park, Atikaki Provincial Park, and Nopiming Provincial Park. Birds Hill Provincial Park was originally an island in Lake Agassiz after the melting of glaciers.

The climate in Manitoba is typical of its mid continent location and northerly latitude. In general, temperatures and precipitation decrease from south to north. Summers are generally warm to hot and winters very cold. Both spring and autumn are contracted seasons. As Manitoba is far removed from the moderating influences of both mountain ranges and large bodies of water (all of Manitoba's very large lakes freeze during the winter months), and because of the generally flat landscape in many areas, it is exposed to numerous weather systems throughout the year including prolonged cold spells in the winter months when arctic high pressure air masses settle over the province. This has resulted in the capital of the province being nicknamed "Winterpeg". It is common to have about minus 40 degrees celsius for quite a few days in the winter, and to have a few weeks that remain below minus 20. In the summer months the climate is often influenced by low pressure air masses originating in the Gulf of Mexico resulting in hot and humid conditions and frequent thunderstorms with a few tornadoes each year.

Only the southern parts of the province support extensive agriculture. The most common farm found in rural areas is: cattle farming (35.3%) followed by oilseed (25.8%) and wheat farming (9.8%). Around 11% of the farmland in Canada is in Manitoba. The eastern, southeastern, and northern reaches of the province range through coniferous forests, muskeg, Canadian Shield, and up to tundra in the far north. Forests make up about 263,000 square kilometres of the province's 548,000 square kilometre land base. The forests generally consist of pine, spruce, tamarack, and birch. The great expanses of intact forested areas are considered by many naturalists and sportsmen as pristine wilderness areas. Some of the last largest and intact boreal forest of the world can be found along the east side of Lake Winnipeg, with only winter roads, no Hydro development, and few largely populated communities. There are many clean and untouched east side rivers that originate in the Canadian Shield, and flow west into Lake Winnipeg.

Government of Manitoba

Founding of the Legislative Assembly

Manitoba Legislature

The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba was established on July 14, 1870. At that time Manitoba attained full fledged provincial rights and responsibilities of self-government.

Manitoba was unusual in its leap to provincial status. Eastern Canada, Saskatchewan and Alberta all had intervening periods of apprenticeship as territories before becoming provinces. Only British Columbia had circumstances similar to Manitoba in joining Confederation.

Prior to 1870, the power over Manitoba was almost exclusively within the domain of the Hudson Bay Company. In the Red River Settlement, The Company invested little in the function of government save for rudimentary justice and a few public works. Education was the responsibility of the church.

The decision to make Manitoba a full-fledged province in 1870 came as the result of three things.

* A misunderstanding on the part of the Canadian authorities.

* The rise of nationalism of the Metis.

* Fears of manifest destiny sentiments in the United States ignoring Americans denials of any such goals.

Initially, the subject of provincial status did not come up during the negotiations between Canada, the United Kingdom and the Hudson's Bay Company. It was assumed that territorial status was granted in the Act for the Temporary Government of Ruperts' Land in 1869.

Louis Riel first introduced the subject of provincial status to the Committee of Forty appointed by the citizens of Red River in 1870. Riel's proposal to Donald Smith, emissary for the government of Canada, was rejected by the government of John A. Macdonald.

The list of demands from Riel did goad the government of Canada to act on a proposal of its own on regarding Red River's status. John A. Macdonald introduced the Manitoba Act in the Canadian House of Commons and pretended that the question of province or territory was of no significance. The bill was given royal assent and Manitoba joined Canada as a province.

It was a significant leap of faith imposing responsible government on Manitoba in 1870 without any adjustment period. It went against all conventional wisdom of the time. However, Macdonald's misunderstanding of territorial versus provinical status, the rise of the Metis people and the burgeoning growth of the United States all compelled him to act in a nation building initiative.

In the years that followed, much like the years that preceded, Manitoba went through many upheavals. However, parliamentary government and provincehood that was created in 1870 prevailed.

Official Language

English and French are official languages of the legislature and courts of Manitoba, according to the Manitoba Act, 1870 (which forms part of the Canadian constitution). Section 23 of the Manitoba Act states:

Either the English or the French language may be used by any person in the debates of the Houses of the Legislature and both those languages shall be used in the respective Records and Journals of those Houses; and either of those languages may be used by any person, or in any Pleading or Process, in or issuing from any Court of Canada established under the Constitution Act, 1867, or in or from all or any of the Courts of the Province. The Acts of the Legislature shall be Printed and published in both those languages.

However, with the rise to power of the English-only movement in Manitoba from 1890 onwards, this provision was disregarded in practice and by Manitoban legislation. Among other things, the Manitoban Legislature ceased to publish legislation in French, but did so in English only. However, in 1985 the Supreme Court of Canada ruled in the Reference re Manitoba Language Rights that §23 still applied, and that legislation published only in English was invalid (although, so that Manitoba did not descend into a state of lawlessness, unilingual legislation was declared valid for a temporary period, to give the government of Manitoba time to issue translations.)

Although French is required to be an official language for the purposes of the legislature, legislation, and the courts, the Manitoba Act (as interpreted by the Supreme Court of Canada) does not require it to be an official language for the purpose of the executive branch of government (except when the executive branch is performing legislative or judicial functions.)

Demographics

Ethnic origin

Note: the percentages do not necessarily add up to 100% as multiple responses are allowed.

* 22.8% Canadian
* 22.0% English
* 18.1% German
* 17.7% Scottish
* 14.2% Ukrainian
* 13.0% Irish
* 12.6% French
* 9.9% North American Indian
* 6.6% Polish
* 5.1% Métis

Ethnic origins with less than 3% of the responses are not listed. Source

Manitoba is home to the largest Icelandic population outside of Iceland.[4] There are about 26,000 people with Icelandic ancestry living in Manitoba.[5] About 35% of the Icelandic-Canadian population lives in Manitoba.[6]

Religious groups

* 43.0% Protestant
* 29.3% Roman Catholic
* 4.0% Christian not included elsewhere
* 1.4% Christian Orthodox
* 1.1% Jewish
* 18.6% No religious affiliation

Religions that make up less than 1% are not listed. Source

Economy

Pre-Confederation

Manitoba's early economy was one that depended on mobility and living off the land. A number of native tribes that included the Cree, Ojibwa, Dene, Sioux and Assinibone followed herds of bison and congregated to trade among themselves at key meeting places throughout the province.

The first fur-traders entering the province in the 17th century changed the dynamics of the economy of Manitoba forever. For the first time, permanent settlements were created and communties evolved over time. Most of the trade centred around the fur-trade.

The first major diversification of the economy came when Lord Selkirk brought the first agricultural settlers to an area just north of present day Winnipeg in 1811. The lack of reliable transportation and an ongoing dispute between the Hudson Bay Company, the North West Company and the Métis impeded growth.

The eventual triumph of the Hudson Bay Company over its competitors ensured the primacy of the fur trade over widespread agricultural colonization. Any trade not sanctioned by the HBC was frowned upon.

It took many years for the Red River Colony to develop under HBC rule. The Company invested little in infrastructure for the community. It was only when independent traders such as James Sinclair and Andrew McDermot (Dermott) started competing in trade that improvements to the community started to happen.

By 1849, the HBC faced even greater threats to its monopoly. A Métis fur trader named Pierre Guillaume Sayer was charged with illegal trade by the Hudson Bay Company. Sayer had been trading with Norman Kittson who resided just beyond the HBC's reach in Pembina, North Dakota. The court found Sayer guilty but the judge levied no fine or punishment.

In 1853, A second agricultural community started in Portage la Prairie.

The courts could no longer be used by the HBC to enforce its monopoly. The result was a weakening of HBC rule over the region and laid the foundations of provincehood for Manitoba.

Famous Manitobans

• Randy Bachman, musician, (The Guess Who) & Bachman-Turner Overdrive (BTO)
• Ed Belfour, NHL goalie
• David Bergen, novelist
• Tom Cochrane, musician
• Burton Cummings, musician (The Guess Who)
• Len Cariou, actor
• Tommy Douglas, politician, voted the Greatest Canadian
• Deanna Durbin, actress
• Terry Fox, cancer activist and national hero
• Monty Hall, TV celebrity, television game show host
• Doug Henning, magician
• Gerard Kennedy, politician
• Chantal Kreviazuk, musician & actress
• Margaret Laurence, author
• Todd MacCulloch, basketball player
• Guy Maddin, director
• Marshall McLuhan, media guru
• Arthur Meighen, Prime Minister of Canada
• Bob Nolan, musician
• Anna Paquin, actress
• Fred Penner, children's entertainer, musician
• Frank Pickersgill, SOE agent in World War II executed by the Nazis
• Louis Riel, politician
• Gabrielle Roy, author
• John K. Samson, singer-songwriter (The Weakerthans)
• Terry Sawchuk, NHL goalie
• Sir William Stephenson (aka Intrepid), spy, man on whom the character of James Bond is based
• Miriam Toews, novelist
• Neil Young, musician
• Nia Vardalos, actress and writer
• J.S. Woodsworth, politican
• Clara Hughes, Olympic medalist (summer and winter games)
• Cindy Klassen, Olympic medalist (5 medals in Torino 2006)
• Chris Jericho, WWE player (wrestler)
• Frank Manning, M.D., (Perinatologist)
• Johnathan Toews, Top runner in 2006 NHL Draft
• Alexander Steen, NHL Hockey Player (Toronto Maple Leafs)

Copyright (c) CTDC. Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License". Full License