A poorly shared cake is much better than an equitably shared empty platter. The industrial revolution in Canada has been the subject of a variety of condemnations based on subjects such as equitable sharing of resources and poor labor relations. In the course of castigating the adversities that came with the revolution, the good things that it brought to Canada have been lost. Today, Canada is among the largest economies in the world in spite of its modest population (McIntosh, 2015). The ability of a country with only a few tens of millions of people to compete with countries with up to a billion people was only possible due to industrialization. Further, the process of industrialization in Canada varies exponentially from the processes in other countries such as England or the United States. The industrial movement in Canada was dominated by former artisans and laborers and not aristocrats. The adversities that came with industrialization cannot be denied but they should not negate the positive aspects either. The possibility of efficiency and the monetary incentive was the main influence that brought about automation, known as the industrial revolution. Nowadays, this phenomenon is perceived as a time that promoted inequalities, and monopolies, with all the bad publicity emerging in media. However, this narrow-minded mentality has caused our current society to neglect a fundamental element, being that industrialization progressed knowledge, improved infrastructure, and brought Canada to where it is today.
The industrialization that took place in Canada between the 1860s and the 1950s is part of what has come to be referred to as the second industrial revolution. The reference differentiates it with the first industrial r evolution of the 18 th century that took place in Britain with Canada being just a provider or raw materials. The instant industrialization began in earnest in 1867 after confederation when a duty of 20% was levied on imported industrial products so as to boost local production (Cairo et al., 2000) . The levy was effective in boosting the development of local industries in Canada. Many local artisans advanced their trade into factories while some foreign investors, more so from the USA set up factories in Canada. Industrial growth was then augmented by the Great War which Canada was involved in as many factories increased production to cater for war needs. Many women also took up factory jobs to replace the men who had gone to fight in Europe. Soon after the Great War, there was a major industrial slump as a consequence of the Great Depression that commenced in the USA but severely affected the Canadian economy. The industrial recession would continue until the Second World War when the Canadian government became actively involved in industrialization so as to produce material for the war efforts (Cairo et al., 2000) . By the 1950s, therefore, Canada had developed into an industrial power after the gradual and intermittent growth within the aforementioned period .
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A balanced evaluation of the process of industrialization will reveal that the main proponents of the process were poor workers who sought a better life. The journal article by Kristofferson (2005) argues that most of the industrialization that happened in cities such as Hamilton and Ontario was artisan driven. These were ordinary workers who need easier, better, and more efficient ways of employed innovation to create automation. The workers, who were mainly poor were thus an integral part of the advent of industrialization in Canada. It is, therefore , only logical to conclude that the same workers also benefited from the advent and proliferation of large industries in Canada since these industries were owned and operated by artisans and workers. The Canadian version as outlined by Kristofferson (2005) differs exponentially from other concepts of industrialization where industries would replace artisans. Belshaw (n.d.) also makes the argument that Canadian industrialization was a gradual process of industrial advancement as opposed to a hijack of artisan and vocational activities by massive factories. For example, in such a scenario, an aristocrat would build a factory in a town thus putting all artisans out of business. However, in Canada, it was the artisan’s workshop that grew into an industry making the erstwhile poor artisan into a rich factory owner.
Industrialization also brought wealth, labor opportunities, money, and a better life to Canada by making work easier and enabling mass production. It is a fact that Canadian Industrialization came much later and at a much slower rate than in Europe or the USA, but its eventual benefits cannot be overemphasized. For a start, industrialization provided the ways and means to produce many examples of essential technology to improve the lives of Canadian citizens (Cairo et al., 2000). Similarly, industrialization provided working opportunities to many Canadians and indeed created a labor deficit causing immigrants to flood into Canada. Further to the direct provision of labor, industrialization indirectly contributed to labor by providing a larger market for farm produce thus transforming farming from a subsistent into a commercial activity. Apart from the provision of labor, a wide-ranging infrastructure development came as a result of industrialization (Cairo et al., 2000). Electricity, better roads, rail transports, the telegraph and postal services are among the developments that came with industrialization (Canadahistoryproject.ca., n.d.). The services created by this infrastructure did not just benefit the industries alone as it also benefited the local populace that lived around or near the factory towns and also those who resided near roads and railways that connected these industry towns . Many modern urban centers in Canada are former rural areas that advanced and became connected to better amenities because of the industrial revolution.
It cannot, however, be argued that industrialization in Canada did not bring with it many adversities that still continue to ravage the nation but these adversities pale in significance when compared with the benefits. Poor labor relations including poor pay, child labor, and labor exploitation happened as a consequence of the industrial revolution in Canada (Cairo et al., 2000). As the industrial revolution grew, some of the affluent members of the society took advantage of the members of the lower social echelons and exploited their desire for labor by offering lower prices. Immigration was also used as a tool for poor labor relations with some unscrupulous industrialists importing cheap labor to manipulate the labor market. Further, inequality resulted from industrialization with the pyramid social strata system gradually taking shape (Cairo et al., 2000). Under the system, a few became very wealthy due to ownership of industrial interests, a few more formed the middle class while the vast majority of the population remained poor. To the modern day, social inequality is still an issue in Canada with the pyramid social strata system still being in place.
The above social adversities that came as a result of industrialization in Canada cannot be denied as they are based on facts but the same can neither negate the benefits that came with industrialization. Some of the adversities such as poor labor relations, low pay, and child labor have already been cured through better labor laws. Further, the said adversities pale in significance when compare to the benefits of industrialization. For a start, it is common for negative news to seem more prominent that positive news, based mainly or presuppositions and perceptions. Even in the modern times, tens of good things may happen in a locality but it is only the single bad thing that makes the evening news. Similarly, commentators have sought to focus more on the negativities of industrialization and succeeded in selling the negativities because bad news sells better than good news. It is easiest to appreciate industrialization by looking at what would have happened in Canada had remained an agrarian community. A good example of an agrarian community was the Cambodian experiment that resulted in the death of over 30% of the population in the 1970s, mainly due to hunger. Industrialization was not just a good thing for Canada but rather a fundamental and vital process thus the few teething problems and adverse effects that came along with it cannot be sued to vilify it.
It is definitively clear from the totality of the above that industrialization had a generally positive effect on Canada in spite of the few teething problems and adversities. The vilifying of Canadian industrialization is mainly predicated on the fact that bad news gets more prominence than good news in the modern society. Industrialization increased labor opportunities directly to industrial workers and indirectly to other sectors such as agriculture. Further, industrialization enables the spread of amenities to rural areas including roads, energy, and communication. Some rural areas also transformed into urban centers because of industrialization. Further, the goods and services produced through industrialization have improved the quality of life for Canadians. It is true that industrialization came with adversities such as poor labor relations and societal inequalities. The issue of poor labor relations may since have been resolved by better labor laws but social inequality still remains a problem. However, the adversities mentioned herein pale in significance when compared with the fact that at only slightly over 30 million in population, Canada is a global economic force inter alia because of industrialization. Anyone who imagines how an agrarian-dominated Canada would look like will appreciate the benefits of industrialization.
References
Belshaw, J. D. (n.d.). Canadian history: Post-Confederation. Retrieved from https://opentextbc.ca/postconfederation/chapter/3-1a-industrialization-labour-historians/
Cairo, M., Fielding, J., Soncin, L., & Deir, E. (2000). Canada: The story of our heritage. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson.
Canadahistoryproject.ca. (n.d.). Canada a country by consent: The industrial revolution. Retrieved from http://www.canadahistoryproject.ca/1840/1840-05-industrial-rev.html
Kristofferson, R. (2005). Craftsworkers and Canadas first industrial revolution: Reassessing the context. Journal of the Canadian Historical Association/Revue de la Société Historique du Canada , 16 (1), 101-137.
McIntosh, J. (2015, September 28). Why Canada might have the goods to become a superpower. Retrieved from http://business.financialpost.com/news/economy/why-canada-might-have-the-goods-to-become-a-superpower
