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Calgary
Stampede, Calgary, Alberta.
Don’t
believe for a moment the
redneck stereotype thrown
so glibly at Albertans by
some pundits. Many of our
public schools, for instance,
teach French from kindergarten
to grade twelve; French
Immersion continues to attract
many young Albertans. It
is even possible to study
only in French to the bachelor’s
level at the Faculte Saint
Jean at the University of
Alberta in Edmonton. There
are also bilingual public
school programs in Mandarin, Cree, Arabic, Ukrainian,
and German, among other
languages.
One
challenge that Alberta and
the rest of Western Canada
pose to other Canadians
is the adequacy of our present
federal governance model.
Most of our national institutions
were essentially copied
from those of Great Britain
in place in 1867 when Canada
was born, but today their
democratic legitimacy is
challenged, especially in
the West. Many Albertans
want them to be modernized
so that residents of all
five regions of the country
will feel themselves to
be politically, economically
and culturally equal to
their fellow Canadians.
History
Alberta
was named for Queen Victoria’s
fourth daughter, Princess
Louise Caroline Alberta,
the wife the Marquess of
Lorne, who was Governor
General of Canada in 1882.
The
oldest identifies archaeological
sites in Alberta date back
approximately 11,000 years.
When Europeans reached what
is now Alberta in the mid
18th century,
the area was home to many
different aboriginal nations.
Calgary's
cowboy image is still very
much part of the culture
of this modern, vibrant
city. But while the cattle
industry is still important
in Alberta, the modern skyline
of the city attests to the
fact that it is second in
Canada only to Toronto in
the number of corporate
head offices.
In
1778, fur trader Peter Pond
established the first trade
post within the boundaries
of modern Alberta. Soon
other posts were constructed
on the Athabasca, Peace
and North Saskatchewan rivers
by both the North West and
Hudson’s Bay companies.
In
the mid-19 century, several
scientific expeditions,
most notably Captain John
Pallser’s expedition of
1857-1860, examined the
agricultural potential of
the Canadian west. Paliser
believed that the southern
parries were too dry for
farming. But farther north,
he and other observers including
the notable naturalist and
geologist Henry Youle Hind,
thought the land was fertile
was well suited to agricultural
settlement. In 1870, these
lands, including most of
present-day Alberta, were
acquired by the Government
of Canada.
The
moose and calf - The largest
members of the deer family,
the moose is a strong swimmer
and they are often seen
in northern lakes feeding
on delicate water lilies.
Settlement
was slow until the Canadian
Pacific Railway reached
Alberta in 1883. The railway
made it easier for new settlers
to get to Alberta and sell
the crops they grew. In
1891, a railway was completed
from Calgary to Strathcona,
across the North Saskatchewan
River from Edmonton. Other
railway lines followed,
including the transcontinental
Grand Trunk Pacific and
Canadian Northern railway,
which reached Edmonton in
1911.
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