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Craig Baird - Canadian History Ehx Profile picture
@CraigBaird
Apr 23, 2023 • 5 tweets • 3 min read • Read on X
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It is #SikhHeritageMonth and this is the story of Sikhs gaining the vote!

The first Sikh immigrants to British Columbia were permitted to vote in civic elections. This right to vote would not last long as the province began to strip rights away from the Sikh people.

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In March 1907, BC Premier William Bowser introduced legislation to deny the provincial vote to any immigrant from India who was not of Anglo-Saxon descent.
Vancouver took the vote away from Sikhs the following month.
The Sikh people couldn't vote federally either.

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At the 1921 Imperial Conference in England, a resolution was passed to grant South Asians in the British Empire the right to vote.
Canada simply ignored the resolution.
Some MPs, like Samuel Jacobs, Canada's 1st Jewish MP, supported giving Sikhs the vote.

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In 1924, BC passed the Provincial Elections Act to deny the vote to all Asians except Japanese veterans of WW1.
Men such as Dr. D.P. Pandia (pictured), Kapoor Singh Siddoo, Mayo Singh & Kartar Singh Hundal campaigned to get the vote for Sikhs and others.

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In the 1940s, Sikhs, such as Naginder S. Gill (pictured) continued to pressure the government to grant the vote to South Asians.
India PM Jawaharial Nehru joined the cause of gaining the vote.
On April 2, 1947, South Asians gained the provincial & federal vote.

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More from @CraigBaird

Craig Baird - Canadian History Ehx Profile picture
Mar 7
On Aug. 17, 1923, the 71-branch Home Bank of Canada failed.
Faced with public outcry over constant bank failures, the government acted.
Since 1923, two Canadian banks have failed, while 17,000 have failed in the USA.
This is the story of Home Bank of Canada

🧵 1/12 A black-and-white photograph shows a group of men standing in front of a small wooden building with a sign reading “HOME BANK OF CANADA” above the entrance. The building has large front windows and a simple rectangular structure. Several men stand in a row near the doorway while one man sits on the ground in front. They wear early 20th-century clothing such as shirts with suspenders, jackets, and hats. Pieces of wood and debris lie scattered on the ground in the foreground, and open land with a few structures appears in the background.
For the first half century of Canada's existence, the only safeguard that customers had with their banks was the competency of management and the hope that assets covered deposits. It was not a good system and by 1923, 40% of Canadian banks had failed.

🧵 2/12 A long line of people stands along the sidewalk outside a bank building on a city street. The crowd, made up of men and women wearing coats, hats, and long dresses typical of the early 20th century, stretches past the corner of the building. Large windows and stone walls frame the entrance, where signage related to the bank is posted on the glass. Streetcar tracks run along the road in the foreground, and two utility poles stand near the curb. The photograph is in black and white and shows the line extending around the corner as people wait outside the bank.
Finance Minister W.S. Fielding, who assumed the post in 1896, saw nine bank failures by 1910. Many Canadians, and even industry leaders like H.C. McLeod, the GM of the Bank of Nova Scotia, wanted to have government inspections to prevent fraud in Canada's banks.

🧵 3/12 A black-and-white studio portrait of a middle-aged man with short light-colored hair and a full mustache with a small pointed beard. He faces slightly to the left while looking toward the camera. He wears a dark suit jacket, a white shirt, and a patterned tie. The background is softly blurred, creating a faded vignette around the edges typical of early studio photography.
Read 13 tweets
Craig Baird - Canadian History Ehx Profile picture
Mar 6
Every Canadian province and territory has a capital.
The names of those capitals come from many different sources.
Sometimes it is royalty, and sometimes it is an Indigenous name.
Here is how each capital received its name.

🧵 1/15 A simplified map of Canada showing the country divided into its provinces and territories, each shaded in different pastel colours. The large northern territory of Nunavut occupies much of the Arctic region with numerous islands extending into the surrounding ocean. The provinces stretch across the southern part of the country from British Columbia on the Pacific coast to the Atlantic provinces in the east. The surrounding oceans are coloured blue, while neighbouring land areas outside Canada are shown in gray.
Victoria, British Columbia:

The site the city sits on was called Camosack by the local Indigenous, meaning "rush of water". In 1843, Fort Albert was founded but it was soon after renamed to Fort Victoria in honour of Queen Victoria.

🧵 2/15 A waterfront view of the British Columbia Parliament Buildings in Victoria at dusk. The large historic building with a central dome and smaller domes is outlined with rows of decorative lights. In the foreground is the Inner Harbour, where sailboats and small boats are moored at docks with tall masts rising above them. Wooden kiosks and walkways line the water’s edge, and flags hang along the harbor promenade. A tall evergreen tree stands on the lawn in front of the parliament building, while warm lights reflect off the calm water.
Edmonton, Alberta:

The Cree called the area amiskwacîy (Beaver Hills). The current name comes from Edmonton, Middlesex, England, which was the hometown of the Lake family. The Lake family were influential in the Hudson's Bay Company.

🧵 3/15 Image
Read 15 tweets
Craig Baird - Canadian History Ehx Profile picture
Mar 1
When John Diefenbaker cancelled the Avro Arrow, he announced that Canada would purchase 56 Bomarc Missiles from the USA.
When the public learned the missiles were only effective if tipped with nuclear warheads.
it sparked the Bomarc Missile Crisis.
This is the story.

🧵 1/12 A white missile is mounted upright on a pedestal outdoors against a blue sky. The plane is displayed vertically with its nose pointed upward and its wings extended horizontally. Roundels with a red maple leaf inside a blue circle are visible on each wing. Low industrial-style buildings with flat roofs stand behind the aircraft.
During the Cold War in 1957, Canada and the United States created NORAD to handle continental air defence against the Soviet Union. As part of NORAD obligations, Prime Minister John Diefenbaker Canada was pressured to put Bomarc missiles on its soil.

🧵 2/12 Black-and-white photograph of John Diefenbaker seated at a desk in an office. He wears a dark suit, white shirt, and tie, with a folded pocket square visible. He holds an open book or document in both hands and looks toward the camera with a serious expression. Papers, notebooks, and writing instruments are arranged on the desk, along with glass inkwells and a pen holder. A telephone sits to one side. Behind him, a fireplace with a decorative mantel and a closed door are visible.
The plan was to have the missiles deployed near La Macaza, Quebec and North Bay, Ontario. Both sites would have storage and launch facilities, and quarters for US personnel. Diefenbaker's plan was to have the missiles replace the Avro Arrow program.

🧵 3/12 Black-and-white photograph showing a missile mounted vertically outdoors with their noses pointed upward. The missile displays Royal Canadian Air Force roundels with a maple leaf inside a circle on the wings, and the letters “RCAF” are visible along the fuselage. The planes are positioned on pedestals behind low, flat-roofed structures. A tall flagpole stands between the buildings, and the sky above is overcast.
Read 13 tweets
Craig Baird - Canadian History Ehx Profile picture
Feb 24
Tommy Douglas was one of the most important politicians in Canadian history.
The premier of Saskatchewan, he later led the federal NDP and was instrumental in bringing in Universal Healthcare.
In 2004, he was named The Greatest Canadian.
This is his story.

🧵 1/12 Tommy Douglas in a black-and-white studio portrait, shown from the chest up and facing slightly to the right. He is wearing round wire-rim glasses, a dark suit jacket, a white dress shirt, and a dark tie. His hair is neatly combed back. The background is plain and softly lit, with light falling across the right side of his face and the left side in gentle shadow.
Tommy Douglas was born on Oct. 20, 1904 in Scotland. When he was seven, the family moved to Winnipeg. Around this time, he injured his knee and Osteomyelitis set in. He went through various operations and doctors stated he would lose the leg.

🧵2/12 Tommy Douglas in a black-and-white studio portrait, shown from the chest up. He is facing slightly to the left and looking toward the camera. He is wearing a dark suit jacket, a white dress shirt, and a patterned tie, with a pocket square visible. His hair is neatly styled with a side part. The background is plain and softly lit, with a smooth, even tone behind him.
One surgeon agreed to treat Douglas for free. This free medical care greatly influenced Douglas later in life. At McMaster, he wrote a thesis that endorsed eugenics. He later abandoned his eugenics stance and advocated for vocational training for the handicapped.

🧵 3/12 Tommy Douglas in a black-and-white studio portrait, shown from the shoulders up. He is facing slightly to the left and looking toward the camera. He has neatly combed hair with a side part and is wearing a dark jacket, a white shirt, and a dark bow tie. A light-colored stole or academic hood is draped over his shoulders, suggesting formal or academic attire. The background is plain and evenly lit.
Read 13 tweets
Craig Baird - Canadian History Ehx Profile picture
Feb 20
On Feb. 20, 1959, the Avro Arrow program was cancelled by the Diefenbaker government.
Thousands of people lost their jobs, and the Canadian aeronautical and aviation sector was decimated. The day became known as Black Friday.
This is the story of the Arrow.

🧵 1/12 A black-and-white aerial view of the Avro Arrow, a delta-winged jet aircraft marked with "RL-201" and a Canadian maple leaf insignia, displayed on a tarmac surrounded by a large crowd of people and a stage with officials, near a building and parked cars.
In the 1950s, with the dawn of the nuclear era, there was a concern that the Soviet Union would attack North America with bombers over the Canadian Arctic.
To deal with this possibility, the RCAF commissioned Avro Canada to build an all-weather nuclear interceptor.

🧵 2/12 A black-and-white photo of the Avro Arrow, a delta-winged jet aircraft marked with "RL-201," flying above the clouds with a clear sky in the background.
It needed to fly higher and faster than any aircraft of its class. With the Arrow contract, Avro quickly expanded and had 20,000 people working for it by 1957. Nine models, one-eighth the size of the finished plane, were tested in rockets over Lake Ontario.

🧵 3/12 A black-and-white photo of a rocket marked with the number "8" being prepared on a launch platform, with several people working around it. One person stands on a scaffold adjusting the rocket, while others on the ground assist, under a partly cloudy sky.
Read 13 tweets
Craig Baird - Canadian History Ehx Profile picture
Feb 19
On Feb. 19, 1942, German soldiers marched through Winnipeg.
The mayor, premier and Lt. Governor were arrested, and the city was renamed Himmlerstadt. Books were burned, and the German flag flew across the city.
This is the story of Winnipeg's If Day.

🧵 1/12 Black-and-white photo of a group of uniformed soldiers standing outdoors in winter clothing and helmets, gathered around a small fire on the ground. Several hold stacks of papers and books, with loose pages visible as some are being dropped into the flames. The fire sits in front of a stone building entrance with round lamps on either side. A few onlookers stand behind the soldiers near the doorway. Snow or light-colored ground is visible underfoot.
During the Second World War, Victory Bond Campaigns were held to raise money for the war effort. On Feb. 16, 1942, the second Victory Loan campaign began and Manitoba decided to go all out. The idea was to show what would happen if Germany invaded Canada.

🧵 2/12 A colorful wartime poster showing a smiling pilot in a brown leather flight jacket and helmet with goggles, holding a submachine gun across his chest. A military aircraft is partly visible behind him. Large text reads “Come on Canada!” at the top, “KEEP ME IN THE AIR,” and “BUY the New VICTORY BONDS.” The background is a painted sky with clouds, using bright, bold colors and high-contrast lettering.
The plan was for German soldiers (actually volunteers from the Young Men's Board of Trade) to invade Winnipeg. The city was defended by 3,500 Canadian Army members. Uniforms were rented and German troops were given scars on their faces.

🧵3/12 Black-and-white image of an armored tracked vehicle driving through a snowy, smoky street. Several uniformed soldiers wearing helmets are seated on top of the vehicle, holding rifles and looking outward. Behind them is a large billboard that reads “WELCOME TO WINNIPEG ‘THE ELECTRICAL CITY’ CITY HYDRO OWNED & OPERATED.” The scene appears cold and wintry, with snow on the ground and haze or exhaust around the vehicle. A British Pathé logo is visible in the upper right corner.
Read 13 tweets

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