Many people look back at the twentieth century and feel that Canada did pretty well. Canada was voted best place to live several times and made an international name for itself in peace keeping. These people tend to forget the many problems Canada suffered during the twentieth century. Back in 1896, before the century even started, Sir Wilfrid Laurier proclaimed that, "The 20th century shall be the century of Canada." He could not have made a more misleading statement. Canada ended up suffering through many social problems during this time period which made Laurier's statement downright false. These problems include the mistreatment of women, the internment of Japanese Canadians, the Quebec Referendum and the Oka Crisis. All of these had a profound impact on Canadian history. Unfortunately, the impact that they all had was a negative one. In each of these situations, the government treated a certain group unfairly because of its gender, race or language. This essay will prove that due to social problems, the twentieth century was not Canada's century as Laurier said it would be.
             To treat someone unequally because of their gender is totally unacceptable. However, this is what all Canadians used to do. At the beginning of the century, women had almost no rights. Most of them were forced to stay at home because no one would hire them. Women who did work averaged a 54 hour work week and got paid a measly $216 a year (Ray 14). They could not vote and if they were married they gave up all property to their husband (Ray 15). Despite this, women continued to fight and would not give up until they won their basic rights. One woman who is a perfect example of this is Emily Murphy. Edmonton made her the first magistrate in the British Empire in 1916. However, it did not happen without controversy. On her first day, a lawyer challenged her ability to sit on the bench because under the BNA act a woman w...