Untitled Notes

Oral Exam Details
- There is no midterm in the class.
- An oral exam will take place after the presentation, scheduled for no more than 20 minutes.
- The exam format will involve discussing the presentation and answering questions from the instructor.
- The oral exam will be conducted online.

Screen Visibility
- The instructor checked if all students could see the screen to begin the lecture.

Political Background
- Discussion on the South African War and its significant impact on Wilfred Laurier's Liberal Government.
- Laurier's government was a broad coalition that included:
- Quebec nationalists
- Western Canadians
- Industrialists from Ontario
- The war caused a permanent rift leading to Quebec nationalists leaving the Liberal Party.
Laurier's Attempts to Compensate
- Post-war, Laurier sought to appeal to Quebec nationalists by proposing:
- Creation of the Royal Canadian Navy as an alternative to funding British naval ships.
- This included efforts to regain support from Western Canadians.
Financial Contributions
- In 1910, Britain requested contributions from Canada for naval warship funds, which Laurier opposed by opting for a national navy instead.
- The repercussions of Laurier's actions involved the conservatives successfully accusing him of being too pro-British and allowing the U.S. influence over Canadian resources.

Definition and Context
- Free trade refers to the unrestricted exchange of goods and services across borders without tariffs.
- Laurier initially aimed to create free trade with the U.S. to aid Western Canadian farmers, allowing:
- Purchase of cheaper American agricultural machinery.
- Easier export of Canadian agricultural products to the U.S.
- This effort met criticism that it weakened Canadian independence and contributed to the 1911 conservative electoral victory.
Comparison to Current Trade
- Laurier's free trade attempt was aligned with later discussions on trade policies in Canada, resembling contemporary trade agreements.

National Divisions
- Canada's involvement in the South African War exposed ethnic and political divisions that foreshadowed later conflicts during WWI.
- The observation that internal political divisions continued to plague Canada long after the war.

19th Century Drug Regulation
- Canadian medicine in the 19th century was largely unregulated, allowing access to many potent pharmaceuticals without prescriptions.
- Commonly used drugs included:
- Opium
- Cocaine
- Alcohol
- Various medicines contained these substances as primary ingredients, such as laudanum, which is a tincture of opium and alcohol, widely used for various ailments.
Pharmacy Practices
- Pharmacists were responsible for dispensing medications with little regulation.
- Folk medicines made at home often contained these potent substances.

Addiction and Mental Health
- Addiction was more of a personal and familial issue than an economic one; large numbers of inmates in asylums were drug-addicted individuals.
- By the late 19th century, addiction was increasingly seen as a mental health issue.
Public Perception of Alcohol
- Alcohol was a widely consumed but problematic substance, with movements advocating for its prohibition due to widespread alcoholism.

Cocaine
- Cocaine was initially celebrated for its medicinal effectiveness and was added to products like Coca-Cola.
- Its use was primarily among wealthy and professional classes, leading to social concerns over its addictive properties.
Opium
- Opium consumption had both medicinal and recreational aspects. Introduced as a liquid in pharmacies, it was also smoked in opium parlors culturally significant in Chinese communities.

Regulatory Changes
- Calls for creating drug laws emerged, driven by medical professionals and social reformers.
- The Dominion Proprietary or Patent Medicine Act (1908) began regulating drug ingredients and defined legal frameworks for the handling of opiates and cocaine.
- This Act set the stage for further comprehensive regulations and criminalization of drug use.
Societal Changes Post-regulation
- Increased regulation around drug consumption created societal expectations regarding morality and health, leading to movements centered on moral hygiene and social cleanliness.

Impact of Drug Legislation
- The criminalization of opium and other drugs led to significant social and systemic changes, creating a new class of criminals and necessitating greater law enforcement resources.
- Opium Act (1908) and subsequent Opium and Drug Act (1910) banned non-medical use and adjusted to the drug-related issues of the time, targeting specific communities disproportionately.

Prohibition of Alcohol
- Alcohol prohibition occurred during WWI, extending into the 1920s, creating a lucrative black market, particularly smuggling alcohol to the U.S.
Development of Drug Laws into Modern Era
- Throughout the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the perception toward drugs like marijuana shifted, leading to their eventual decriminalization in 2019.
- The complexities surrounding drug policy demonstrate the challenges of dismantling entrenched systems of regulation and criminalization and managing public health issues.

Transitioning from the lecture on drugs, the next topic will be immigration in late 19th to early 20th century Canada.
The next class is canceled due to the instructor's meeting, and instructions regarding ongoing assignments were provided, mainly focused on developing a solid thesis and outline for the upcoming presentations.

The AI assignment grades will be posted soon.
Clarification of upcoming assignments includes:
- Thesis statement and preliminary bibliography required.
- An outline for the presentation is encouraged but not mandatory at this stage, to support the thesis statement.