British Columbia Flashcards

British Columbia joined Confederation in 1871 on the condition that the federal government build a transcontinental railway. What was the stipulated deadline given to the federal government to complete this railway connection to BC?

Answer: 10 years

The Terms of Union (1871) required the federal government to begin construction within two years and complete the transcontinental railway within 10 years. The Canadian Pacific Railway was ultimately completed in 1885, technically late, but BC remained in Confederation.

Which of the following best describes the legal status of BC's coastal waters under Canadian constitutional law?

Answer: They are federal waters, with the federal government holding jurisdiction over navigation, fisheries, and seabed resources

Coastal and offshore waters in Canada are under federal jurisdiction. The Supreme Court of Canada confirmed in the BC Offshore Mineral Rights Reference (1967) that the federal Crown owns the seabed and resources beneath BC's coastal waters, not the province.

BC's Legislature uses a unicameral system. Before 1903, however, there was an upper chamber. What happened to BC's Legislative Council?

Answer: It was abolished by a vote of the Legislative Assembly to reduce government costs

BC's appointed Legislative Council (upper house) was abolished in 1903 by a vote of the elected Legislative Assembly, making BC unicameral. The move was driven largely by cost-cutting and democratic reform pressures of the era.

The Nisga'a Final Agreement (2000) was landmark legislation in BC. Which of the following accurately describes a distinctive feature of Nisga'a self-government under this treaty?

Answer: Nisga'a laws on matters like culture and language prevail over provincial laws, but federal law remains paramount in most areas

Under the Nisga'a Final Agreement, Nisga'a government has law-making authority over matters such as culture, language, and internal governance on Nisga'a Lands, and in those areas Nisga'a law prevails over conflicting provincial law. However, federal law generally remains paramount, and the Nisga'a Nation is not equivalent to a province.

BC is the only Canadian province that uses a specific electoral boundary commission process tied to which independent body for redistribution?

Answer: An independent Electoral Boundaries Commission chaired by a judge, with public consultation required before each redistribution

BC uses an independent Electoral Boundaries Commission process under the Electoral Boundaries Commission Act. The commission is chaired by a judge and must conduct public hearings before recommending new riding boundaries, ensuring the process is independent of the government of the day. Federal and provincial boundary processes are entirely separate.

During the 1907 Vancouver race riots, mobs attacked Chinatown and Japantown. What was the long-term federal legislative consequence most directly linked to pressure arising from these events?

Answer: The Gentleman's Agreement of 1908 that voluntarily restricted Japanese emigration to Canada

In direct response to the 1907 riots and anti-Asian pressure from BC, Canada negotiated the Lemieux-Hayashi 'Gentleman's Agreement' of 1908 with Japan, under which Japan voluntarily restricted emigration to Canada. While the Chinese Immigration Act (1923) and internment (1942) are related to anti-Asian racism in BC, the Gentleman's Agreement is the most direct legislative/diplomatic consequence of the 1907 riots specifically.