Western Canada

Western Canada is a big area in the country of Canada, made up of four provinces near the southern border with the United States. These provinces are British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. People who live in these areas are often called Western Canadians or Westerners.

This part of Canada has its own special ways of life and traditions, which make it different from other parts of the country. About one-third of all Canadians live in Western Canada.

Geographically, the area can be split into two main parts. British Columbia is on the west side of the Canadian Rockies and is known as the "west coast". The other three provinces — Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba — are called the "Prairie Provinces" or simply "the Prairies". Some people group Alberta and British Columbia together because both have big cities like Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver, and many people move between these two provinces. Alberta and Saskatchewan also share some history and similar patterns of people moving there from faraway places.

Capital cities

The capital cities of the four western provinces, from west to east, are:

• Victoria, British Columbia
• Edmonton, Alberta
• Regina, Saskatchewan
• Winnipeg, Manitoba

Except for Winnipeg, which is the biggest area in Manitoba, the other capitals are the second biggest areas in their provinces.

History

Main article: Constitutional history of Canada

Western Canada has been home to many Indigenous nations long before European colonization began. As Britain settled the area, they made treaties with various First Nations and worked to control the land. Special agreements called Numbered Treaties were made between 1871 and 1899, though much of British Columbia was never formally handed over to Canada. These treaties helped the government take control of the land and its resources, and some land claims are still being discussed today.

Many of the first Europeans in Western Canada were French-Canadian, working as fur traders or living as settlers.

In 1858, Britain set up the Colony of British Columbia. The Hudson's Bay Company controlled much of Western Canada, including parts of Rupert's Land and the North-Western Territory. In 1870, these lands were passed to Canada. The area became the Northwest Territories. The western provinces, except British Columbia, grew from these territories:

• Manitoba became a province in 1870.
• British Columbia joined Canada in 1871 after Canada agreed to help with its debts, support public work, and build a railway to Ontario.
• Saskatchewan became a province in 1905.
• Alberta also became a province in 1905.

Demographics

As of the 2016 Census, Western Canada had nearly 11.1 million people. This includes about 4.65 million in British Columbia, 4.07 million in Alberta, 1.1 million in Saskatchewan, and 1.28 million in Manitoba. This makes up 31.5% of Canada's total population. The biggest city area in Western Canada is Vancouver, with almost 2.5 million people, while Calgary is the largest single city, with over 1.2 million people.

From 2011 to 2016, some cities in Western Canada grew very fast. Calgary grew by 14.6%, Edmonton by 13.9%, Saskatoon by 12.5%, Regina by 11.8%, and Lethbridge by 10.8%. These were the only cities in the country to grow more than 10% during that time.

Geography

Western Canada includes four provinces: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. These provinces cover a large area of about 2.9 million square kilometres, which is almost 29% of Canada's total land.

British Columbia touches the Pacific Ocean on its west side, while Manitoba has a small coastline along Hudson Bay. Alberta and Saskatchewan are surrounded by land, sitting between British Columbia and Manitoba. The flat lands of the Canadian Prairies stretch across parts of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, making them great for farming. However, there are also hilly areas and forests in these provinces.

In Alberta and British Columbia, tall mountain ranges like the Canadian Rockies run along the eastern edge, meeting the Pacific Ocean to the west.

Climate

The coast of British Columbia has mild winters and wet weather because of the nearby Pacific Ocean. Further inland, winters are colder and summers are hotter.

Alberta experiences very cold winters and warm summers. Sometimes, warm winds called "Chinook wind" make the winter feel a little warmer.

Both Saskatchewan and Manitoba have very cold winters and warm summers, with temperatures that can feel extremely chilly or quite hot.

Politics

Federal politics

In Canadian politics, Western Canada often leans toward the Conservative Party, unlike Central and Atlantic Canada, which tend to support the Liberal Party. However, there are Liberal strongholds in places like Greater Vancouver and Winnipeg. The New Democratic Party, which has roots in the Canadian Prairies and in towns of British Columbia, also has support in Manitoba and British Columbia.

The western provinces send 108 Members of Parliament to the House of Commons in Ottawa—43 from British Columbia, 37 from Alberta, and 14 each from Saskatchewan and Manitoba. They also have 24 senators, with 6 from each province.

Western alienation

Main article: Western alienation

Western alienation is the feeling that Western Canada is left out economically and politically by the rest of the country. Some people even believe that Eastern Canada has too much political power and gets more money from equalisation payments. This idea dates back to when Alberta and Saskatchewan became provinces in 1905 but didn’t get control of their own resources, unlike Manitoba.

These feelings came up again after Justin Trudeau was elected in 2015. The Liberal Party didn’t win many seats in Western Canada, and their plans to tackle climate change were seen as too much for an area where many jobs depend on fossil fuels.

Senate reform

The West has been the strongest voice calling for changes to the Senate. Some westerners think Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada have too much power in the Senate. For example, Ontario has more people than all the western provinces together but isn’t over-represented in the Senate, while Atlantic Canada, with fewer people, has many senators.

Westerners have suggested a Triple-E Senate—equal, elected, and effective. They think if each province had the same number of senators, if senators were elected by the public instead of appointed, and if the Senate had more power, then Western Canada’s concerns would be heard more. Others think this is too simple and want to keep things as they are or try different ideas for change. All these issues together have led to the idea of Western alienation and even some calls for Western Canada to become independent, though these are ideas mostly held by small groups.

Provincial politics

In provincial politics, different parties have been in power over the years. In British Columbia, the BC Liberal Party, which is actually more conservative despite its name, governed from 2001 to 2017. After the 2017 election, the BC New Democratic Party formed a minority government with support from the BC Green Party. By October 2020, the BC NDP had a majority in the legislature.

In Manitoba, the New Democratic Party also holds a majority. In Alberta, the 2023 election reduced the United Conservative Party’s seats but they still keep a majority. In Saskatchewan, the Saskatchewan Party has a supermajority in its legislature.

• Provincial Legislatures

  Legislative assembly of British Columbia. The Conservatives, Greens, and NDP are represented by blue, green, and orange respectively.

Legislative Assembly of Alberta. The NDP and United Conservatives are represented by orange and dark blue respectively.

Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan. The NDP and Saskatchewan Party are represented by orange and green respectively.

Legislative Assembly of Manitoba. The Liberals, NDP and Progressive Conservatives are represented by red, orange and blue respectively.

Economy

Western Canada is very important for energy and farming. Even though only about 11 million people live there, it sends a lot of energy and food to the rest of the world.

The main energy products are oil and uranium. The region has a big share of the world’s oil and uranium.

For farming, Western Canada grows a lot of wheat, other grains, and oilseeds. It also has lots of farmland and produces a large amount of potash for the world.