Uniquely Canadian in Victorian Times

Diversity At It's Best

Uniquely Canadian During Victorian Times

When we think of the Victorian Era, romantic images come to mind of bustles and bows, feathers and lace, crisp white linen and ornate furnishings; but behind the trappings of the "more is more" Victorian lifestyle, lay a gambit of social problems; including domestic violence, drug addiction, venereal disease, illegitamcy and alcoholism; compounded by the high moral standards set by a virtuous queen.

Of course the same can be said for people living in the US or Britain at the time, but what made Canadians during Queen Victoria's reign different from their counterparts?

Perhaps the vastness of the land and the fact that so many families lived in relative isolation, made socializing a fleeting thing. Women living in the backwoods of Canada had little time for frivolous ventures and the courting games and rituals so popular in Victorian society, were replaced by the need to find a mate with the fortitude to "work the farm" and everything that that entailed.

And yet even in the large urban centers like Toronto and Montreal, where you could witness the well dressed promenading the boardwalks in the latest fashions, there were many distinctions that set Canadians apart from the rest of the western world. With strong ties to the land, forest and sea; they embraced the traditions of Britain, France and America, but lived by the age-old wisdom of the Original Canadians, who taught our ancestors how to conquer the harsh lands and survive the cold climate to emerge as a nation of unique individuals.