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5. NATURAL RESOURCES: PRESERVATION AND EXPLOITATION

For more information about one of Canada’s first and longest-lasting industries, read “Fur Trade” on The Canadian Encyclopedia .

Whether discussing mining, agriculture, fishing, or forestry, there can be no doubt our country was built on the use of natural resources. Long before Europeans arrived, Indigenous peoples had extensive trading relationships, exchanging natural resources such as animal pelts, wampum, copper, and roots and vegetables. After contact between Indigenous and European peoples, the extraction, trade, and sale of natural resources expanded and played a significant role in the economic development of what would become Canada. These processes remain central to the Canadian economy and society to this day. • After watching the film, list any scenes that you can remember involving natural resources. In what context were they shown? • Research the history of natural resources in Canada. Read “Natural Resources” and “Resource Rights” on The Canadian Encyclopedia as a starting point for your investigation. • Working in small groups, select one natural resource in Canada to focus on. Each group will give a short class presentation on their chosen resource using Prezi or PowerPoint. Use the following questions to structure your presentation:

North American beaver on ground (Dreamstime.com/Musat Christian/41769077)

Polar Bear with yearling cubs (Dreamstime.com/Outdoorsman/5495002)

Past

• Which natural resources were historically harvested in your region? • What role did these natural resources play in the colonization and settlement patterns of your region? How has technology changed the harvesting of these natural resources?

Snowshoes (Dreamstime.com/Norman Pogson/66069)

Present

• What natural resources are still harvested or extracted in your area? Have any been recently discovered? What role do natural resources play in the economy of your region? • Do contemporary natural resource harvesting methods follow good environmental practices? If not, why? What should be done?

Future

• Imagine what role the extraction of natural resources will play in your area in the future. How will it be affected by climate change? • What needs to be — or is being — done to ensure that the exploitation of natural resources in your area remain sustainable?

An Inukshuk (Dreamstime.com/Sophia Granchinho/62825962)

Figure Skaters (courtesy SESQUI, Inc.)

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