2024/2025 Program Registration is FULL. Please email [email protected] to join the waitlist.
Connections to the Law is a one-day, three session, Grade 5 program that details three strategies developed in the late 19th century by the Canadian Government to quickly and efficiently settle the newly opened Canadian West.
Everything You Need To Know
See the Connections Programs Overview for instructions to best prepare your class for your program.
Topics Covered in this Program
Connections to the Law is held in the North West Mounted Police Fort and examines the following three topics:
- Early West Surveyors. This session examines the role of land surveyors in preparing the Canadian West for settlement, and includes stories and artifacts that emphasize the challenges the early surveyors faced. Using surveying tools, students will survey a land map and then choose their own homestead, complete with a 1916 Dominion Lands Interim Receipt Certificate for their chosen land. This session is held in the NWMP Fort Program Space.
- Treaty 6. This session investigates the factors that led to the signing of Treaty 6 and its impact on the Indigenous groups who signed it and the settlement of Western Canada overall. Students explore the roles of both Cree people and early European settlers, giving them the opportunity to understand the signing of the treaty from both perspectives. This session is held in the North West Mounted Police Fort Divisional Kitchen.
- North West Mounted Police. A look at the formation and movement west of Canada’s first police force – a force created to secure law and order for peaceful settlement in the west. Students will tour the North West Mounted Police Fort, learn about the daily lives of the men, and see first-hand how the force helped shape a Canadian identity. This session begins in the NWMP Stables.
Connections to Curriculum
General Outcome 5.1: Physical Geography of Canada
To understand and appreciate how the physical geography and natural resources of Canada affect the quality of life of all Canadians.
General Outcome 5.2: Histories and Stories of Ways of Life in Canada
To understand and appreciate the people and the stories of Canada and their ways of life over time, and appreciate the diversity of Canada’s heritage.
General Outcome 5.3: Canada: Shaping an Identity
To understand and appreciate the events and factors that have changed the ways of life in Canada over time and appreciate the impact of these changes on citizenship and identity.
For a detailed list of the Specific Outcomes & Skills and Processes that are taught in both Grade 5 programs, please contact the Fort Heritage Precinct Programs Coordinator – [email protected] or 780-992-6635.
