Canada and the Great Depression

First things First… Label the map with the Canadian provinces Be sure to look up the language for each province during WWI and the 1920s Let’s talk Constitutional Monarchy How does the Canadian government work??? Describe the Office of the Prime Minister Now we can move on…

Causes of the Great Depression in Canada Identify the Prime Ministers of Canada before 1929 Sir Wilfrid Laurier Sir Robert Borden Arthur Meighen William Lyon Mackenzie King What changes occurred in Canadian politics occurred after WWI? How did these changes impact Canada economically?

Causes of the Great depression in Canada How did the U.S. help the Canadian economy in the 1920s? Why would this be problematic later? What brought about the end of Canada’s economic boom? Compare the Toronto Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange in the 1920s. Why was the crash felt more in New York than in Toronto?

The Impact of the Great Depression in Canada Imports down Exports down even more Wheat prices drop 75% Unemployement hits 27% Tariffs increase WHY?

Rural Canada Feels the Dust Bowl Did the Dust Bowl impact Canada any differently than the United States? Drove people off of there farms and into the cities If people stayed they saw there income drop significantly…90% in some areas Many people on welfare Land Ownership Take a moment to research the importance of land ownership in Canada. How is it a key component of being Canadian? What does this say about the impact of the Great Depression on Canada?

Urban Canada in the Great Depression Just as bad if not worse than the rural areas Unemployment goes up while wages come down…unless… The middle class and those in the professional sector are able to maintain their income because the standard/cost of living drops so significantly

King 1.0 vs. Bennett How is Prime Minister W. L. M. King similar to President Hoover? What specific approaches does King take to resolving the Great Depression in Canada? How effective were these approaches? Is Bennett any better than King? Hoovervilles vs. Bennett Buggies What specific approaches does Bennett take to resolving the Great Depression in Canada? Bennett’s New Deal??

Bennett Brings Chaos? Both King 1.0 and Bennett believed that the provincial and municipal governments should deal with the fallout of the Depression The relief that Bennett did provide went to families creating a lot of unemployed single men Royal Twenty Centers come into play at this point Images of Royal Twenty Centers On to Ottawa with the WUL What was the WUL? Why trek to Ottawa? Where had the trekkers been living?

Bennett reacts to the Trekkers To negotiate or not to negotiate, that is the question. A Trekker’s Memory There sat Bennett behind his desk, surrounded by officials and guards. There were the press, and in front of Bennett, the eight representatives of the trek. The Prime Minister wasted no time, but went into his diatribe of abuse, condemnation, and threats, his face crimson with hatred. He then singled out Slim Evans and roared, “We know you down here, Evans! You are a criminal and a thief!” At this, Slim calmly rose to his feet, and looking the Prime Minister in the eye, he said, loudly and distinctly, “And you’re a liar, Bennett, and what is more, you are not fit to run a great country like Canada.” The offer of negotiations, openly and cynically a trap to get the delegation to Ottawa, the heaping of verbal abuse on their heads, with no intention of negotiating, all this, even coming from Bennett, was, in the eyes of the Canadian people, shameful and inexcusable. –Ronald Liversedge, BC Teachers Federation, https://bctf.ca/uploadedFiles/public/TeachingResources/YouthUnionsYou/SS11_L2.pdf

The Regina Riot The end result of the On to Ottawa Trek What can you find? Which came first, the Riot or the New Deal? Is it a wonder that Liberal propaganda was publishing material such as this… The Liberal Review

King 2.0 – “King or Chaos!” How were King and the Liberals able to win by such a large majority? Info from the Liberal Party How did King approach the New Deal legislation left behind by Bennett? Why did he do this? British North America Act & the Supreme Court Final Decision? Using your Google Device, research King’s 2nd/3rd term as Prime Minister. Was it different from the first, or just more of the same? Was it impacted by the creation of all the new political parties? Why or why not? Be prepared to discuss

Culture & Canada during the Great Depression Look up Woody Guthrie songs… Although this is a US singer, how might the messages in his music be received in Canada? Why? Look up the Group of Seven and Canadian Art during the Depression. Why would a nationalist theme be carried on in art even after WWI? How were the arts treated differently in Canada than they were in the United States?

Culture & Canada during the Great Depression Who Has Seen the Wind? By W.O. Mitchell How does this represent the Great Depression? Look up Hockey Night in Canada When and how had hockey become popular? How did most people experience hockey in Canada? What purpose did activities like hockey and baseball (in the United States) serve for those in the midst of the Great Depression?