Depression caused many Cdns to ask gov’t for help. Cdns started to think differently about: the role of gov’t existing pol. Parties The Depression was a time period of great political change in Canada.

 King = PM for most of 20s  didn’t see DEP. coming  even after Crash, didn’t take prob. Seriously  refused to help municipal (local) gov’ts make relief payments  Lost election in 1930 William Lyon Mackenzie King Liberal Party

 R.B Bennett replaces King as PM  promised to help provinces with relief payments  won the election in 1930  raised taxes on imported goods to encourage local production  believed the econ. would be fixed with these minor adjustments Richard Bedford Bennett Conservative Party

 By 1932, econ. still shrinking  Work Camps: opened by Dept. of Nat’l Defence Oct for single, unemployed and homeless men by 1935, more than 200 camps men living in camps Work Camp in British Columbia

 Conditions of work camps: crowded dirty unnecessary work (?)  Each man received: work clothes soap and towel a bed 3 meals/day use of shower & toilet place to do laundry Road construction project. Work camp dormitory.

 Cooperative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) started 1932 blamed “big business” for DEP. ideas of socialism  gov’t should control business  wrong that some Cdns get rich while others are poor & hungry support in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, British Columbia and Ontario mostly farmers and workers, some intellectuals James Shaver Woodsworth first leader of the CCF

 Social Credit Party started in Western Canada (1934) blamed big businesses from central Canada for farmers’ problems gov’t should give every man & woman $25/mth to live William J. “Bible Bill” Aberhart first leader of the Social Credit Party

 Union Nationale started in Quebec DEP affected French- speaking farmers and workers more than English-speaking business men Liberals didn’t have any new ideas about how to deal w/ DEP. young Liberals joined conservative leader, Duplessis, to make the new party promised to control “big business” & won the election once in power:  promoted FrCdn culture  Roman Catholic Church  farming  blamed Ottawa (fed. gov’t) for Quebec’s problems  VERY SUCCESSFUL PARTY! Maurice Duplessis provincial leader of Conservative Party in Quebec ( ) first leader of the Union Nationale (1936)

 Communist Party not new but very little success in 20s tried to organize workers into unions in the 30s also tried to organize the unemployed gov’t didn’t like this ; made membership illegal Buck arrested in 1931 and sent to prison members born outside of Canada were deported Tim Buck Leader of the Canadian Communist Party

 Reconstruction Party supported by small businesses, farmers “big business” treated workers unfairly last new party to join the 1935 federal election didn’t have a strong impact Herbert Henry Stevens originally part of R.B. Bennett’s Conservative gov’t first leader and founder of the Reconstruction Party (1935)

 protest in B.C. work camps frustrated with boring camps wanted real jobs with real wages felt gov’t had forgotten them

 Strike 1800 men left camps to demonstrated in Vancouver, B.C. demands: 1.$0.50/day min. wage 2.safer working conditions 3.gov’t system of unemployment insurance 4.voting rights  gov’t refused all demands Workers on strike in Victoria Square, Vancouver

 On-to-Ottawa Trek workers were desperate and determined got on trains heading east to take their demands to the federal gov’t well supported by Cdn pop’n—given food across the rail lines Workers on train heading to Ottawa

 Regina riot / Market Square riot Bennett afraid of how many men would join the “trekers” 8 men invited to Ottawa to discuss demands  PM rejected all them  ordered trains stopped in Regina, Saskatchewan  leaders to be arrested violence broke out as trains arrived and RCMP tried to arrest leaders and trekkers one police officer killed, several hundred injured most workers returned to B.C.

 1934 policy changes help farmers sell their products set up the Bank of Canada  1935 Radio Broadcasts :“New Deal” promises inc. taxes for the rich (big business) lower farm debts intro. min. wage 8 hour work day unemployment insurance better old-age pensions

 shocked did he really care is he trying to win the next election?  determined to change the gov’t  forced political parties to think about the avg. Cdn’s real needs  voted for King (Liberal Party) didn’t believe in the new parties Bennett’s promises were “too little, too late” King promised to spend on “public works projects” promised unemployment insurance