Politics

Government

• In 1930 R.B. Bennett was elected as Prime Minister. His Conservative government was voted into power based on his promises:

• Bennett claimed he would “find work for all who are willing to work, or perish in the attempt.”

Policies

• Bennett promised to give $20 million in emergency funds for relief payments.

• He raised tariffs on imports to boost Canadian manufacturing and provide Canadian businesses with better trade opportunities. – Why could this have been problematic?

• Unfortunately Bennett’s polices did little to ease the economic crisis.

• Bennett had no standard relief practice across Canada. Towns and cities were responsible to create their own relief systems

• This created another problem….

Drifters

• Communities did NOT want to provide relief to “drifters.” Cities wanted to avoid attracting people from areas where there was no money provided for relief. Therefore, Citizens had to live in the city for a period of time before they could collect relief money.

Relief Camps • 1932 Government establishes relief camps• Created for single unemployed men.

Men would have to move rocks, build roads or perform other forms of manual labour for at least eight hours a day.

• Workers were given .20 cents a day plus some food and shelter.

Why is this not fair?Should women be allowed to stay in relief camps?

Why?

Radical Reforms

• In 1935, Bennett uncovers a new platform to be implemented if he wins the next election. His new coping techniques include:~ unemployment/health insurance~ minimum wage~ limits on hours someone can work~ creation of an Economic Council of Canada to advise the government on economic matters

This was called “Bennett’s New Deal”

New Deal

• Bennett decides to use all of the government’s resources to get Canada’s economy going.

• Many Canadians felt Bennett implemented these reforms as a way to collect votes in the up and coming election.

• Generally, people felt Bennett’s reforms came too late to do any good.

• As Canada’s economic crisis deepened in the early 1930s, Prime Minister R.B. Bennett appeared to show little sympathy for the troubles of his fellow Canadians.

• Bennett’s government failed to come up with any far-reaching policy to alleviate the suffering caused by the Great Depression.

• But the tough-talking Bennett had a far different private face. Bennett was a kind and generous man who donated $25,000 a year to numerous charities. And during the darkest days of the Depression, Bennett’s compassion and humanity shone through.

• The Prime Minister received hundreds of letters from desperate Canadians requesting help.

Change in Government

• 1935, Mackenzie King and the Liberals swept back into power in a landslide victory.

• Canadians could not afford to pay their taxes and therefore government revenues were falling.

• King tried to cut government spending in an attempt to balance the budget.

• King did not provide much relief for Depression victims, he instead left that obligation to to each province and town.

• Provinces and cites increased their budgets to allow for relief, but it was still not enough money.

• Provinces and cites therefore cut services, which eliminated jobs, and increased unemployment.

• Eventually, King realized that the only way to help Canadian’s get out of the Depression was to provide federal funding.

• 1937, King starts to seriously examine federal and provincial relations.

• King acknowledges that human well being was a national problem.

• Understands that all levels of government must work together and cooperate with one another in order to be able to provide social support.

New Parties

Canadians were fed up by the lack of leadership in Canada. People felt there was no effective system for dealing with economic or social problems, therefore, new parties started to develop.

Social Credit• This is a regional party formed in 1935.

• They gained power in Alberta.

Promoted spending on goods and services.

• Believed that everyone should receive some “social credit.”

• The party wanted to give every adult $25 a month to buy goods with.

• Unfortunately this was actually illegal and when the party was elected this money was never paid out.

• This party remained in power for 35 years in Alberta and later came into power in British Columbia (1952).

Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF)• Formed in 1932 by farmers, labour groups, university teachers

and a few members of parliament. • Fought for social and economic reforms to end human suffering

caused by the Great Depression.

• Co-operative: farmers belief in joint action• Commonwealth: represented hope for a new social order in

which wealth would be shared equally.• Federations: party was made up of various economic and social

groups.

• Encouraged the government to spend money on public works in order to create employment.

• Society should support its citizens to prevent extreme economic hardships.

Union Nationale• Quebec wanted to defend the French language.

• This party claimed that the English minority in Quebec, who controlled the provinces economy, were responsible for the provinces social and economic problems. Therefore,they wanted more provincial power for Quebec.

• Promised to improve working conditions, find new markets for farm products, and build affordable housing.

• In 1936 Union Nationale gained power in the provincial elections.