REACTIONS TO THE DEPRESSION

PEOPLE REACTED TO THE DEPRESSION IN DIFFERENT WAYS, DEPENDING ON THEIR SITUATION:

Crime Many men who had lost their jobs or their homes

turned to alcohol. This led to an increase in crimes such as wife and child

abuse. For others, the only solution was to become criminals.

The only way they could feed their children was by stealing. Because poverty was so widespread, criminals were

not looked down on as much during the 1930s. Many people understood that criminals really had no choice.

Escape Families were broken up.

Many men could not deal with the shame of not being able to take care of their families.

Result: They ran away.

Thousands of men became transients. They jumped on trains and moved from city to city

looking for work. In most places, being a transient was a crime!

The only industry that grew during the 1930 was the entertainment industry.

People needed movies and music – these allowed them to escape their reality for a little while.

Protests The 1930s were a decade of protests. The most

famous of these was the On-to-Ottawa-Trek. In 1935, 1,000 relief camp workers from BC left

their camps to protest against conditions there. Their union (Relief Camp Worker’s Union) met in

Vancouver, and they decided to take their complaints to Ottawa.

The workers climbed into or onto trains. As the trains moved across Canada, more people joined

them! When they got to Regina, Saskatchewan, they were

stopped by the RCMP. The police told them that only their leaders could go

on. The rest of the protesters were put in a stadium.

ON TO OTTAWA TREK

When the union leaders met Bennett, he called them trouble makers, criminals and thieves.

Their leader, Slim Evans, responded by calling Bennett a liar who was unfit to govern Canada.

After this, security removed the union leaders from Bennett’s office.

Back in Regina, the RCMP were told to clear the stadium of protesters.

The Trekkers resisted, and a violent riot broke out (Regina Riot).

Results: One police officer was killed. Many protesters were injured and arrested.

REGINA RIOT

New Political Parties Many Canadians were furious because they felt

that the government was ignoring the needs of the working class.

Result: They created new political parties that represented workers.

CCF (Cooperative Commonwealth Federation) This was a socialist party created by J.S.

Woodsworth. Its platform was described in the Regina Manifesto:

It supported social programs to help the elderly, homeless, sick, and unemployed.

It supported government ownership of important industries. It supported government spending to create jobs.

Social Credit This party was created by William Aberhart. He believed that government needed to release

money so that people could spend it. He promised that every citizen would be given a

“basic dividend” of $25 every month.

Results: The CCF became the third most powerful party in Ottawa.

It has also become the governing party of some provinces. Its ideas influenced the decisions of the Liberals and the

Conservatives. Social Credit became the government of Alberta in 1935,

but the federal government challenged their right to issue money.

Their “basic dividend” never became a reality. The Social Credit party remained popular in Western Canada

until the 1990s.