The Great Depression

Effects on Canada

• effected everyone in some way and there was basically no way to escape it.

• Canadians became dependent on government relief.

• 30% of the Labour Force was unemployed, (previously had never dropped below 12%)

• The Single Men's Unemployed Association parading to Bathurst Street United Church, Toronto, Ontario, circa 1930

People turned to private charities, government relief (“pogey”) and church groups for food, clothing

and financial relief.

Conditions were extremely poor for many Canadians

Prairies Problems

• The Prairies were particularly hard hit by the Depression.

• Dropping wheat prices, overproduction and drought.

“Dust Bowl”

Relief Camps

Relief Camps

• Family's relief was cut when a child turned 16

• Many young men rode freight trains West

• Conservative government (Bennett) set up work camps to prevent unrest among this mass of unemployed workers

Labour Camps cont.

• located in remote areas such as northern Ontario and B.C.'s interior

• Wore war surplus clothing, bunked in tar-paper shacks, ate army rations and were forced to work six and a half days a week for twenty cents a day.

$.08 was worth about a dollar today.

Conditions in the Work Camp

Temporary housing conditions (Relief Projects - No. 8), May 1933

On to Ottawa Trek

• The Relief Camp Workers Union (RCWU) went on strike in 1935 and filled the streets of Vancouver

• Demanded real work wages, better food, clothing and shelter, and an end to military discipline.

• The federal government refused to negotiate with strikers

• Strikers decided to go to Ottawa and give their demands to parliament.

On to Ottawa: For info, not notes!

• Joined by men in Kamloops, Field, Golden, Calgary and Moose Jaw.

• Women's groups, service clubs, labour councils, churches, unions and caring citizens supported the trek

• 2000 massed in Regina by mid-June. Others waiting in Winnipeg, Thunder bay and Toronto,

• CPR banned trekkers as "trespassers“, RCMP bolstered troops in Regina

On to Ottawa

• It was proposed that a delegation (8 leaders) continue to Ottawa.

• Delegation met with Bennett and presented the strikers' demands.

• Bennett accused the strikers of trying to start a revolution to destroy law and order. The meeting disintegrated into heated exchanges (Bennett calling Evans a thief and Evans calling Bennett a liar). Negotiations ended.