History Unit 2: The Great Depression In Canada

Question 1

When did depression hit Canada?

Answer 1

• in 1929 people believed it was jus temporary and the good times will come quickly
• 1932-33 more than 700 000people were out of work this represented roughly 28% of Canada’s wage earner (worst year)

Question 2

What were the hard times for Canadians

Answer 2

• poverty became a way of life
• if lucky to have job drastic cut in pay
• 56% earned less than $1000 a year; 24% earned $1000 - 1500 a year
• complaining about wages or working conditions was discouraged as thousands of other people were eager to take their place

Question 3

What were types of relief

Answer 3

Public relief: or ‘going on the pogey’ - goverment assistance, relief camp

Private relief: charitable organization, churches, soup lines…

• many people did not qualify for assistance and most people felt disgraced/held off accepting handouts until they were completely desperate

Question 4

What are shanty towns or hobo jungles

Answer 4

When people lost homes, farmers migrated to urban centres; saw the emergence of collections of shacks or roughly built houses

Question 5

Who was affected

Answer 5

• entire country
• unemployment rate in Ontario: 54%
• parries hit hard

Question 6

What is the pallister triangle

Answer 6

Most affected area comprising of southern Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba
- many farmers accumulated a lot of debt during 1920 and was forced to sell off everything they owned

Question 7

Why were western farmers hit hard

Answer 7

• over dependence on staple crops I.e wheat 1920-$2 compared to .50 and .40 in the 30s
• over farming in the 20 depleted soil of nutrients and turned plants into a virtual dessert
• future crop growth was affected by severe drought, late spring frost, plague of grasshoppers and diseases I.e rust

Question 8

What is riding the rails

Answer 8

• deppression was hard for young single men
• became increasingly desperate and travelled around the country looking for work
• transient lifestyle
• unemployment people headed west towards bc
  
  • > upset many healthy people, well-to-do citizen

Question 9

What are relief camps

Answer 9

• 1932: federal government established work relief camps
  
  • > located in remote parts of BC
• by 1934 more then 25000 men were living/working in the camps
• most work was hard physical labour; cutting trees, clearing forest, building roads
• workers are grateful; many were upset -> isolate, little contact with the outside world, pay .20 a day

Question 10

What is the on-to Ottawa trek

Answer 10

• June 1935: group of 1800 disgruntled worker, fed up w/ camps boarded trains bound for Ottawa
  
  • > mission protest the living/working conditions to the goverment
  • > got as far as Regina where they got stop by RCMP
  • > pm Bennett agreed to talk to the protest leaders
  • > eventually talk Broke down, ro test broke up
• in the end, no amount of relief helped the situation .

Question 11

When did the stock market crash

Answer 11

Oct 24 1929