CHAPTER 7 A CHANGING SOCIETY

War Brides • over a million veterans returned to Canada with over 48,000 women and children after the war

• war brides had to adjust to Canada

• and, Canada had changed – immigrants from other countries, suburban life, cars, television, radios, rock n’ roll

• veterans were treated better than after WW I: they could get their jobs back, years fighting were counted as service, they got hiring preference, got free tuition and a living allowance, and great mortgage rates

Coming Home: The New Face of Canada

• 165,000 displaced persons/refugees settled in Canada

• some had been in concentration camps, others had lost homes and family due to the war

• language barriers made it difficult to get work they were qualified, so adjustment was tough, but their children learned English quickly and adjusted to a new life in a new country

• 2.5 million newcomers came to Canada between 1945 and 1967

• most settled in cities, enriching the culture of Canada by settling in specific areas of cities, often forming ethnic communities

The Rise of the Suburbs, Suburban Values

• many housing developments sprang up in the outlying areas of the cities

• suburbs were also called “bedroom communities”, to which people came home at the end of a day at work in the cities

• traditional family values were the expectation – Mom was expected to stay at home – women had to give up jobs to the returning veterans

• women were supposed to LOVE being at home to cook, clean, and use new gadgets such as toasters and food mixers

• Dad would be the one who worked away from home

•huge birth rate after the war resulted in the “baby boom” - now the largest age group in Canada – it has had a big influence on the culture and the economy

The Age of the Automobile

• cars represented freedom, technology, security

• they became a status symbol, the fancier, the better

• life in the suburbs required more people to own a car

• people could drive to the new shopping malls, which caused many small businesses to shut down

• no one had any idea about pollution

• accidents became a leading cause of death, there were NO SEATBELTS

• people were not as aware of drinking and driving

1955 Chevrolet Belair

Television and the Consumer Society• television was only in black

and white at first – and there were only a couple of channels available – so there was some commonality in what people watched television created a

consumer society by pushing products of all kindsas the text says, “shopping became a national pastime”

Teen Culture

• young people were becoming better educated: no wars to fight, the economy was good, so the teenager evolved in the 1950’s

• teenagers had more money, leisure time and independence

• businesses and styles catered to the teenagers

• Elvis who?

• he was credited with bringing rock n’ roll to mainstream listeners – but the “older generation” were shocked, and it was banned in several places

Canada the Good

• most Canadians were very conservative

• church on Sundays, no Sunday newsapaper, no Sunday shopping, no movies

• movies and books were quite censored

• some towns were “dry” – no liquor

• by the 1960’s, these restrictions would relax

• hockey was huge in Canada

Maurice “Rocket” Richard

Protecting Canadian Culture

• 1951 – Canada became aware of the need to protect its culture from US influence

• National Film Board strengthened, Canada Council grants offered money to artists, writers, theaters

• CBC put in charge of developing television in Canada, but American TV entertainment dominated

• Canadians knew more about American culture than ever before

• 1968 – CRTC established to regulate Canadian content for radio and television

Roy Rogers

Mickey Mouse Club

I Love Lucy

Post-War Prosperity • the people and the

government needed to adjust to a peacetime economy

• many in war-production industries would now lose their jobs

• people wanted “security and stability”

• Prime Minister Mackenzie King wanted to keep the powers transferred from the provinces temporarily during the war – Ontario and Québec were against this move

• CD Howe came up with a plan for private industry to create consumer goods and jobs, and the economy was healthy

• people had become used to new social services: unemployment and family allowances – to pay for this, the provinces transferred taxation powers to the federal government

• “equalization” or “transfer” payments ensured that all provinces would receive the same levels of funding for health and education

• the federal government, at this time, was able to gain more power

Rich Resources and New Industries• war inventions lead to peacetime

applications of the new technologies, such as plastics and pesticides

• natural resources, such as minerals/metals and particularly oil helped the economic boom

• boom towns developed in areas where new mines and wells were found

• southern Ontario became a manufacturing centre – half the factories and plants, and 99% of the Canadian automobile industry – led to resentment from other provinces

• at that time, no one realized what these industries were doing to the environment

Giant Projects for a Giant Land

towns grew, as did the need for schools, roads, sewer systems, power plants and hospitals, all paid for with taxes

• Canada had many megaprojects:

• Trans-Canada Highway – Victoria to St. John’s (7821 km) longest national highway in the world

It's the world's longest national highway. At 7,821 kilometres, it stretches from Victoria, B.C., to St. John's, Nfld., and through every province in between. Constructed over some of the world's most treacherous terrain, it took 20 years and $1 billion to complete. The Trans-Canada Highway fulfilled a dream — to open up new regions of the country, usher in new economic prosperity and make fellow Canadians…just a car ride away.

• St. Lawrence Seaway – ocean-going ships could go from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes (joint Canada-US project)

• Trans-Canada Pipeline – allowed natural gas to be transported cheaply to the industrial areas of central Canada

American Investment: A Continuing Issue

• The US needed more natural resources, and Canada needed the money to extract them

• gradually, US ownership of Canadian oil industries rose from 68% in 1956 to 88% in 1967

• more American branch plants were opened as well• by 1956, the US owned over half of all manufacturing in

Canada• was Canada losing control as a “forty-ninth state”?• positive points: provided jobs, new US technology• negative: loss of profits to US, loss of control over the

economy• eventually, decades later, the Free Trade Agreement would

bring about a new relationship

Canadian Owners and Workers

• some Canadians did well: HR MacMillan in BC, KC Irving in NB, and EP Taylor and the Bronfman family in Ontario

• trade unions fought for higher wages and better working conditions

• more money and leisure time contributed to a strong economy as people spent

The Limits of Prosperity

• working poor (particularly women) were at a disadvantage

• women were paid less than men doing the same work

• Canada’s First Nations’ way of life was disrupted by growth of towns, highways, mines and environmental damage

Post-War Politics

• a referendum was held in Newfoundland to decide its status

• Joey Smallwood felt that joining Canada would benefit Newfoundland’s living standard

•after much disagreement as to what would be best, Newfoundland joined Canada in 1949

The Changing Face of Politics

• Mackenzie King retired, and died in 1950

• Liberal Louis St. Laurent succeeded him in 1948

• the media were, by now, much more evident in politics

• his image was created, partially by the media, to help keep him in power

• by 1957, tired out, he would lose the next election

famous for his skill in public speaking,

John Diefenbaker and his Conservative party won the election

“If everyone thought the same way, no one would be thinking” (John Diefenbaker)

• new Liberal leader, Lester B.Pearson (Mike)

Dief versus Mike:

• “Dief” and “Mike” fought five elections over the next decade, taking turns at being PM

• Diefenbaker:• believed in the common man• “unhyphenated Canadian”• preserve British heritage, stand up

to Americans• supported human rights• appointed first woman in Cabinet,

and an aboriginal senator• status Indians given the right to vote

in federal elections• introduced the Canadian Bill of

Rights• French Canadians did not like the

“unhyphenated Canadian” idea

• Pearson:• appealed to younger, urban

voters• supported the idea of 2

founding cultures. English/French

• anticipated the end of British connection

• Canada needed an identity that would appeal to Canadians of all ethnic backgrounds

• initiated the idea of abolition of capital punishment

• easier divorce laws• improved social welfare system• introduced the new Canadian

flag – a move away from imperialism, towards greater nationalism

• Pearson introduced the new Canadian flag – a move away from imperialism, towards greater nationalism

Social Welfare

• during the Depression, many were attracted by the ideology of the CCF

• others wanted the support of these voters, so they supported social programs

• Mackenzie King introduced unemployment insurance in 1940, and family allowance (baby bonus) in 1944

• Pearson, in 1966, introduced the Canada Pension Plan and the Canada Assistance Plan

• also in 1966, Pearson introduced Canada’s system of medicare

• Saskatchewan, under Tommy Douglas, had tested the system, which allowed all people access to medical care

Tommy Douglas• left provincial

politics to become the leader of the New Democratic Party, which grew out of the old CCF

Pearson’s Liberals were afraid the NDP would get votes based on the medicare idea, so they adopted the idea themselves, and passed the Medical Care Act in 1966 – so now, federal and provincial taxes would pay all costs

1967 – Canada Turns 100

Canada celebrated its 100th birthday with Expo 67, the World’s Fair, held in Montreal

• 1967 was the end for Pearson and Diefenbaker – Dief was defeated as Conservative party leader, and Pearson chose to step down for a younger, more dynamic leader of the Liberal Party

The Trudeau Era• Pierre Elliott Trudeau• a dynamic and charismatic leader,

he was different than previous PM’s – sports cars, dating celebrities, sliding down banisters – Trudeaumania

• he wanted to build a “just society”, where government protected the rights and freedoms of the people, and improved social and economic well-being

• a Liberal, he believed strongly in individual freedom, and felt government should not interfere with personal liberties

• typical of the 1960’s was the “youthquake” – a powerful youth culture of protest

• the youth culture began with the Beatles

fashion and music changed – in attempting to be different, this generation protested in many ways

against the previous generation

The Groovy 60’s – the Peace and Love Decade

• many became involved in wanting to change the world for the better – politically, socially, environmentally

• the anti-war movement resulted in many protests against the war in Vietnam

Bob Dylan

Joan Baez

The Beatles

The Stones

The Who

• many songs protested racism, war, and crimes against the environment – young people were becoming more politically aware than ever before

• politicians began to listen, as the young had more influence – the voting age went from 21 to 18

• by the 1980’s, baby boomers began to “clean up”, as they became workers, parents, and fell victim to the need for wealth and security – hence the name “McGeneration”

The Women’s Movement• women felt trapped in traditional

roles, and low-paying jobs• the Royal Commission on the Status

of Women was set up in 1967 –it concluded that women had a right to work outside the home, daycares should be set up to ensure that society took some responsibility for children, maternity leave should be provided, efforts would be made to overcome discrimination against women

• the National Action Committee on the Status of Women ensured that the equality of women was included in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms

• Canadian feminists demanded equal promotion with men, and efforts to improve education for girls

Germaine Greer

The Environmental Movement

• gradually, people became aware of the damage being done to the environment

• new restrictions forced industry to comply with environmental standards

• Greenpeace (1970) protested nuclear testing, whaling, and other environmental concerns

Economic Challenges

The Problem of Inflation• one major cause of the economic crisis was the oil

embargo, 1973, imposed by OPEC because many Western countries supported Israel against some Arab countries

• in retaliation, they refused to sell oil – 400% boost in gas prices

• wages and prices went up, inflation spiraled• production costs went up, unemployment rose,

demand for products went down• dual incomes became a necessity

Regionalism

• there was great regional disparity between the “have and have-not” regions of Canada

• resource-based industries (fishing, mining, lumber) were hit hard, and suffered huge layoffs

• Atlantic Canada and BC were hit hard• Ontario and Québec were not, and were resented• western alienation was a result – some believed

that Ottawa’s policies favoured Central Canada

The Debt Crisis

• Social services were proving EXPENSIVE

• Government now operated at a deficit

• When businesses failed, fewer taxes were collected, but services were continued – we had to borrow

• By 1984 - $160 billion in debt

Mulroney and the Debt

• US and Britain had reduced spending on social programs, hoping people would get to work, and business would reinvest in the economy – Canada followed suit

• A recession occurred, and instead of reducing taxes, the Conservatives had to raise them, as people needed welfare and EI

• The debt increased• The Conservatives lost the next election

The Liberals and the Debt

• 1993 – Chrétien and the Liberals take over – the debt is $466 billion

• After huge cuts, the deficit shrank, but there were fewer services

• Tuition fees went up, transfer payments down, less $ for health and education, more poverty and homelessness

Canada and New Technology

• Computers• Improved travel• Satellite TV• Internet• Robotics• Cell phones • A new economy had emerged, and the ability to

adapt, change, and constantly learn new skills has become critical for the future