The Last Few Terms TEST ON TUESDAY!

Review of class

• CCF• The Regina Manifesto• On-To-Ottawa Trek• The Regina Riot• Establishment of the CRBC = CBC

The Social Credit Party• Started in the West, new Alberta provincial

Party

• The government pays money to every citizen

• Consumers would spend money buying goods, increase in demand leads to increase in production• Then create more jobs and jump-start

the economy

• William Aberhart formed the Social Credit Party, first leader

William “Bible Bill” Aberhart

• From Alberta, nickname given for his strong religious beliefs

• Had a popular radio show, spread the idea of Social Credit

• Wanted the provincial government to pay every adult in Alberta $25 a month

• 1935 election: Social Credit won 56 out of 63 seats, remained in power for 35 years

• But his government simply did not have the money to pay people $25

• He wanted to print more money but that was up to the federal government so he was not allowed

Union Nationale• Quebec nationalism was popular

in 1930s

• Provincially, Liberals were in power in Quebec since 1897, but people wanted a change

• Wanted to protect French language, religion and culture against the English

• But as soon as he got into office he left the economy in the hands of English business interest and passed laws outlawing any labour protests

Maurice Duplessis• Lawyer by trade

• 16th Premier of Quebec, 1936 to 1939 with Union Nationale

• Known as “The Great Darkness”, anti-Communism

• 1936: Duplessis focused on corruption in the Liberal government

The Padlock Law• Claiming that communism was a threat to

Quebec, Duplessis passed the Padlock Law in 1937

• Gave authorities the power to enter any building to search for and seize communist propaganda

• If they found any, they would padlock the building until the owner appeared in court for trail

• This left authorities to define communism on their own terms and to determine what was communist or not

• The law as a result silenced radical political opposition in Quebec and kept labour unions weak for 20 years

Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF)

• 1932: Small group of farmers and politicians founded this party, known today as the New Democratic Party (NDP)

• Roots were in Western Canada, led by Winnipeg MP J.S. Woodsworth

• Rejected capitalism and revolutionary communism and favoured democratic socialism

J.S. WoodsworthSignificance: A pioneer of the Social Democratic movement, first leader of the CCF

Regina Manifesto

The Regina Manifesto• 1933: blamed The Great Depression on capitalism and

introduced a number of socialist policies:• Public ownership of banks• Public utilities and transportation companies• Improved health and social services• A tax system designed to redistribute wealth

• Opponents of the CCF said there was a “Red Scare” in the West following from the Russian Revolution in 1917

• CCF’s platform was “communism in disguise”• But CCF wanted change through the free choice of

Canadian voters

Riding the Rails to Ottawa

On-To-Ottawa Trek

• June 1935: the start of the On-to-Ottawa Trek

• 1,600 men rode freight trains bound to Ottawa to confront R.B. Bennett

• Done after a 2 month protest in Vancouver, did not like that the Department of National Defence ran the relief camps

Trekkers gather at Exhibition Grounds

Riot Damage

The Regina Riot

The Regina Riot• Bennett wanted to stop the On-to-Ottawa trek protesters, so he

ordered the RCMP to stop the trains in Regina

• Invited the leaders to Ottawa, hoping in their absence the protest in Regina would peacefully go away

• Talks broke down in Ottawa between Bennett and the trek leaders after one hour

• The protest leaders returned to Regina to continue the trek and Bennett ordered police to arrest the men, and soon a riot broke out

• Aftermath: One police officer was dead and many protesters and citizens injured

• Trek disbanded after the riot. Some returned to relief camps, victory for Bennett but cost him his reputation in the long run

Entertainment as a Form of Escape

• During the Depression, many people wanted to escape from the harshness of life and escape reality

• Entertainment offered to do that

1930s Radio• Listening to radio was a diversion to Canadians • People gathered around to hear broadcasts of many

different topics, but these programs mainly originated in the US

• In response to the amount of American content on the radio, Bennett in 1932, created the Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission (CRBC), soon became the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in 1936

• Goal was to broadcast Canadian radio programs in French and English with Canadian content

American Influence in Culture

Should we have a national broadcasting company?