Responses to the Great Depression

Fortunate vs. Unfortunate

The Unfortunate

Single Men

could not find jobs

could not receive relief payments of food vouchers

Farmers on the Prairies

other countries stopped buying their wheat

drought turned fertile soil into dust

The Fortunate

Professional Peeps

doctors, lawyers and bankers had steady jobs

wages were not reduced

Government Workers

wages were not reduced

Peeps with Savings

prices for food, clothing and shelter were low

Government Response

Prime Minister Mackenzie King

unwilling to deal with the Depression

said he would not give Conservative provincial governments “a five cent piece” to help them deal with unemployment

Citizens’ Response

Riding the Rails

unemployed men hitched a ride on freight trains (on top or inside) to travel across the country to find work

Police attempted to arrest transients for “vagrancy”

Pogey and Vouchers

similar to today’s modern-day welfare system

assistance in the form of money received from the state

a piece of paper that entitles the holder to a discount

provided means for:

food

other essential items

sometimes rent and fuel

Unemployment Relief Camps

1930

Bennett (Conservative) became Prime Minister

Set up Unemployment Relief Camps for single, unemployed men

sent to camps in wilderness under military authority

men laboured on public work projects such as building roads

$0.20 a day plus room and board

Relief Camps

men felt dehumanized and forgotten

no freedom of mobility in and out of camps

men plotted ways of making the government accountable for the Depression, which led to:

the On-to-Ottawa Trek, and

the Regina Riot

men were kept away from their families and loved ones

Bennett’s New Deal

1935

Progressive Taxation

the more you make, the more you pay

maximum number of hours in a work week

introduction of minimum wage

federal government could not enforce hours and wage since provinces were responsible for employment practices

New Deal continued

stronger regulation of working conditions

unemployment insurance

health and accident insurance

revised old age pension plan

agricultural support

a marketing board to regulate wheat prices

The Canadian Wheat Board

Story Time

1934

North Bay, Ontario

Dionne Quintuplets were the 1st to live for more than just a few days

soon after birth, the government took over the welfare of the Quints

sent to a nursery / hospital where they were cared for by a special team of doctors and nurses

rarely saw their parents of siblings

constantly tested and observed

Ontario government eventually built a road to the nursery so tourists could watch the kids play

estimated that this generated over $500 million in tourist dollars

the quints returned home after a 9 year battle

1998

the Ontarian government gave the Dionne family a settlement of $4 million