Overproduction & Work camps
Canada's dependence
on few primary products & Drought on the Prairies
Protectionism
Buying on Credit &
"On to Ottawa" Trek
Buying on margin &
Provincial Solutions
100
stockpiles of goods such as newsprint, radios, clothing, and cars sat unsold in warehouses
Businesses increased production, ordered more than realistic demand for
100
Prices fell on products and Canada's economy suffered
Other countries began selling the same products that Canadians depended on
100
Canadian products became more expensive and harder to sell abroad, slowing Canada's economy even more
As the economy slowed, other countries responded by placing tariffs on imported goods
100
Many Lost their jobs and were unable to make their credit payments. Some Canadians lost everything
Many Canadians started to purchase items on credit with the 'buy now pay later' motto when the economy slowed it was devastating
100
people were financially ruined when prices plummeted and the stock market collapsed
many bought stocks on margin with small down payment and large loan in hopes to make big profit when price went up
200
more businesses closed down and the economy worsened
people were laid off and had no money to buy goods
200
farmers world market reduced, many Canadian farmers went bankrupt.
Canadian farmers faced serious droughts in 1929, 1931, and 1933–37 left farmers with no crops
200
People had to wait in line for hours and then publicly declare their financial failure
many lived on "pogey" - Government relief payments given to those who now had no other source of income.
200
many young Canadian men traveled across the country by "hopping" freight trains, some even riding on the roof or clung to the rods underneath the train.
winter of 1933, more than one-quarter of Canada's workforce was unemployed. Young men jobless and homeless would travel looking for work that was rarely found
200
Mackenzie King said that social welfare was the responsibility of the provinces and he would not give a "five-cent piece" to any province that did not have a Liberal government.
Canadians demanded that the federal government do something to ease the economic crisis
500
men were completely isolated. The men worked on projects such as building roads, clearing land, and digging drains. They were paid 20 cents per day and given room and board. The food was terrible and the beds were often bug-infested
The federal government created work camps for unemployed, single men. In B C, the provincial government had already established work camps, and these were absorbed into the federal ones.
500
drought and poverty had forced many farmers to leave their farms and move elsewhere.
Prairies were hit by a disastrous drought that started in 1928 and lasted almost 8 years. By the mid-spring of 1931 there were almost constant dust storms and millions of hectares of fertile topsoil blew away.
500
countries created more tariffs of their own, so the economy continued to suffer.
President Bennett imposed high tariffs (taxes) by 50% on imported goods, hoping it would convince people to buy cheaper Canadian ones thus "blasting" Canada out of the Depression
500
Many men crowded into and on top of freightcars and headed east to complain to Prime Minister Bennett in person. This was called the On to Ottawa Trek.
1935, over a thousand men left the camps in the interior of British Columbia in protest against camp conditions
500
Public works projects were launched, most notably the Fraser River bridge at New Westminster and a new city hall for Vancouver
Premier Dufferin Pattullo promised voters a "Little New Deal" based on the New Deal in the United States. He introduced reforms to shorten the work day, increase the minimum wage, and increase relief payments by 20%.
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