Natural Causes
Which provinces suffered the most during the Depression?
The Prairie Provinces
Who gave the "Five Cent Speech"?
Prime Minister Mackenzie King.
At the height of the Depression, how many Canadians were unemployed, homeless, and poor?
About 25%
What country was Canada's economy dependent on?
United States
Define stocks
a type of security that signifies ownership in a corporation and represents a claim on part of the corporation's assets and earnings.
What Act did the government pass to help the farmers in the Prairies?
The Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration Act
What union marched in Ottawa in 1935?
The Relief Camp Workers Union
What is a “pogey”?
Government relief payment given to those who had no alternative income
What were Canada's primary products?
Minerals, pulp, wheat, fish, and paper
What was the unemployment level before the Depression began?
4.2%
When did the droughts happen?
From 1928 to 1936
What were the conditions like in work camps?
They were very isolated and worked on projects such as clearing land, building roads, and digging drains.
Workers were paid 20 cents a day, and they were given room and board.
The food was terrible, and beds were bug-infested.
How did unemployed people travel when looking for work?
They boarded onto freight trains
What was the practice of benefiting products and local businesses called?
Protectionism
How did people pay for the stocks?
They took out loans and made small down payments on those loans
What were the effects of the drought and where was it hit the hardest?
The droughts created constant dust storms and loss of topsoil (good farming soil). This hit Palliser's Triangle the hardest, located in southern Alberta and Saskatchewan
What did the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) support?
The government ownership of certain businesses and industries and social programs to help people in need.
The CCF also supported government spending on public works to create employment opportunities.
Where did unemployed men usually stay, and for how long?
1-2 days in "shanty towns" that appeared around cities
What was a popular practice for buying during the 1920s?
Buying on credit
Why did people start selling their stocks?
Some investors noticed that stocks were inflated beyond their true value and started selling to cash in on profits
What "plague" descended on the Prairies?
grasshoppers
What was the "Little New Deal" and who proposed it?
This was proposed by BC Premier Dufferin Pattullo.
The "Little New Deal was created to shorten the work day, increase the minimum wage, and to increase relief payments by 20%.
What did Canadians receive and what did they need to do to receive government relief payments?
They were given food vouchers that could not support them. As well, they had to publicly declare their financial failure, swear they had nothing of value and prove that they were evicted from their home.
What happened to Canadians when the stock market collapsed?
They went bankrupt as many of them had bought stocks on margin (small down payment and large loan).
Why did the Stock Market suddenly collapse?
Some investors began selling stocks. This caused other investors to panic and followed suit. The Stock Markets soon collapsed due to the sudden selling of shares.