Canada’s PM
R.B Bennett was Canada’s prime minister from 1920-1935, he was the head of the Conservative party. He promised to get Canada out of the depression by increasing trades with thr British empire but soon realized it was impossible to get all of Canada out of the depression.
Background Causes Of The Great Depression
Over production and Over expansion
- industries were producing goods at maximum rate and expanding plants to increase production
- production was cut back and worker were laid off when sales began to lag and stock piled goods couldn’t be sold.
Dependence On Primary Products
- Canada depended on staples such as Wheat and Fishbut when other countries began to sell these countries stopped buying from Canada
- regions who depended heavily on primary products such as the Maritimes suffered
Dependence on US
- The US was our most important trading partner so-when American economy declined so did ours
- With the depression the US stopped buying from Canada and investing in out industries.
High Tariffs On International Trade
-Canada put high tariffs on goods to protect the industries but Europe put high tariffs on Canadian goods and choked off trade altogether.
Too Much Credit Buying
- Canadians were encouraged to buy goods on credit
- people were laid off or became sick when they couldn’t keep up eitn pay,nets and got their possessions repossessed.
Too Much Buying Of Stocks
- you could buy a stock for a 10% down payment and when the stocks when up you would sell them (buying on margin).
- on October 29th 1929, thr stock market crashed and now people had to pay for the stocks with money they never had
Coping With The Depression
- by 1933 almost a third of Canadians were out of work
- many produts were named Bennett because people were starting to blame him for their problems ex. Bennett coffee was made from roasted wheat
- the government thought it was going to be short lived so people
Riding The Rails
People who were out of work heard about jobs thousands of miles away. They illegally boarded frieght trains for a better life. Millions of men and women b ecame hoboes and many died along the way.
Dust Bowl
The Great Plains had a drought in the west which resulted in erosion and the loss of top soil. Farmers had to leave their farms behind and look for work elsewhere which caused a decrease in all farmed goods.
Relief Camps
They were camps for single, unemployed men where they could work 8hrs for $20 per day. They were meant to provide drifters with useful work.
On-To-Ottawa Trek
Thousands of men from Bristish Columbia relief camps boarded frieght trains bound for Ottawa to protest against the government.
The New Deal
Bennett wanted to reverse the reputation of the Conservative party so he promised more progressive taxation system, maximum work week, minimum wage, closer regulation of working conditions, unemployment insurance, an old age pension and agricultural support programs.
