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the Persons Case
The Persons Case was about the inequality women faced. Emily Murphy was made the first woman judge by the British Empire. In 1927, Murphy led a group of women and petitioned for a woman to be appointed the Senate. The debate was whether "persons" under the BNA Act also included woman. After much debate, it was decided that "persons" referred to men and women, and that women were just as qualified to be appointed Senate as men. -
Spanish Influenza
When soldiers came home from the war, they brought with them a deadly virus that weakened immune systems and ended up killing 50 000 Canadians and 50 million people worldwide.
This epidemic resulted in the creation of the federal Department of Health in 1919. The Spanish flu also resulted in people being more aware and cautious of their health, -
Prohibition
The production, import & transportation of liquor was banned across the country. This resulted in lower crime rates, fewer arrests for drunkenness, improvements in industrial efficiency & illegal smuggling of liquor across the border.
Canada realized that prohibition would be impossible to reinforce & that they were losing millions of dollars in potential liquor sales taxes, therefore it was abolished in the 1920s. It was through this that Canada learned to tax bad habits than forbid them. -
Period: to
1920s & 1930s timeline
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Winnipeg General Strike
This strike began with the Building and Metal Trades Councils but escalated to a general strike where almost everyone participated. This split Winnipeg into 2 groups: the strikers and the owners/employers. On June 21st, Bloody Saturday. violence erupted. A streetcar was set on fire and people were shot and injured. This outbreak resulted in a change to the Criminal Code of Canada, as well as drew attention to the social and economic problems workers face. -
League of Indians
The League of Indians was organised by a Mohawk veteran from WWI. It was done to unite the Aboriginal nations to form one voice. The Canadian government wanted to enfranchise Aboriginal veterans, allowing them to vote only if they gave up their Aboriginal status. Many people refused, because they thought that giving up their status meant giving up their identities. The Six Nations was formed to counteract the government. This led to a distant separation of the Natives and government. -
Group of Seven
The Group of Seven consisted of Canadian painters that were influenced by inpressionists' art. Impressionists are less concerned about making their paintings look just like the real thing, but are more concerned about expressing their feelings. The group members painted the Canadians landscape, recieving lots of criticism. Their paintings created a national style in painting in the end, however. -
Discovery of Insulin
Before insulin was found as a way to treat diabetes, thousands of people died each year from diabetic issues.
In October of 1920, Frederick Banting came up with a way to extract insulin from dogs. It was in the summer of 1921 that insulin was isolated. It was first tested on January 11th 1922 on a dying diabetic. The results were astonishing. Production of large quantities of insulin began in November of 1922.
This was a major breakthrough in Canadian medical research, and saved millions. -
Chinese Exclusion Act
On July 1st 1923, the Canadian government passed the Chinese Exclusion Act which banned Chinese immigration into Canada except for chinese students, merchants and diplomats.
This led to even farther discrimination for Asians. This act was repealed in 1947, however the day the act was passed is still referred as "Humiliation Day" by Chinese-Canadians today. -
Royal Canadian Air Force
The Royal Canadian Air Force was created in 1924 because the government believed that military planes could be used only for peaceful purposes, such as conducting surveys, patrolling for forest fires, watching for smuggling along coasts, and checking on fishing boats. The RCAF was hired in 1927 by the post office to fly mail to remote villages. This led to the idea that planes could also be used for public travel. By 1927, small passenger planes were flying Canadians from city to city. -
Branch Plant
The Branch Plant system was first introduced by the Americans. This system provided Canada with branching industries which were copies of the American parent company. This was done so that though they produced the same product as the parent company, lower tariffs woul be paid. -
The Great Crash - Black Tuesday
The stock market crashed on Tuesday October 29th 1929. This was one of the events that led to the Great Depression. In the 1920s, people bought plenty of stocks when the prices were low in hopes of selling them when the prices were high to make money. Many people who invested in the stock market lost everything they had that day and the days following the stock market crash. -
Five Cent Piece Speech
William Lyon Mackenzie King believed and insisted that social welfare was the responsibility of the provinciai governments, which was a big mistake. He also stated that a "five cent piece" would not be given to any province that did not have a Liberal Government. This led to the Liberal's being voted out of office and the Conservative party winning the election of 1930. Prime minister Mackenzie King was then replaced by R.B Bennett. -
Foster Hewitt & Hockey Night in Canada
One of the most famous sportscasters in the late 1920s and early 1930s was Foster Hewitt. He sat in a glass booth and talked into a telephone connected to the radio station, telling all the listeners about the game. In 1931, he broadcasted the game from a gondola up over the rink. He said the famour line, "He shoots! He scores!' Foster Hewitt's enthusiasm and love for hockey made the game as important as it is now to Canadians. -
Statute of Westminister
The recommendations of the Balfour Report written in 1926 was made law by the Statute, signed by the British Parliament. This allowed Canada self-government, bound by no laws under than its own. Canada no longer had to listen to British laws, and had achieved complete autonomy. -
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)
The government created the CRBC as a way to counteract American domination of the airwaves, as well as to encourage the development of Canadian programs. In 1936, the commission became the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
