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Prohibition
Prohibition took place due to the use of alcohol resulting in family neglect, poverty, and public drunkenness. Groups involved in Prohibition are the Woman's Temperance Union and the Famous Five. During Prohibition was when rum running began. Larger-scale smugglers used fast boats or cars while smaller-scale smugglers used their coats or baby carriages. After Canada ended Prohibition the U.S. laws remained. This put Canadian liquor businesses in a profitable place to sell to be able Americans. -
Spanish Flu
After WWI many soldiers returned to Canada with a virus called the Spanish Flu. The parades and crowds that welcomed and celebrated the end of the war was a contribution to the spread. This happened across the world making it a global pandemic. In an attempt to control the spread churches and schools closed. A few historians believed up to 50 million people died, and about more than 50,000 of them were Candians. -
Winnipeg General Strike
In May of 1919, the Winnipeg General Strike occurred resulting in 30,000 employees walking off the job, this spread throughout industries. The reason behind the strike was that the employers of Winnipeg’s building trade unions refused to increase their payments. Many Sympathy Strikers came into play on May 15 starting a city wide strike. Stores and factories closed. The strike lasted 6 weeks and resulted in the strikers losing. Only a few members went back to working after the strike. -
Bloody Saturday
Bloody Saturday was a day when crowds gathered around during the Winnipeg General Strike. They watched a parade that was protesting against the arrest of strikers, yet parades were banned at this time. The RCMP was called by the local mayor and they were charged at. Violence erupted throughout the crowds with the death of one man and few injuries. Within a few days, the strike was over. -
Group of Seven
This was a group of Canadian painters who painted beautiful landscapes in Canada. They were the first to do national style paintings. They influenced many around the world and continue to today. They have stayed very popular over the years. A few of these men are Franklin Carmichael, Lawren Harris, and Fredrick Varley. -
Insulin
During the 20's, little was known about diabetes. This disease affected mostly children and was fatal. Fredrick Banting and J.J.R Macleod worked together to create insulin. Banting was a doctor and Macleod was a professor that lend him his lab to test his theory. Charles Best was assigned by Macleod to assist Banting. January of 1922, they injected Leonard Thompson, a young diabetic, with animal insulin. Leonard was able to live the rest of his life. 1923, Macleod and Banting won a Nobel Prize. -
Old Age Pensions
J.S. Woodsworth and other social reforms want to change the fact that veterans and military families received little or no money from the government after war. Woodsworth had influence over Prime Minister Mackenzie King, in 1927 he passed the Old Age Pensions Act. The pension paid a max of $20 per month and was limited to certain people. Before they could receive the pension they had to undergo a means test and disclose their assets. They calculated income by which province they lived in. -
Radio
During the 1920's, radio sales began to increase due to technology improvements and lower prices. By 1928, Canada had a few local radio stations, but 80% listened to were American stations carried out by transmitters. They listened to comedies, imported and homegrown dramas, and music. Passenger aboard the Canadian National Railway's parlour cars would listen to the radio as they made their way across the Canada. Prime Minister Mackenzie King joined the first cross-country broadcast celebration. -
Child Labour Laws
Child Labour Laws were invented to keep children out of mines, factories, and other forms of work and to keep the in school. The jobs kids had weren't well paying and weren't going to be profitable in their futures. Social Reform groups campaigned to wipe out child labour by making it mandatory for children to attend schools. This law along with children not being able to work legally forced them in schools. In 1911, 63% of 14 year-olds were in school compared to 1931 when it went up to 83%. -
Crop Failure
This occurred due to not rotating the crops they grew. The drought lasted about 10 years. Crops dried, soil began to turn to dust, and the wind would blow it away creating Dust Bowls. Dust Bowls were a storm of dust that blew over fields and covered them in the dust not allowing crops to grow. Canada couldn't survive off of farming due to America's failing economy. During 1931-32, grasshoppers began to take over fields and farms eating the wheat. -
Stock Market Crash
The stock market crash was one of the immediate results of the Great Depression. People had started to sell their stocks on the New York, Toronto, and Montreal exchanges, but financial experts said that stocks were "fundamentally sound." On October 4, Toronto's stock exchange had lost $200 million in value. On October 28, Toronto shares value dropped $1million by the minute. The next day became known as Black Tuesday because the prices continued to drop worrying sellers. -
The Great Depression
The Great Depression started by many causes one being the stock market crash. this was a time when many businesses went bankrupt and people were very poor. This began as a recession and became a depression during the 1930s. It brought many deaths in the cold months due to people losing their homes after not being able to afford bills. Families had to send their children to other families or family members. -
On-to-Ottowa Trek
This movement was started because a group of unemployed men that didn't like the British Colombia relief camps. They packed trains and made their way to Ottowa to protest against the government. When they arrived they were stopped by the RCMP. They were accused of not listening to the laws and plotting against the government. A Riot broke out and many were injured and even killed. -
The St. Louis
During 1939, a ship full of Jews came from Germany in search of freedom from the Nazis. They were refused by not only Canada, but the USA and Cuba. They were refused because of hatred towards all Jews. They were sent back to Germany and over 500 would soon be killed in the Holocaust. -
Regina Riot
Prime Minister Bennett invited the leader of the trek, Slim Evans, to talk about the strikers that remained in Regina. A public meeting was held at Market Square. AT 8:00 PM a whistle blew that begun an attack on the trekkers. They were to remain in a stadium that officials considered a "prison".
