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Compulsory for Aboriginals to attend residential schools
By the 1920s, all aboriginal children were forced into residential schools. The purpose of these schools were to assimilate the aboriginals into Canadian society by forcing Christianity on them and forbidding them from speaking their language. It took until 1996 for the last school to close down and by then over 4000 children have died. This had a significant impact as it decreased aboriginal culture, and many aboriginals are in poverty from lack of education required to get jobs. -
Period: to
1920s
The Roaring twenties -
Arthur Meigen sworn in as Prime Minister
On July 10th, 1920, Arthur Meighen of the conservative party was elected as the 9th prime minister of Canada. -
William Lyon Mackenzie King
On December 21st, 1921, William Lyon Mackenzie King of the Liberal party was elected as the 10th prime minister of Canada. -
Discovery of insulin
In the summer of 1921, a team at the University of Toronto attempted a new experimental approach suggested by Dr. Frederick Banting. Charles Best, J.B Collip and Frederick Banting worked on this until the summer of 1922. The result of the research was the discovery of insulin. In 1923, Banting recieved a Noble Prize for one of the most important breakthroughs in medical history. This was significant because if this substance had not been discovered, many people would still be dying from diabetes -
Chinese Exclusion Act
In 1923, the Chinese Immigration Act(now known as the Chinese Exclusion Act) was passed. This banned all Chinese Immigrants with the exclusion of students, merchants, and diplomats. This law remained for 24 years. -
Arthur Meigen re-elected
On June 29th, 1926, Arthur Meigen of the Conservative party was re-elected -
Pension Act passed
In 1927, the Pension Act was passed, giving men and women with little income over the age of 70 financial support. This act still remains to this day. -
Women considered as persons under the law
In 1929, Emily Murphy along with Nellie McClung, Lousie McKinny, Henritta Edwards and Irene Parlby fought to change the law that declared women as property of men and not as persons. Eventually the law was changed declaring women as persons. This gave them the right to hold official positions in the Senate and House of Commons. This was significant as it built the foundation for women's rights in the future. -
Stock Market Crash (Black Tuesday)
On October 29, 1929 the stock market crashed, which was one of the main causes of the great depression. Stock prices plummeted and over 16 million shares were traded in in one day. Billions of dollars were lost and by 1932, stocks were worth about 20% as they were in 1929. Unemployment rates went up to 27% and the prairies were hit by a dust bowl. This was significant as it took 25 years for the economy to recover. -
Period: to
The Great Depression
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R. B. Bennett sworn in as prime minister
On August 7th, 1930, R.B Bennett of the Conservative party was elected as the 11th prime minister of Canada. -
Statute of Westminster
The Statute of Westminster was a British law granting colonies like Canada and New Zealand full legal freedom, except for areas where they chose to stay under British rule. Things like Canada's help in world war I and Prime minister Mackenzie King refusing to assist Britains occupation forces in Turkey without the parliament of Ottawa's consent were some factors that led to this law being passed. Some limits still remained until the Constitution Act of 1982, giving Canada full independence. -
Co-operative Commonwealth Federation Established
In 1932, the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation(CCF) was a political party formed by farmers, labour groups, parliament member, etc. The first of the CCF was James Woodsworth, one of the men arrested in the Winnipeg General Strike. Some of their policies were to improve social services and to transform Canada's capitilsm into socialism. The name eventually changed to New Democratic Party(NDP) in the 1960s, and they became the official opposition in 2011, though they have not yet been in power. -
Government creates relief camps
in 1932, federal government started relief camps for single men without jobs. These camps provided them with food, clothing and shelter. They worked labour jobs and earned only 20 cents a day, which wasnt a lot even back then. -
William Lyon Mackenzie King re-elected as prime minister
On October 23rd, 1935, William Lyon Mackenzie was re-elected as prime minister. -
Beginning of World War II
On Septmeber 5th, 1939, World war II began. It is believed to be the bloodiest war in history, with over 70 million casualties. Though Canada was reluctant to join Britain in the war, 10% of the 12 million Canadians at the time joined the army. The war also accelerated Canada's transformation into an urban and industrialized nation.
