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The Strike Begins
In April 1935, British Columbia, 1,500 residents of the federal Unemployment Relief Camps went on strikes organized by Arthur "Slim" Evans, an officer of the Workers' Unity League. travelling to Vancouver by train and truck to protest poor conditions in said camps. This is one of the large causes of the On-To-Ottawa Trek and Regina Riots. The workers wouldn't have felt like they needed to go on strike to get the government to implement better conditions if they were there in the first place. -
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Strikers in Vancouver
While in Vancouver, the strikers held demonstrations, became allies with civic, labour, ethnic, and political groups, and spoke with government officials, them being Dufferin T. Pattullo, the premier of British Columbia, and Gerald McGeer, the mayor of Vancouver. During a parade on May Day, around 20000 strikers and supporters were drawn to Stanley Park. However, local governments were still refusing to take responsibility, starting the On-to-Ottawa Trek. -
Beginning of the On-to-Ottawa Trek
On June 3rd, over 1000 strikers embarked on the "On-to-Ottawa Trek". They wanted to let the nation know of their cause, and to let Parliament and Prime Minister Richard Bedford Bennett know of their complaints. -
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The On-to-Ottawa Trek
The strikers were using freight trains to get to their destinations. They had made stops in Calgary, Medicine Hat, Swift Current, and Moose Jaw. After visiting these places, their numbers had grown to about 2000 people, but they were stopped in Regina, when the railways refused further access to their trains, ordered by the Prime Minister. -
Negotiations with Ottawa
On June 17th, talks and negotiations with two federal Cabinet ministers took place, but didn't go anywhere, and didn't help the strikers with their cause. After that, 8 trekkers were dispatched to meet with Richard Bedford Bennett while the remaining trekkers waited at the Regina Exhibition Grounds. -
Before the Regina Riot
Talks with the Prime Minister had also went nowhere, and the trekkers were sent back to Regina, where on July 1st they held their last rally at Regina's Market Square to get any last minute assistance from the townspeople. The government's reluctance to help the workers of the camps, no matter how many of them there were was a large cause of the Regina Riot as well. -
The Regina Riot
Bennett decided to arrest the leaders of the trek at this rally. Constables and RCMP squads moved into the crowd, looking to arrest Evans and any other speakers, starting the Riot. Trekkers were throwing rocks at police and hitting them with clubs, while police were firing their guns into the crowd. The conflict was over by midnight, and the remaining rioters had returned to the Exhibition Grounds, but not all of them were so lucky. -
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Consequences of the On-to-Ottawa Trek and Regina Riot.
There were many consequences of the On-to-Ottawa Trek and Regina Riot. Some long term ones being the direct aftermath of the riot, with 2 people killed, hundreds injured, and 130 rioters arrested. Bennett's antagonism and repression towards the trekkers had contributed to his political decline. In 1997, the site where the Regina Riot took place was declared a National Historic Site by the federal government. A short term consequence was the thousands of dollars of damage the riot caused.