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Canada and the Great Depression Political Reactions

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Page 1: Political Reactions. Liberal Prime Minister during most of the 20s Believed the Depression was a temporary slump and that the economy would correct itself

Canada and the Great Depression

Political Reactions

Page 2: Political Reactions. Liberal Prime Minister during most of the 20s Believed the Depression was a temporary slump and that the economy would correct itself

Liberal Prime Minister during most of the 20s

Believed the Depression was a “temporary slump” and that the economy would correct itself if left alone

He did Balance the Budget, Lower Taxes, increase trade with England and Decrease Tariffs

Lost the 1930 election mainly due to the “5 cent speech”

William Lyon McKenzie King

Page 3: Political Reactions. Liberal Prime Minister during most of the 20s Believed the Depression was a temporary slump and that the economy would correct itself

Won the election of 1930 (Conservative) on the promise of “solving” the Depression with government intervention

Rich and Successful business man

Raised taxes and provided subsidies (money) for small business

Bennett also gave out his own money to assist needy families

R.B. Bennett

Page 4: Political Reactions. Liberal Prime Minister during most of the 20s Believed the Depression was a temporary slump and that the economy would correct itself

A tariff is a tax on imported goods By highly taxing foreign products, Canadians

would be forced to buy Canadian products For example:

- Company A (from Canada) makes Product X and sells it for $110- Company B (from USA) makes Product X and sells it for $100.- Without Tariffs, most Canadians will buy from Company B- With a 15% Tariff on US products, Company B will be forced to sell their product at $115- Canadians will then buy from Company A and the money will stay in Canada

Overall, the plan failed to achieve any real results

Bennett’s Government Part 1:Raising Tariffs

Page 5: Political Reactions. Liberal Prime Minister during most of the 20s Believed the Depression was a temporary slump and that the economy would correct itself

The Unemployment Relief Act set aside $20 million for the unemployed

To qualify a person must be: - a man - unemployed - no car - no radio - no telephone - no alcohol

Also, you had to stand in public lines to receive your money; it was very embarrassing

Bennett’s Government Part 2:Unemployment Relief

Page 6: Political Reactions. Liberal Prime Minister during most of the 20s Believed the Depression was a temporary slump and that the economy would correct itself

The “Dole” system was full of problems

It was too little for a family to live on

Also, the money was given to each municipality

Therefore, each city was responsible for taking care of its own people

Major confusion and disorganization, (especially with all the drifters and hobos around)

The “Dole” was one of the biggest reasons why hobos were treated so badly when they entered a town

Finally, no money was given to Farmers because they had a job (even if they couldn’t grow any crops)

Bennett’s Government Part 2:Unemployment Relief con’t

Page 7: Political Reactions. Liberal Prime Minister during most of the 20s Believed the Depression was a temporary slump and that the economy would correct itself

The Bennett Buggy

Page 8: Political Reactions. Liberal Prime Minister during most of the 20s Believed the Depression was a temporary slump and that the economy would correct itself

Bennett Buggy: A horse-drawn car named after Bennett because he did little to help farmers

Page 9: Political Reactions. Liberal Prime Minister during most of the 20s Believed the Depression was a temporary slump and that the economy would correct itself

Bennett was concerned about the amount of young men “riding the rods”

Communist ideas were becoming popular again as more people became frustrated with the lack of jobs and opportunity

The “Red Scare” was back! To combat this problem,

Bennett created relief camps; a place where men could work and stay out of trouble

Bennett’s Government Part 3:Relief Camps

Page 10: Political Reactions. Liberal Prime Minister during most of the 20s Believed the Depression was a temporary slump and that the economy would correct itself

The relief camps did more harm than good

They were organized by the military in isolated locations

Back-breaking work Poor food Inadequate clothing Harsh conditions Only 20 cents a day Almost like a prison! These camps created

even more unrest and resentment among workers

Bennett’s Government Part 3:Relief Camps con’t

Page 11: Political Reactions. Liberal Prime Minister during most of the 20s Believed the Depression was a temporary slump and that the economy would correct itself

In April 1935, Relief Camp workers in BC struck their camp and began a long march to Ottawa to demand better conditions in the camps

As they crossed the country, thousand of men joined them

When they reached Regina, Bennett sent for the leaders of the movement and demanded that they break up the rally (he didn’t listen to any of their demands)

Bennett then used the police and RCMP to break up the Trek

So began the Regina Riots, one policeman died and hundreds of workers were arrested and beaten

The On-to-Ottawa Trek

Page 12: Political Reactions. Liberal Prime Minister during most of the 20s Believed the Depression was a temporary slump and that the economy would correct itself

The Regina Riots

Page 13: Political Reactions. Liberal Prime Minister during most of the 20s Believed the Depression was a temporary slump and that the economy would correct itself

Bennett was extremely unpopular during his time as Prime Minister

The Regina Riots were simply the last straw for Canadians

Bennett was crushed in the 1935 election and McKenzie King took over again

Bennett was heart broken by the election and his unpopularity

He left Canada and never returned (only 3 people went to say goodbye!)

The End of R.B. Bennett

It’s King or Chaos!

Page 14: Political Reactions. Liberal Prime Minister during most of the 20s Believed the Depression was a temporary slump and that the economy would correct itself
Page 15: Political Reactions. Liberal Prime Minister during most of the 20s Believed the Depression was a temporary slump and that the economy would correct itself

To combat the depression Bennett:1. Donated his own money2. Raised Tariffs3. Gave Relief Money (the Dole)4. Created Relief Camps

The On-To-Ottawa trek was crushed (The Red Scare)

All Bennett’s ideas failed and the depression only worsened

Question: Did Bennett deserve the hatred he received from Canadians?

Key Points