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Canada instated prohibition in its major provinces in 1916. This was because many Canadians felt as though alcohol was a danger to society and women's safety in relationships, as well as the creator of lazy men. While prohibition did create a stronger male workforce, it was also the beginning of organized crime. -
The Winnipeg General Strike was caused by Winnipeg's post-war economic downturn, as well as the spanish flu and poor living conditions. On May 15th of 1919, workers put down their tools and walked off the job.Most of these people were unionized workers, but many were risking their jobs without union backup. Approximatley 35000 workers took up the strike. This lead to the creation of the strike committee. The strike did not lead to a general agreement, but to a wider societal change in Winnipeg. -
Bloody Saturday was the day that the Winnipeg General Strike would turn violent and deadly. The special police of Winnipeg would come into the streets and shoot at the crowd of stiking workers while on horseback. This time also had slightly less violent police retaliation such as nighttime raids of strike leaders, and arrests of them and their supporters. The days ended with 30 casualties, most from police's gunshots. This day did nothing to ebb the flow of striking workers in Winnipeg. -
American prohibition had the same effect as Canada's, and will effect us later on, after we have discontinued prohibition, and America's is still in practice. American prohibition started a new wave of organized crimes run by gang giants such as Al Capone in Chicago, who would often have police and judicial figures on their payroll, which wreaked havoc on America's justice and police systems.
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Residential schools took off in the 20s' with the church finding assimilation of native Canadians to be the most important cause of the decade. They created schools that used abuse and guilt tactics to "kill the Indian in the child". This school system created a break in the native Canadian community, and caused such issues such as widespread alcoholism and substance abuse caused by generational trauma and lack of coping skills. These schools were horrific for those that attended. -
On may 1st, 1920, the first national brodcast went out on Canadian radios This began a new way of communication, and a more educated population. -
The Group of Seven, previously known as the Algonquin School, was a group of seven painters that included Franklin Carmichael, Lawren Harris, A. Y. Jackson, Frank Johnston, Arthur Lismer, J. E. H. MacDonald, and Fredrick Varley. They were landscape painters, and focused on the nature of Canada.Tom Thomson and Emily Carr were posthumously added to this group to honour their skill and addition to art in Canada. The group of seven can be credited to such works as The Jack Pine and Red Maple. -
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Insulin was discovered by Sir Fredrick Banting in 1921 which created a new era in medicine. The diagnosis of diabetes was no longer a death sentence, and could be managed on the day-to-day. Banting decided not to patent his discovery, as he wanted to save more lives instead of focus on the money he could have made from patenting. He is now a Canadian hero, and has saved countless lives of people living with diabetes. -
The Chinese Exclusion Act, oficially known as the Chinese Immigration Act, was passed in 1923 by Canadian PArliment bannng most forms of Chinese immigration into Canada. The duration of this act was known as the 'Exclusion Era'. This act did not only effect those immigrating directly from China, but also those of Chinese ethnicity living in Britain. This act was repealed in 1947. In 2006, Stephen Harper made an apology, including $20,000 reperations for each survivor. -
Talkies were the first movies to have spoken dialogue, instead of dramatized and exaggerated movement to understand plot. This transition from silent films to talkies happened mainly in two genres, gangster films and musicals. Music in film, which had once been played live in the theatre by an accompanist on the piano was now played with the film strip. This added a more uniform playing of the movies for the directors releasing them. Some of these early talkies were 'Oklahoma!' and 'Rio Rita'. -
The end of Canadian prohibition ran into the beginning of rum running done by Canadians into the northern American states through methods such as forest walking, boating, and openly smuggling alcohol into America. Many canadian women and men supported staying with prohibiion, and would protest in the streets carrying signs with such phrases as 'vote dry'. This would not work, as prohibition was repealed in 1927. -
The persons case, also known as Edwards v. Canada, was the case that created the womans right to be appointed to Canadian Senate. In 1928, the Canadian Surpreme Court has ruled that women were not persons, therefor could not be appointed to government, but the Edwards v. Canada case overturned this in 1929, giving women the right to sit on senate, as well as be recognized as persons in Canada. -
The great depression began in 1929, and was caused by economic downfall in Canada, as well as a stock market crash and many other factors. This would cause the 30s to have an unemployment rate of 30%, which would cause many other problems such as homelessness and increased crime rates. Canada was lifted out of the depression in 1939, at the advent of the second world war. -
During the depression, there was a call for a new political point of view. This caused the creation of many small parties, but also of the CCF or Cooperative Commonwealth Federation, better known today as the NDP. J.S. Woodworth, the leader of the CCF, was called a 'saint of polotics' because of his devotion to human rights and the citizens of Canada. These new parties provided a fresh opinion in polotics, and would gain support, although they have never held Prime Minister. -
William Lyon MacKenzie King, who had been the prime minister through the great depression, delivered his 'Five Cent Speech' on April 3rd of 1930. This speech was about his governments unwillingness to help Canadians in non-conservative provinces through the depression, even going so far to say he wouldnt give them a 'five cent peice'. This caused him to be voted out in the next election, and reolaced by R. B. Bennet, who was a supporter of 'the dole', financial support for Canadians. -
In april of 1935, unemployment rleif camps in BC went on strike. They travelled to Vancouver to protest the poor conditions in these camps. After their months long protest in Vancouver lead them nowhere, the decided to take it to Ottowa. The rode train roofs all the way to Regina, where they were stopped, which caused the violent Regina Riot on Canada Day of 1935. The trekkers would become the beginning of Bennet's political downfall.
