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The Roaring Twenties and Dirty Thirties
After World War 1, as war-time industries geared down many people lost their jobs. The economy began to tur around in the mid-1920s. The country gained full independence from Britain in1931. The economy went into a downspin when the stock market crashed in 1929. The Dirty Thirties were a decade of hardship for many Canadians. -
Prohibition
The federal government introduced prohibition in 1918. Prohibition was banning the production, import, and transportation of liquor across the country. This complete ban on alchohol created a new crime called "bootleg booze". "Bootleg booze" is the making and sellinf of illegal liquor by organized bootleggers. individual provinces dropped prohibition throughtout the 1920's. Since the, Canadian governments have generally chosen to tax horrible habits rather than forbid them. -
Spanish Flu
When returning home after the war, soilders carried a virus called the "Spanish flu" overseas and struck Canada with this hideous epidemic. Thousands of people died. In 1919, a federal Department of Health was formed to take action on the epidemic. This indicated that Canadians were becoming more alret of public health concerns. -
Winnipeg General Strike
On May 15 1919 in Winnipeg, when negotiations broke down between management and labour in the building and metal trades, the Winnipeg Trades and Labor Council called a general strike. The strike quickly spread from industry to industry and escalated to a general strike. Families of many strikers went through real hardship. The strike ended on June 21, also known as "Bloody Saturday". -
League of Indians
The League of Indians was formed in 1919 bu a Mohawk veteran from World War 1, Frederick Loft. This was the first attempt at a united voice for the Aboriginal nations. After the war the government only allowed Aboriginal veterans have the right to vote if they gave up their Aboriginal status, many of them refused. Loft believed that Aboriginals should have the right to vote without giving up their identities. The League of Indians worked for their rights without government interference. -
The Group of Seven
The Group of Seven was determined to create art that had a link to the Canadian experience. The Canadian landscape inspried them. Their artwork portrayed Canada as a nation of magnificient open spaces, rivers, lakes, and forests. -
Prime Minister: Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King was elected as the Prime Minister of Canada in 1921. Mackenzie King dominated the Liberal party and political life in Canada. -
The Discovery of Insulin
In 1921, millions of people had diabetes and one knew how to treat or prevent the illness. Thousands who suffered from this disease died ever year. Fredrick Banting was given the major credit for discovering insulin. Charles Best helped Banting with the isolation of insulin. By 1922, insulin was accesible to treat diabetes. -
Chinese Exclusion Act
Canada passed the Chinese Exclusion Act on July 1 1923. To Chinese Canadians this day was also known as "Humiliation Day" This act banned all Chinese excluding diplomats, students, and merchants from entering Canada. The Chinese Exclusion Act was withdrawed in 1947. -
The Royal Canadian Air Force
The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) was formed because the government thought military planes could be legitimized only if they were used for peaceful purposes as well. The RCAF checked fishing boats, watched for smuggling across Canada's coast, patrolled for forest fires and also conducted surveys. -
Black Tuesday
Black Tuesday is the most well-known stock market crash in history, this date was considered to be the beginning of the Great Depression. On Black Tuesday, stocks lost 13% of their value. Many people lost everything in the crash. -
Five Cent Speech
In the beggining of the Great Depression, King made the biggest political mistake of his career. King made a speech about how social welfare was the responsibility of the province. He also declared that he would not give a "five-cent piece" to any province that did not have a Liberal government. This is one of the reasons why the Liberals lost the elections and how Prime Minister Richard Bedford Bennett replaced Mackenzie King. -
The Statute of Westminster
The British Parliament passed the Statute of Westminster on December 11, 1931. The Statute of Westminster allowed Canada to be self- governing. Therefore, Britain could no longer make any laws for Canada. Canada was bound by no laws other than its own. The Statute of Westminster signaled that Canada had achieved complete autonomy. -
Foster Hewitt & Hockey Night Canada
Foster Hewitt, a famous sportscaster in Canadian history, broadcasted his first "Hockey Night in Canada" game. He was famous for his play-by-play calls and the coining of the phrase "he shoots, he scores!". NHL hockey and Foster Hewitt became part of Canadian history in the 1920s. -
On to Ottawa Trek
Thousands of men whom were fed up with life in the British Columbia relief camps boarded freight trains headed for Ottawa in June 1935. They were bound to Ottawa to protest to the government. This journey became known as the "On-to Ottawa Trek". The trekkers wanted a genuine system of unemployment and social insurance and a clear economic reforms. They were stopped by the Mounted Police and only got as far as Regina. -
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) covered the first visit of a reigning monarch to Canada by radio to even the most remote regions. CBC proved that it could be a powerful enforcement in creating a sense of national wholeness across Canada.