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Period: to
Economic Change in Canada from 1914 to 1929
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Oil Discovery in Alberta
At Turner Valley, southwest of Calgary, there was a significant oil discovery which happened in the Alberta oil cage. The oil first bubbled and spluttered out in the natural gas and oil field once the Dingman No. 1 well was dug into, although the oil had been present through seepage before that. -
World War I Begins
The First World War begins, and many Canadian men become soldiers to fight in the war. This leaves the women at home not only having to worry and take care of the household but also the financial care of their families. Since a huge number of men are gone to fight, there are many jobs that are in need of employees. With a large number of women at home who need to support their families, they start getting hired for jobs. -
Federal Income Tax
The federal income tax on business profits was first introduced in 1916 by the Prime Minister of Canada, Sir Robert Borden, and a tax on personal income was introduced by him in 1917. These taxes were both said to be temporary measures just for the finance of World War I. -
Income Struggles
There was a large number of Canadian workers who made so little money, barely enough to survive. Not only that, but many workers did not even have a source of income since they were unemployed. Most of these people fought in World War I as soldiers, so coming back home and trying to live a normal life again was a struggle for them. All of this difficulty with jobs made these people want to fight for better wages and better working conditions. -
Labour Union
In Western Canada, there was a labour union called the One Big Union (OBU) that was formed in 1919. The union's purpose was to empower many workers all over mass organizations that were along industrial lines.
