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NEGATIVE: Relief camps were set up outside major cities to get single men off of the streets during the depression. They were promised work for money but the living conditions were awful. They lived in shacks and could not leave. The food was also terrible.
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NEGATIVE: The Regina Riots were negative for the workers. They were part of the on-to-Ottawa Trek and happened in Regina. They would only let a few men leave Regina, but all the men wanted to go to Ottawa and so they rioted. They were trying to ask for better living and working conditions. Five workers were killed.
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POSITIVE: The On-to-Ottawa trek started in Vancouver. Living conditions in the relief camps were so bad that all the men decided to ride the trains across Canada to Ottawa to confront the Prime Minister about the terrible conditions. This is a positive, because people realized how bad the camps were and how poorly the workers were being treated. Unions to protect the workers became stronger as a result and they ended up shutting down the camps in 1936.
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POSITIVE: This happened all across Canada. The war was a positive for the workers because there were more jobs created to manufacture things needed for the war effort. People were now able to provide for their families.Both men and women found employment. They were given better wages. They were given insurance. The war was a good thing for workers.
