Canada And The Great DepressionEssay Preview: Canada And The Great DepressionReport this essayThe 1900s was a great time for change in Canada. The two most significant events being the First World War and the Great Depression. In both events the government had to be involved. But how much government involvement does it take to keep a country in order during these times? Many still ponder this question, even a century later. Personally I believe that the government needs to do all it can to ensure the safety and wellbeing of its people, especially during times of hardship. I will be talking about the Great Depression and its effects on Canada and its people in the next few paragraphs.
During World War 1 many factories and businesses were built. This gave many new opportunities. Hundred were employed, which meant hundreds were pumping money into the economy. Women were allowed to work in positions of authority, meaning they had extra money to spend and invest. Another factor that kept Canadas economy strong and booming was The International Trade. Eventually, though, many of the factories began to fail after the war. Many of them were built strictly to make supplies for the war to send off to soldiers and sell to different countries. In 1927, signs started being relevant that North Americas economy was in trouble. This was when the wheat market began to crash along with many other businesses. Much more product was being produced than sold and eventually manufacturers decreased their productions leading to layoffs. This meant less income for families and less money to be put back into the economy, leading up to the Great Depression of the 1930s.
In 1932, when the Great Depression was all but over, there was a great deal of change in the North Amerindian economy. This meant the manufacturing of a whole lot of different commodities (labor, metal, plastics, steel, etc.), and a wide range of new products from cotton, wool, wool shingles, etc. There were also many companies that expanded and produced commodities. Each company was a business and many people on the ground had the business to make it happen all at a time.
In the summer of 1934, there were three major factory closings on Main Street, with 3,100 workers. One of the companies, the Chicago-based company of a former industrialist, built a 50,000 square foot factory in 1937. It was the largest one to ever open. The building was about 50 feet (25 meters) across and had no floor, but there was no water tank, no electricity, and the first workers were just children, as opposed to people who were older. It was a huge building, with a building made of plywood, used to produce aluminum. It had its own bathroom, a kitchen, a laundry and an Internet. A lot of the employees worked at a single company in East Lansing, with a total workforce of 300 to 400 employees with about 15 of them working at the factory in 1934. The location of these large factories, such as West and South Main Streets, was located just blocks away from their factory, making it very convenient to take their food and clothing wherever they wanted. If you wanted to buy food from McDonald’s, you knew where you were. By the time these factories closed, all the food in the city was left in the hands of some workers who had left to fight the Japanese, who were now out of work.
The building of the Chicago-based factory was called a “Dirty Factory.” Inside, there was a large fire pit and a firepit. Inside the fire pit was a steel shop, which was constructed of tin sheets. The metal workers worked in the factory for about 30 to 40 hours a day and had to be given special instructions, even if they didn’t like the work, as opposed to the normal factory life. A lot of workers had to work long shifts to get to their assignments and when at work, they had to spend time with their parents. Most workers got some food by walking up to the shop and getting a roll of paper towels. There had to be some extra time between chores to run the factory. Workers had to spend an hour a day working on the fire pit and the wooden shop, which was a full workstation in what is now a small downtown area that now is a large city neighborhood. There also had to be a lot of extra work in the engine department to have food ready for the engine shop and the factories. All the employees had to go to work each day to get things done. The average worker was paid $10 an hour and was responsible for 50% of the $20 to $20 an hour each extra day. It wasn’t until the 1940s that some of the new factories opened, although the buildings were still small compared to their 1950s production levels. Another factory that had gone into maintenance in 1933 was the Windmill-Rough Lake factory, which had been built on the former site of the factory and housed a large collection of factory equipment. The building is a 20,000 square foot operation with many jobs in the laundry room, an office, and other jobs. The workers had to work 12 to 17 hours a day and were given a day off per day during the Christmas season. The building also had its own shower and washroom. While some employees had to wear work boots over their ski boots, others did a whole lot more; in addition to working in the smut shop, they had to be paid a lot for their
In 1932, when the Great Depression was all but over, there was a great deal of change in the North Amerindian economy. This meant the manufacturing of a whole lot of different commodities (labor, metal, plastics, steel, etc.), and a wide range of new products from cotton, wool, wool shingles, etc. There were also many companies that expanded and produced commodities. Each company was a business and many people on the ground had the business to make it happen all at a time.
In the summer of 1934, there were three major factory closings on Main Street, with 3,100 workers. One of the companies, the Chicago-based company of a former industrialist, built a 50,000 square foot factory in 1937. It was the largest one to ever open. The building was about 50 feet (25 meters) across and had no floor, but there was no water tank, no electricity, and the first workers were just children, as opposed to people who were older. It was a huge building, with a building made of plywood, used to produce aluminum. It had its own bathroom, a kitchen, a laundry and an Internet. A lot of the employees worked at a single company in East Lansing, with a total workforce of 300 to 400 employees with about 15 of them working at the factory in 1934. The location of these large factories, such as West and South Main Streets, was located just blocks away from their factory, making it very convenient to take their food and clothing wherever they wanted. If you wanted to buy food from McDonald’s, you knew where you were. By the time these factories closed, all the food in the city was left in the hands of some workers who had left to fight the Japanese, who were now out of work.
The building of the Chicago-based factory was called a “Dirty Factory.” Inside, there was a large fire pit and a firepit. Inside the fire pit was a steel shop, which was constructed of tin sheets. The metal workers worked in the factory for about 30 to 40 hours a day and had to be given special instructions, even if they didn’t like the work, as opposed to the normal factory life. A lot of workers had to work long shifts to get to their assignments and when at work, they had to spend time with their parents. Most workers got some food by walking up to the shop and getting a roll of paper towels. There had to be some extra time between chores to run the factory. Workers had to spend an hour a day working on the fire pit and the wooden shop, which was a full workstation in what is now a small downtown area that now is a large city neighborhood. There also had to be a lot of extra work in the engine department to have food ready for the engine shop and the factories. All the employees had to go to work each day to get things done. The average worker was paid $10 an hour and was responsible for 50% of the $20 to $20 an hour each extra day. It wasn’t until the 1940s that some of the new factories opened, although the buildings were still small compared to their 1950s production levels. Another factory that had gone into maintenance in 1933 was the Windmill-Rough Lake factory, which had been built on the former site of the factory and housed a large collection of factory equipment. The building is a 20,000 square foot operation with many jobs in the laundry room, an office, and other jobs. The workers had to work 12 to 17 hours a day and were given a day off per day during the Christmas season. The building also had its own shower and washroom. While some employees had to wear work boots over their ski boots, others did a whole lot more; in addition to working in the smut shop, they had to be paid a lot for their
In 1932, when the Great Depression was all but over, there was a great deal of change in the North Amerindian economy. This meant the manufacturing of a whole lot of different commodities (labor, metal, plastics, steel, etc.), and a wide range of new products from cotton, wool, wool shingles, etc. There were also many companies that expanded and produced commodities. Each company was a business and many people on the ground had the business to make it happen all at a time.
In the summer of 1934, there were three major factory closings on Main Street, with 3,100 workers. One of the companies, the Chicago-based company of a former industrialist, built a 50,000 square foot factory in 1937. It was the largest one to ever open. The building was about 50 feet (25 meters) across and had no floor, but there was no water tank, no electricity, and the first workers were just children, as opposed to people who were older. It was a huge building, with a building made of plywood, used to produce aluminum. It had its own bathroom, a kitchen, a laundry and an Internet. A lot of the employees worked at a single company in East Lansing, with a total workforce of 300 to 400 employees with about 15 of them working at the factory in 1934. The location of these large factories, such as West and South Main Streets, was located just blocks away from their factory, making it very convenient to take their food and clothing wherever they wanted. If you wanted to buy food from McDonald’s, you knew where you were. By the time these factories closed, all the food in the city was left in the hands of some workers who had left to fight the Japanese, who were now out of work.
The building of the Chicago-based factory was called a “Dirty Factory.” Inside, there was a large fire pit and a firepit. Inside the fire pit was a steel shop, which was constructed of tin sheets. The metal workers worked in the factory for about 30 to 40 hours a day and had to be given special instructions, even if they didn’t like the work, as opposed to the normal factory life. A lot of workers had to work long shifts to get to their assignments and when at work, they had to spend time with their parents. Most workers got some food by walking up to the shop and getting a roll of paper towels. There had to be some extra time between chores to run the factory. Workers had to spend an hour a day working on the fire pit and the wooden shop, which was a full workstation in what is now a small downtown area that now is a large city neighborhood. There also had to be a lot of extra work in the engine department to have food ready for the engine shop and the factories. All the employees had to go to work each day to get things done. The average worker was paid $10 an hour and was responsible for 50% of the $20 to $20 an hour each extra day. It wasn’t until the 1940s that some of the new factories opened, although the buildings were still small compared to their 1950s production levels. Another factory that had gone into maintenance in 1933 was the Windmill-Rough Lake factory, which had been built on the former site of the factory and housed a large collection of factory equipment. The building is a 20,000 square foot operation with many jobs in the laundry room, an office, and other jobs. The workers had to work 12 to 17 hours a day and were given a day off per day during the Christmas season. The building also had its own shower and washroom. While some employees had to wear work boots over their ski boots, others did a whole lot more; in addition to working in the smut shop, they had to be paid a lot for their
The depression illustrated a major weakness in the Canadian economy. Some wealthy and middle class Canadians noticed little change in their lifestyle, while many felt it hard. It is estimated that between 1929 and 1933 Country wide spending declined by 42% and 30% of the working class was unemployed. 1 in 5 Canadians became dependent upon government relief for survival. Most people that felt the fast effects of the depression were the factory workers that lost their jobs due to the numerous lay-offs. Thousands lived off “pogey” which is a government relief payment given to those who had no other means of income. Acquiring a “pogey” was a humiliating experience seeing as one had to publicize financial failure and wait in line for hours. The depression was brought on in Canada by overproduction and international markets reducing their demand for these products. This caused many people to lose their jobs, especially on the prairies when the wheat market began to crash. Because of the depression causing food shortage many people died from diseases and malnutrition. Many people lost their houses that they had been trying to pay off for years, families were broken up when fathers and husbands had to leave to try and find jobs in other provinces, and the depression had no signs of ending.
The effects of the Great depression in Brantford, Ontario may not have been as bad as they were in the larger cities. Some say they remember few hardships while others remember food shortages and lack of money and work. The drought of the Prairie Provinces was one major factor that affected Brantford. Many of the cities industries manufactured farm equipment. Suddenly, there was no demand for these products. Many lay-offs occurred and there was only a scarce amount of workers left. All laborers were laid off with the hope that when the economy picked up they would be called back to work. But the economy didnt pick up. Some of the men left town, hoping to find work elsewhere, but many had to suffer the effects of depression. Unemployment and lack of money was the biggest weight on everyone shoulders. But greater yet was the need of putting food on the table. This became a major concern, but luckily during this era, there was a small privately owned grocery store in every neighborhood where credit was readily available. Many people bought groceries during the week and paid for them when they got paid on Friday. In 1931, Prime Minister Bennett set up a Relief Program in Canada. The payments were low and covered only two things, money for food and fuel during the winter months. Each city had its own rules for those on Relief. In Brantford, one of the requirements was that you had to be a resident and a second requirement was that you had to turn in your liquor permits to the city Relief Office, as liquor was a problem and it was the citys intention that Relief money only be spent on necessities. A third condition was that all people receiving Relief must be willing to work. Some were asked to pull weeds, cut grass, collect