During the 1930s there were only 2 main political figures for Canada and those 2 figures were William Lyon Mackenzie King the grandson of William Lyon Mackenzie and the second leader being R.B Bennett a powerful business man during the 1920s. Both very distinguished leaders had their own ideas for Canada but which one of these men handled the position better? During the 20s William Lyon Mackenzie King was in power and he did quite a good job with his policies to help the farmers after the first world war and many other policies that he instated during the time. The trouble began when the 1930s hit. This time is commonly referred to as the great depression or the stock market crash in the USA. I strongly believe that because of his policies, …show more content…
This led to him losing the election in 1930 and getting R.B Bennett elected. During the year of 1935 King finally realized that the depression wasn’t just going to go over easily. He instated the policy of Freer Trade with the USA very quickly after being voted back into office in 1935. This policy fixed the barriers for the tariffs that were put into place by R.B Bennett during his time in office whilst the great depression had just gotten into motion. King also created the National Employment Commission which was created to fix the unemployment rates in Canada and to create new jobs for unemployed Canadians. Though ineffective it was a good idea because it led to the increased budget in 1938 from 20 Million to 25 Million dollars for relief from the depression. In addition to the increased budget the government also offered loans to municipalities which led to the National Housing Act which allowed the reconstruction of houses within Canada. Bennetts policies were referred to as Reform and Relief Policies. His first plan to solve the depression was to give $20 million towards relief for the winter of 1930. You may not think that this was a lot of money but during the time the budget for the government was $500
The conservatives introduced the unemployment relief act, giving the provinces $20 million for work-creation programs. This, however, did not aid economy much. Also, Bennett tried to raise tariffs in order to protect Canadian industries and get into the world market. He raised the tariffs by an average of more than 50 percent, which did protect some businesses, but it actually caused more harm than good. These tariffs made other nations set up trade barriers against Canada. He introduced the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Act in 1935, which helped farmers build irrigation systems and reservoirs, but by this time, because of drought, poverty, and locusts, most families had already left their farms to go to other places. Finally, he created a national network of work camps for unemployed single men who needed work and shelter. These work camps allowed men to work for them (roads, clearing land, digging ditches, etc) for a pay of 20 cents a day. They were also given a place to stay and food to eat, but the food was terrible and the bunks were often bug infested. In spite of these conditions, 170 000 men spent time in these camps, which reflects the desperation that some of these people had.i
Independence, the state of being free from outside control, and not subject to another’s authority. The 1920s and 1930s were a time for Canada to leave its British roots behind and forge its own identity, as well as take control of all matters relating to the preservation of the country and its people. However, this was not the case. Canada, although receiving some leeway from the British, remained a dependent country under the thumb of outside forces due to the fact that they were still under the British North American Act, thereby not having their own constitution, as well as the English monarch remaining as the head of state, and because it moved its economic dependence off the shoulders of one nation and unto another’s. Although the Chanak Affair showed that Canada’s military was no longer obligated to fight
Firstly, unlike the Americans who greatly supported ‘The New Deal’, Canadians thought it was worthless and did not support Bennett. Bennett included in his New Deal, a more progressive taxation system, a maximum work week, a minimum wage, stronger regulations and working conditions, unemployment insurance, health and accident insurance, a revised old-age pension, agricultural support programs, and a grain board to regulate wheat prices (Fielding 134-135). Many Canadians failed to believe him, so ‘The New Deal’ wasn’t an option. People thought that Bennett could not have made this ‘Deal’ possible even if he tried to do so. Secondly, The New Deal caused Bennett’s downfall from being the leader of Canada. He was widely ridiculed and taken as a joke. Back in the day, people even started calling a horse drawn car a “Bennett Buggy” because they had no money to buy gasoline and they blamed Sir. Bennett for not taking serious action. In the same way, there were many other terms used with his name such as “a Bennett barnyard” which was an abandoned farm, “a Bennett blanket” which was a newspaper, “a Bennett coffee” which was roasted wheat and lastly “Eggs Benedict” which were roast chestnuts (Fielding 127). A new election was to take place within the next few months. His opponent was Sir. Mackenzie King, whom have taken up on the people saying as “King or chaos”.1 Lastly, the New Deal was taken to the Supreme Court by Mackenzie King, after he was elected as the new Prime Minister in 1935. The Supreme court had simply rejected Bennett’s old legislate explaining that it went beyond the powers of the federal government. As a result, the legislate was thrown out. In deep sadness, Sir. Bennett had abandoned Canada and left to live the rest of his life in Britain.2 As has been noted, Bennett had failed to bring
“The choice, however, is as clear now for nations as it was once for the individual: peace or extinction. ” 1 and Lester B. Pearson was definitely a man of peace. To those who don’t know who Lester B. Pearson is, he’s the fourteenth Prime Minister of Canada, that served from April 22. 1963 - April 20. 1968 2. During his time as Prime Minister, he’s accomplished many things, and that’s why I believe that Lester B. Pearson is the greatest Canadian.
Pierre Trudeau was an effective prime minister because he created the Constitution Act as well as the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, made the Official Languages Act and decided to use the War Measures Act during the October crisis. These made Canada what it is today because of Pierre Trudeau.
The depression years of 1929 - 1939 proved to be the worst, and some of the best years for Canada and Canadians. It was a time of extreme highs and lows socially, emotionally, and economically. It was a time that Canada came into her own being on the world wide stage.
Canada in the 1930s was in a state of economic depression and the people, notably living in the west, were finding it difficult to secure a source of income. R.B. Bennett was elected as Prime Minister by Canadians in 1930 on the basis that he would end unemployment, but by 1932 his government was seemingly overwhelmed by the persistence of the Depression and was becoming
Politically during the 1930’s was not great because of a few different things. Firstly, there is the Hands-off policy by Mackenzie King who believed that the Stock Market Crash was temporary in the business cycle. During the 1929 winter, many provincial governments asked for help to deal with
The political scene was dominated by a Liberal party that would not "commit a five cent piece towards the cost of unemployment relief" . This eventually led to their defeat in the summer of 1930. The winner of the election was the Conservative party. Their goal was to get Canada back up and running. In an effort to do so, they raised tariffs on imports and tried to protect national interests. This actually had the opposite affect on the economy and pushed the country further into economic hardship. The government around this time was also trying to balance the budget. In order to balance the budget, they increased taxes which also had a detrimental affect on the economy. After five years, the Conservatives were defeated due to unorganized leadership. The Liberals won the election in 1935. Although
Although, this new proposition was too late and Bennett lost the 1935 election to King, the Supreme Court took the most important points and unconstitutionally made it happen. When King was put back in office, he was pressured to do better than his predecessor and take responsibility for social welfare. He managed to please the people enough to avoid the insults that Bennett endured. With all these politics and attempts at fixing Canada, these politicians made a name for themselves among the events of the Great Depression.
As one of the Canada’s greatest leaders, Pierre Elliot Trudeau brought change that would change Canada forever in a positive manner. Although it can be argued that Trudeau’s behavior was outlandish and informal at times, it could be considered charismatic, however, his behavior to politics was superior. He was inspired to change Canada and make it a better place to live. He did so by implying the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, multiculturalism, and using laws to make Canada a better place. Pierre Elliot Trudeau’s actions changed Canada for the better.
A great Prime Minister should always do what is right for Canada, no matter what obstacles he or she faces. Looking at the fifteen years he was in power, Pierre Elliot Trudeau did exactly that. For instance, he implemented the Official Languages Act and made bilingualism law. In another case, he put an end to the October Crisis by putting into effect the War Measures Act. Finally, Trudeau amended the Constitution which gave Canadians a Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Pierre Elliot Trudeau was a successful Prime Minister who accomplished his goals despite facing enormous opposition.
“Help those who cannot help themselves” was William Lyon Mackenzie King’s life motto as a child. William Lyon Mackenzie, better known as Mackenzie King was the 10th Prime Minister of Canada. Mackenzie was the leader of the liberal party and is currently Canada’s longest serving Prime Minister at 22 years. In this essay I will argue why I believe Mackenzie King should be the next Prime Minister of Canada. I believe William Lyon Mackenzie King should be the next Prime Minister of Canada due to his lengthy leadership experiences, his high degree of intelligence and how he was able to define Canadian Independence.
One of our most renowned prime ministers, a fellow who held our country strong during the most depressing of times and a dominant political figure serving for twenty-two years. I offer my sincerest condolences to one of the strongest political figures at the time, William Lyon Mackenzie King. King was a person who dedicated a large portion of his life on leading Canada through industrialization and development of the country. King’s activeness and participation in Canada’s economic and political standpoint was one of the strongest of all at the time. Before King became the prime minister, he was a deputy minister of labour, he had been a mediator in numerous strikes and was a major
Government looked to many for the support regarding the training of air personnel due to the