1. PROBLEMS FACING POST-WAR CANADA Canadian History 1201

2. THE ROARING 20S  This was a time of glamour and prosperity for many  There was “hot jazz”, dance halls, movies, radios and cars  It looked as though people were making up for the misery of war by enjoying themselves as much as possible  By the late 1920s, over half of Canadians lived in industrial, urban centres

3. THE ROARING 20S  More Canadians had money to spend on consumer goods  Northern Canada began to open up  The Union Government was still in power  New political ideas were beginning across the country

4. THE ROARING 20S  Unions and protest parties began to take ahold of the political landscape  There was a new generation of female voters making an impact  Canada was still part of the British Empire  But the country was becoming increasingly independent

5. UNEMPLOYMENT  War materials were no longer needed so factories cut back on production so workers lost their jobs  Munitions factories all closed down  Other industries slowed down and resulted in layoffs  i.e. Steel, Cloth, Wood  Returning soldiers couldn’t find work

6. UNEMPLOYMENT  Women were forced back into the home so men could get jobs  Veterans were unemployed and bitter  They felt that the country owed them a chance to make an honest living  They were upset that businesses made a profit off the war while they were risking their lives in Europe

7. INFLATION  The government removed the price controls that were in place during the war so prices of goods skyrocketed  The cost of food, fuel, rent and clothing was going up  Housing was scarce and costly; rent was high  The price of many things had doubled from 1914-1919  Even those that were working were unable to buy necessities

8. WORKING CONDITIONS  Some construction workers had to work 16 hours a day  Working conditions were dangerous  i.e. Many miners were killed on the job  Wages did not keep pace with inflation  People were always afraid of losing their jobs

9. TRADE UNIONS FORMED  Unions were created  A group of workers who join together to get improvements in their wages, work hours and working conditions  One Big Union believed society was a class struggle with workers on one side and business people on the other  OBU encouraged workers to participate in a General Strike in order to control industries

10. TRADE UNIONS FORMED  If workers and the employers could not reach an agreement, unions could call a strike to force employers to accept the union demands  A lockout was sometimes used by employers to force union workers to agree to their demands  Some employers refused to deal with unions

11. PROHIBITION  Started in 1916-1917 in Canada and made the production and sale of alcohol illegal  Started partly by the Women’s Christian Temperance Union who believed that the grain used in alcohol should be used to feed soldiers and civilians  The government lost millions in potential taxes as the sale of alcohol went “underground”

12. PROHIBITION

13.  Bootleg Booze was available to anyone that had cash  Illegal liquor made and sold by organized bootleggers  Speakeasies opened in homes and businesses  Secretive private, elegant bars  Prohibition was impossible to enforce

14. PROHIBITION

16.  Rumrunners (people who sold liquor to the U.S. across the Quebec border) got rich  Rocco Perri in Canada and Al Capone in the U.S.