Research Essay:
To what extent was the Canadian government successful in its attempts to deal with the Depression?
Carol Liang
After World War I, the North American economy was booming, Canada had the world’s fastest growing economy. The start of the Depression came as a surprise to Canadians. When the stock market in the US, the biggest exported target for Canada’s primary resources after war, crashed, they reduced their demand for the products, people in Canada’s primary industries went bankrupt, unemployment rate raised from four point two percent to thirty percent, people could no more effort the luxurious lives, they did not buy much goods, which made other Canadian companies bankrupt, within a year millions of Canadians lost their …show more content…

The terrible working conditions and the low wages made the workers formed a Union and evoked a protest was hold by the camp workers all over Canada in Ottawa, which was known as the On-to-Ottawa Trek. The leaders of the Union were allowed to meet with Bennett. During the talk Bennett attacked the leaders as a radicals and troublemakers even a criminal and a thief. The Unions were angry; riots were held many big cities in Canada. Finally Canadians tried to look for an alternative party for solutions.
A new socialist party formed in the west, called Cooperative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), which was led by J.S Woodsworth. This party was formed by a wide variety of Canadians who were dissatisfied to the government. It is the forerunner of the New Democratic Party. It supported the richer people in a society to assist people who need help, such as the homeless, the disable, the elder, the sick, and so on. They urged the government to spend money on some public jobs for raising the employment rate. This party was carried on the election platform in those years; nevertheless, it did not win many seats. However, it provided an alternative to the policies of the mainstream parties.
Another party had some effects at that time was Social Credit Party, which was led by William Aberhart, a charismatic teacher in high school. His party was on the opposition with the