Lecture #7- Alcohol Prohibition & Tobacco Regulation

What are the 2 most harmful substances in relation to our health?

1. Alcohol

2. Tobacco

What are the 2 most commonly used drugs/substances in Canada?

1. Alcohol

2. Tobacco

What are the 2 reasons why efforts to criminalize alcohol in Canada have ultimately failed?

1. Commercial interests

2. Was widely consumed by white citizens from diverse classes

True or false, “There are no international treaties regulating alcohol”

True

True or false, “In comparison, global regulations for tobacco are very strong”?

False

What are 2 different varieties of tobacco?

1. Nicotiana rustica

2. Nicotiana tabacum

What was the common use of nicotina rustica?

Ceremonial purposes by Indigenous nations

Which form of tobacco was preferred by European settlers?

Nicotina tabacum

How did the updated Indian Act of 1895 impact the selling and production of tobacco?

Was illegal for Indigenous peoples to sell tobacco from their farms

What year was the first tobacco factory in Canada opened?

1858

Who opened the first tobacco factory in Canada?

William C. Macdonald

Where was Canada’s first tobacco factory opened?

Near Montreal

What does CWCTU stand for?

Canadian Women’s Christian Temperance Union

The CWCTU sought to prohibit the use of tobacco in what form?

Cigarette form

CWCTU’S 1882 poster lists what 5 harms to youth that is associated with cigarettes?

1. Moral depravity

2. Cheating

3. Lying

4. Insanity

5. Loss of manhood

What Act was passed in 1908?

Tobacco Restraint Act

What was stipulated under the 1908 Tobacco Restraint Act?

Forbade the sale of cigarettes to anyone under the age of 16

What would a first offence of the Tobacco Restraint Act result in?

A reprimand

What would a second offence of the Tobacco Restraint Act result in?

A $1 fine

What was liberal Prime Minister Wilfred Laurier seeking to protect, in relation to tobacco?

Domestic tobacco growers from foreign competition

True or false, “During WWI, the demand for cigarettes grew, and soldiers were provided with them for free”?

True

What level of government stipulate age limits for purchasing tobacco?

Provincial

What is theTobacco Products Act of 1997

Act which regulates the sale and production of tobacco products in Canada

How much tobacco can Canadian adults legally grow a year?

15kg for their own personal use

What has lead to Canada’s decreased smoking rates?

Public education

How was beer viewed prior to industrialization?

Considered nutritious and an integral component of social life

When is it believed that alcohol consumption increased?

The 1700s

What 3 spirits did French & British settlers bring over to Canada?

1. Rum

2. Brandy

3. Whiskey

During what war were soldiers allocated a daily ration of alcohol?

War of 1812

Did taverns cater exclusively to particular group?

No, social spaces for both wealthy and poor, working class men to gather and drink

What is another name for the Canadian Temperance Act of 1878?

The Scott Act

What was the Canadian Temperance Act?

Act that allowed cities and counties across Canada to hole a plebiscite on prohibition

According to the Canadian Temperance Act, how many electors were required to vote in favour of alcohol prohibition in order for it to pass?

¼ of electors

What 2 provinces originally voted for a ban on alcohol under the Canadian Temperance Act?

1. New Brunswick

2. Ontario

When was the CWCTU formed?

1883

Who was at the forefront of the CWCTU?

White middle- and upper-class women

How did the CWCTU frame taverns? (2 points)

1. Anti-home

2. Conflicting with the needs of industrialization & early capitalism

Christian moral reformers regarded what 2 characteristics as the template of citizenship in the Dominion?

1. Sobriety

2. Self-control

In Canada, the temperance movement was anti- what 3 groups?

1. Anti-Catholic

2. Anti-French

3. Anti-Catholic Immigrants

How did WWI change views about alcohol & prohibition?

Prohibition became linked to patriotism, the war effort, and a strong nation

What 4 provinces went dry/sober by 1916?

1. Manitoba

2. Nova Scotia

3. Alberta

4. Ontario

In Canada, what level of government regulates the sale & consumption of alcohol?

Provincial

In Canada, what level of government regulates the production & trading of alcohol?

Federal government

How long were federal restrictions in effect in Canada?

March 1918-end of 1919

What were 2 of the federal restrictions placed between 1918-1919 in Canada?

1. Retail businesses that sold alcohol were banned

2. Public drinking establishments were banned

What was the main focus of the 1918-1919 prohibition?

Curb public drinking

Who was Sam Bronfman?

Canadian businessman who engaged in the liquor trade

What did Bronfman do in 1928?

Consolidated his Montreal distillery with Seagram & Sons in Waterloo

What did Seagram & Sons achieve in 1933?

Became the most successful exporter of whiskey in the world

When did PEI finally lift prohibition?

1948

What were 3 negative impacts of provincial & federal alcohol prohibition?

1. Police corruption

2. Less respect for laws

3. Illegal trade flourished