Canada in the 1920s and the Great Depression

Vocabulary flashcards covering the economic disparities of 1920s Canada, discriminatory federal legislation, resource export industries, and the impact of the Great Depression.

Roaring Twenties

A nickname for the 1920s marked by rapid city growth, modern technological inventions, and rising factory output.

Model T

An affordable automobile that led to the rapid growth of personal travel and road construction in 1920s Canada.

Maritime Freight Rates

High railway shipping charges that made it difficult for Maritime manufacturers in Atlantic Canada to sell their goods in Montreal and Toronto.

1927 Land Claims Legal Ban

A federal law passed by Ottawa in 1927 making it illegal for First Nations to hire a lawyer to pursue their ancestral land claims.

Residential Schools

Government-mandated institutions that Indigenous children were strictly forced to attend, separating them from their families, languages, and cultures.

Pier 21

An ocean port that opened in Halifax in 1928, serving as a primary arrival gate for European immigrants entering Canada.

1923 Chinese Immigration Act

Federal legislation passed in 1923 that severely restricted people of Chinese origin from entering Canada.

Canadian Shield Mining

Deep-mining operations in the Canadian Shield that extracted nickel, copper, and zinc to supply household wiring and electrical power lines.

Newsprint Export Boom

A major 1920s resource industry in Ontario and Quebec that converted northern timber into paper products for American newspaper publishers.

Tariffs

Steep trade taxes imposed by foreign nations during the collapse of global trade that prevented foreign buyers from purchasing Canadian export products.

Prairie Wheat Price Collapse

The drastic decline in Prairie wheat prices from $\$1.60$ a bushel down to $38\text{ cents}$, which occurred alongside extreme droughts and severe dust storms.

1933 Unemployment Rate

Canada's national jobless figure that climbed past $27\%$ by 1933, leaving hundreds of thousands of people out of work.

The Great Depression

A severe economic downturn lasting an entire decade, characterized by resource price drops, mill and factory closures, and widespread hardship.

Riding the Rails

The dangerous practice of unemployed workers hopping onto freight train cars to travel across Canada in search of employment during the Great Depression.

Relief

Public government assistance and aid payments that struggling Canadian families were forced to depend upon during the Great Depression.