A Snapshot of Canada - 1910

A Snapshot of Canada - 1910-1914

• Overview of Canada during the early 20th century.

Demographics

• Population: 7.2 million

  • Over half born in Britain, Canada, or other British dominions

• Immigration:

  • By 1914, over half of immigrants to Canada were from the British Isles.

  • 286,000 immigrants in 1910.

• French Population:

  • Approximately 30% of Canada’s population was French.

• Indigenous Peoples:

  • Estimated 110,000 Indigenous Peoples (DIA estimate).

• Life Expectancy:

  • Average life expectancy at this time was 49 years (StatsCan).

Entertainment

• Ragtime Music:

  • Popular music genre represented by pieces like "The Entertainer."

• Silent Film:

  • Notable film: "Frankenstein" (1910).

• Bestselling Books:

  • Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey

  • Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs

  • The Interpretation of Dreams by Sigmund Freud.

Quality of Life

• Economic Data:

  • Average income: $1,100

  • Average hourly wage: 22 cents

  • Cost of living:

    • Loaf of bread: 4 cents.

• Social Changes:

  • First drugs made illegal in 1911, including opium, cocaine, and morphine.

• Household Statistics:

  • Average household size: 5

  • Average age of marriage:

    • Men: 26

    • Women: 21.

• Home Amenities:

  • Only 3% of Canadians had a telephone

  • 14% of households had a bathtub.

• Medical Education:

  • 90% of doctors had no college education.

• Gasoline Purchases:

  • Gasoline was commonly bought in drug stores.