Canada and the Depression (dec 8, 1929 – dec 1, 1939)

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Initially, under the direction of Prime Minister Mackenzie King, the federal government refused to provide jobs to the jobless – that was mainly a provincial responsibility. In 1934, under Bennett’s government, intervention grew by the creation and implementation of crown corporations and social programs. With the unemployment rate hovering at 30%, the severity and magnitude of the depressing called for the federal government to increase economic intervention by augmenting spending in previously only provincial jurisdictions and welfare programs. This movement towards a mixed economy shifted Canada towards collectivist principles and modern liberalism, and in 1935, a national unemployment insurance scheme was introduced. Additionally, Prime Minister C.D. Howe hired unemployed labourers to build airstrips, and established many crown corporations such as the Trans-Canada Airlines, National Harbours Board, Canadian National Railway, and Canadian Broadcasting Group.

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