CANADA

THE LAST HALF OF THE 1940s and Start of the 1950s

Advantages:

• Canada emerged from the war as one of the richest nations in the world.

• 3rd largest Navy

• 4th largest Air Force

• GNP more than doubled

• Strong ties to the USA

Disadvantages:

• 1946 huge problems with striking workers. Ironic since unemployment was down, prices low and income rising. Why then?

• Regional disparities: – Conscription – Resources

• Women forced out of the work place and forced back into the apron.

• The last years of the 40s ushered in a Conservative Canada.

• Racial and ethnic barriers to immigration

The ideal modern woman married, cooked and cared for her family, and kept herself busy by joining the local PTA and leading a troop of Campfire Girls. She entertained guests in her family’s suburban house and worked out on the trampoline to keep her size 12 figure. -- Life magazine, 1956

The ideal 1950s man was the provider, protector,

and the boss of the house. -- Life magazine, 1955

Gender Roles

Immigration:

• A legacy of ‘displaced persons’ – Sponsored by relatives or under government labour

schemes. (2 years of manual labour in mines, fishing villages, railways, or in the case of women—maids.)

– Modern equivalent to ‘indentured servants’

– Between ‘46 –’52 160,000 DPs arrived in Canada

• First to arrive were the Polish. Why?

• Dutch Farm families fleeing the Nazi floods

• 48,000 War Brides arrived in Canada (1in5 soldiers)

• Accepted immigrants from Hungary fleeing ‘56 Revolution

The Settlement of Post War Immigrants

Ontario

Quebec

BC

Prairies

Atlantic

The largest group of immigrants came from Great Britain followed by Italy, the USA, Germany, Greece, Portugal, Poland and the Netherlands. Most settled in Ontario and Quebec.

Admonishment:

• Canada’s treatment of our Japanese and Jewish population was questioned.

A New Social Order

• Majority of Canadians wanted Social Programs without Socialism.

– Family Allowance

– National Housing Act

– Veteran’s Programs

• The question of handouts sapping people’s sense of responsibility.

• Emergence of the TEENAGER

• More wealth & peace = more school

• The TEENAGER is created

• Age group has more power & independence than before

• New styles, music (Rock n’ Roll), dances and past-times develop, mostly under Am. influence

• Often seen as rebellion against a conservative and conformist society (eg. Elvis)

• Increase in population—baby boom generation

“ROCK ‘N ROLL” Elvis Presley “The King”

Life of a 1950s Teenager...

First McDonald’s (1955) Drive-In

Movies

MORE CARS

Teens expected to:

U Obey Authority.

U Control Your

Emotions.

U Don’t Make Waves

Fit in

with the Group.

U Don’t Even Think

About Sex!!!

AMERICANIZATION

• Huge influx of American culture via TV.

• TV Advertisements encourage people to purchase new consumer goods.

*common m/c questions

• To protect Canadian culture the government introduced the following: – 1949—MASSEY COMMISSION (job to investigate

the state of Canadian culture)

– CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) would be put in charge of creating a Canadian Television Network

– Strengthen the National Film Board

– Canadian Council of the Arts created to award grants to writers, artists and theatres.

-The creation of the CANADIAN RADIO-TELEVISION AND TELECOMMINICATIONS COMMISSION (CRTC) in 1968 – its job was to regulate the amount of foreign material broadcast over the airwaves and impose rules on Canadian content

ABORIGINAL ISSUES

*This is a reoccurring theme for the next few chapters.

• Faced Institutionalized racism

• Vets did not receive benefits.

• Children were forced to leave home to be ‘educated’ in residential schools. (forced labour, child abuse—physical and sexual)

• Compulsory attendance ended in ‘48, but many were still sent

• High Arctic Resettlement (pg. 179)

• Changes to the Indian Act came in 1951.

– Women granted the right to vote in band elections

– Potlatches and wearing traditional regalia no longer illegal

SOCIAL IMPROVMENTS

• PM Louis St. Laurent expanded Federal Welfare Programs (old age pension and family allowance). Brought about hospital insurance.

AUTONOMY IMPROVEMENTS

• Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent appointed first Canadian born Governor General—Vincent Massey

• Made the Supreme Court of Canada the highest court of appeal not the British Privy Council

• Negotiated with Britain to allow Canadian Parliament to make changes to our constitution w/o appealing to the British Parliament

• Newfoundland in a referendum agreed to join Canada. (Joey Smallwood argued that joining Canada would improve modernization of the Province.

The Roots of Quebec Nationalism • ‘36 to ‘39 and ‘44 to ‘59 Quebec controlled by Premier

Maurice Duplessis and the Union nationale – Wanted distinct society status

– New flag with fleur-de-lys (French symbol)

– Opposed growing Federal powers

– Urged people to turn their backs on ‘English Materialism’

– Roman Catholic church in conjunction with Duplessis protected French culture

– Wanted foreign investment without the intro. of foreign culture.

– A culture of bribery and corruption

– (Duplessis Orphans)

POST WAR PROSPERITY

• Veterans were given jobs back and employment credit for years away

• Government policy encouraged women to leave jobs

• Free trade school or university tuition

• Vets and war widows got preferential treatment for hiring

• War Veteran’s Land Act gave vets lower mortgage rates

• Taxation powers given to Federal government in exchange for $ for social services like health care and education

• Equalization payments

• Private industries given tax breaks

• Boom towns created

• Oil discovered at Leduc Alberta

• Boom and Busts throughout the country

• Giant mega-projects—Trans-Canada Hwy., Trans-Canada Pipeline, St. Lawrence Seaway, and Kemano project

AMERICAN INVESTMENT SCARE

• By 1957 Americans controlled 70% of oil and gas investment in Canada

• 52% of mining and smelting

• 43% of manufacturing

• Profits from their branch plants going back to the States.