POLITICS IN THE 1930s – HOW DO WE FIX THE ECONOMY?
Mackenzie King – Liberal Party
-
Thought the Depression was temporary and wanted to be cautious.
Believed in keeping a low and a balanced budget.
Wanted to lower tariff with countries in the British Empire.
Refused to raise taxes or borrow money to help victims of the Depression.
R.B. Bennett – Conservative Party
- Believed the economy would fix itself eventually but wanted to take action.
- Against going into debt to fix economic problems.
- Passed laws that would provide money to cities IF the cities AND the provinces matched the
money.
- Established Relief Camps where men would work for very little money
- Provided relief payments to needy people IF they could prove that they were destitute.
- Sent small sums of money to individual Canadians.
NEW PARTIES THAT WERE NEVER ELECTED
The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF)
- Founded in Saskatchewan in 1933 by university professors, and leaders of farmers’ unions.
- Believed that the capitalist system should be replaced peacefully.
- Believed there were ways to avoid the low points of the economic cycle.
- Believed government should be involved in the economy to ensure fairness.
- Believed government should provide water, electricity, transportation, and banking at a fair
price.
- Believed in minimum wages, unemployment insurance, and workers compensation.
Social Credit
- Founded in Alberta in 1934.
- Believed that the problem was that people did not have enough money to participate
in the economy.
- Wanted to take the money in banks that wasn’t being used and distribute it to people.
- Proposed to give each Canadian $25 a month and to print more money.
Communist Party of Canada
- Founded in 1921 in Guelph, Ontario.
- Believed workers should have a revolution and overthrow the government.
- Believed that eliminating private ownership would eliminate poverty.
- Blamed businesses, banks, and capitalism for the Depression.