Canada: A Changing
Society
Ch. 7 (p. 160-167, 177-180)
Canada After WWII
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Returning veterans helped by government
programs
Veterans and wave of immigrants leads to
increased demand for housing
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Rise of suburbs (housing developments and
communities outside of city centres)
Suburban Values
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Traditional family life
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Stay-at-home mom, working dad, 2+ kids (nuclear family)
Increase in the birth-rate 1946-1961 (ie. “baby boom”)
Suburbia
Suburban Nuclear Family
Canada After WWII
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Age of the Automobile
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Cars needed by families in suburbs, commute to work
Small neighbourhood stores replaced by fewer large
supermarkets and department stores, shopping malls
Poor safety: seat belts rare, drunk-driving common
Consumer Society
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Rise in advertising, especially on television
Economy booming, Canadians have money to spend
New high-tech gadgets, appliances, toys, etc.
Conspicuous consumption
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“keeping up with the Joneses”
Advertising
Canada After WWII
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Teen Culture and the Youth Movement
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Before WWII, the average Canadian was out of
school by grade 8
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Need to make money for family, needed to fight in wars
Baby boomers stay in school much longer, university
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Economy booming, not needed as soldiers
A lot of free time, spending money from part-time jobs
Become target for businesses, advertising
Teens create their own culture
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Fashion, slang, music, movies, etc.
Canada After WWII
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Teen Culture and the Youth Movement
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Baby boomers rebel against parents/adults
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Rock ‘n’ roll culture in 1950s, becomes accepted by adults
by mid-1960s
Hippie culture in mid-1960s and early-1970s
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“youthquake” – long hair, psychedelic stuff, sexual promiscuity,
drug experimentation, anti-consumerism
Mass political protests and demonstrations, politicians take note
 Voting age lowered from 21 to 18
 “Trudeaumania” – wave of popularity that swept Pierre
Trudeau into office, treated like a rock star
 Why?: informal, flashy, scandalous, bachelor until 1971
By 1980s, baby boomers growing up, many have careers
and families, “settled down”, protest movement fades away
Teen Culture
Teen Culture
Trudeaumania
Protecting Canadian Culture
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Canadians, especially youths, increasingly
influenced by American culture after WWII
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Movies, TV, music, celebrities, etc.
Adults and government increasingly concerned
Massey Commission (1949)
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Purpose: investigate the state of Canadian culture
1951: reported that Canadian culture should be
protected from American influences
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National Film Board (NFB) should be strengthened
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Makes documentary films by Canadians and/or about Canada
Federal government should help fund the arts
Protecting Canadian Culture
Protecting Canadian Culture
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Canada Council (1957)
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funded by federal government
gives grants to artists and organizations to
strengthen Canadian culture
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)
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Broadcast on radio since 1936
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Response to influence of American culture pre-WWII
1952: establishes television stations, broadcasts
Canadian content across country
Protecting Canadian Culture
Protecting Canadian Culture
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Canadian Radio-television and
Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)
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Established in 1968
Regulates Canadian broadcasting (TV and radio)
Controls how much foreign programming can be
broadcast on television and radio in Canada
Requires certain amount of Canadian
programming on TV and radio