The 1920s….
 Political
 Social/Cultural
 Economic
The 1920s….Political
• Birth of Progressive Party
• Rights movements
• Commonwealth replaces Empire
• King-Byng Affair
The 1920s….Political
Progressive Party
•
•
•
•
•
Western Party
Farmer’s rights
Don’t believe in hierarchy
Free votes in Commons
Ended up splitting – one part with Liberals –
the other part became the Progressive
Conservatives:
The 1920s….Political
Rights Movements
• Suffrage
– Women’s right to vote
– Aboriginal right to vote
• Labour
– Winnipeg General Strike
The 1920s….Political
Empire
Commonwealth
Statute of Westminster 1931 -Equality
• Formal independence for colonies
• British Parliament can no longer pass an act that
has effect in the dominions without consent disallowance
• Canada has its own Supreme Court (1949)
• Last major change until 1982
The 1920s….Political
Why is K-B Historically Significant?
• Revealing (enduring /emerging
issues)
• Remembered
• Consequences
King-Byng Affair
Mackenzie King is
Prime Minister
1925
Election: Tories win
more seats but King
holds on to power
with Progressives
Byng says no
Byng asks
Meighen to
form
government
Customs Scandal:
King requests
dissolution
Meighen’s govt.
falls – election
that King wins
The 1920s….Political
The 1920s….Political
A conversation about the role of Governor General is really
a conversation about….
• Elected vs. unelected power
• GG
• Senate
• Constitutional monarchy vs. Republic
• If not Queen/King of England as Head of State,
then what?
The 1920s….Social/Cultural
• Art and Religion
• French Canada
• Social Safety Net- Pensions
The 1920s….Social/Cultural
Religion
• Presbyterians, Methodists, Congregationalists
become the United Church of Canada
• Religion and Immigration
• Religion and Prohibition
• Protestantism vs. Catholicism
• Loss of faith
The 1920s….Social/Cultural
Art
• Canadian Art flourishing: - Group of
Seven in Toronto, some were war
artists – celebrated Canadian
wilderness
• Emily Carr in B.C.
Group of Seven
Emily Carr
The 1920s….Social/Cultural
French Canada
• Dominated by English Business
• Les Canadiens isolated and rural - kept this
way by church and politicians to protect
culture
The 1920s….Social/Cultural
Pensions
• Improvements in health care and living standards mean
population is living longer, but, living longer without income.
• 1924- Committee produces draft bill and a legal opinion that
this issue was ultra vires for the Federal Government (property
and civil rights)
• 1925- Mixed results election- power of opposition in
minority/coalition governments
• Labour, Progressives and Liberals draft bill, passes easily in HOC
• Senate resists, refuses to pass.
• 1926 election- Pension a ballot box question, Liberals win,
Pension Plan passes HOC and Senate.
The 1920s….Social/Cultural
Pensions
• Qualifications (1920s):
• British Subjects
• Over age of 70
• Lived in Canada for 20 years
• Lived in applicant province for past 5 years
• Means test (<$365/year)
• Title transferred to Pension Authority
• Women- only if a widow
• Aboriginals- none
• Modern Canada Pension Plan
The 1920s….Economic
Economics
• Mass consumption
– Credit/advertising
• Mass production
– Assembly Line (Henry Ford)
– War industry producing commercial goods
• Mass credit
– Buying on margin in the stock market
• Mass media
• Urbanization
• Tariffs
The 1920s….Economic
• Closed Empire
• British investment dries up because of
wartime debt
• American Branch Plant set up in Canada to sell
to Empire
South
Africa
India
Britain
New
Zealand
Canada
Australia
United States