CANADA HISTORY

Relief

The Great Depression of the 1930s brought widespread economic devastation to Canada, hitting the workforce particularly hard. Unemployment reached unprecedented levels, with many industries operating at a fraction of their previous capacity. Employers, in a position of power due to the surplus of labor, could afford to be selective about the workers they retained. Workers who remained employed faced harsh conditions, including significant wage cuts. Faced with the grim reality of being replaced by a seemingly endless supply of job-seekers, employees had little leverage to resist these pay reductions. Unions, which had begun to organize in the early 20th century, were largely powerless in this economic climate, and government intervention was minimal. In this environment, the working class faced dire circumstances, particularly in the early years of the Depression.

As the unemployment crisis deepened, many local communities and provincial governments stepped in to offer relief payments to the most desperate families. These payments were modest and varied widely across the country, reflecting the uneven economic conditions in different provinces. Families in the Maritimes could receive around $19 per month, while in Alberta, payments could be as high as $60. The payments were often in the form of vouchers, which could be exchanged for essential goods like food and clothing, ensuring that families could meet basic survival needs. However, single men, especially those without families, were largely ineligible for these relief payments, leaving a significant portion of the population without access to even minimal government assistance. This policy reflected societal attitudes toward gender and family structure at the time, where the priority for relief was placed on families rather than individuals, particularly unmarried men.

By October 1932, after years of minimal federal response, the Canadian government, under Prime Minister R.B. Bennett, finally recognized the scale of the unemployment crisis and began to take action. Unemployment rates averaged 30% nationally but reached as high as 40% in some regions, particularly in the West. The desperation of unemployed men—especially single men who had no access to relief—could no longer be ignored. Bennett, influenced by the ideas emerging from Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal in the United States, tasked Major General Andrew McNaughton, the army's chief of staff, with developing a program to address the crisis. McNaughton recommended the creation of a semi-military-style program, inspired by Roosevelt’s Civilian Conservation Corps, which would provide young, unemployed men with shelter, food, and a minimal wage in exchange for work on public projects.

The Relief Camps that emerged from this proposal were designed to take in men from across Canada who were struggling to find work. The camps offered men a basic standard of living: food, shelter, and minimal wages of 20 cents per day. In return, men were required to work 44 hours a week on various infrastructure and environmental projects. They planted trees in heavily logged areas, built roads and bridges, and worked on the construction of public buildings throughout the western provinces. Within the camps, there was also a need for skilled labor, and so men with professions such as carpenters, metal workers, and accountants found roles where their expertise was put to use. Despite these contributions, the conditions were harsh, and the wages were meager.

The camps, though designed to address the unemployment problem, quickly became hotbeds of discontent. The trade unions, which had been largely dormant or powerless in other sectors, began to infiltrate the camps, organizing the workers and advocating for better wages and working conditions. The unions argued that the 20 cents per day wage was exploitative, especially given the physically demanding nature of the work. By April 1935, frustrations had reached a tipping point. Camps in British Columbia went on strike, with workers demanding higher pay and better living conditions. This action culminated in the On-to-Ottawa Trek, a protest in which relief camp workers from across the country banded together to march to Ottawa, demanding government intervention to improve their working and living conditions.

The trek captured the national imagination and highlighted the deep dissatisfaction felt by many Canadians with Bennett’s government. As the protest grew, the federal government, fearing widespread unrest, attempted to halt the march in Regina in July 1935. The confrontation, known as the Regina Riot, erupted when the authorities attempted to disperse the protesters. Violence broke out between the trekkers and the police, resulting in the death of one police officer and injuries to numerous protesters and law enforcement personnel. The riot marked one of the most significant labor conflicts in Canadian history and illustrated the extreme tensions between the government and the unemployed masses.

Despite the Regina Riot, the relief camps continued to operate until 1936, when they were finally shut down. By that time, they had processed over 170,000 men, providing temporary relief for thousands of individuals affected by the economic collapse. While the camps provided a form of economic stabilization and contributed to the development of infrastructure across the country, they also symbolized the failure of the government to fully address the root causes of unemployment and poverty during the Depression.

The Relief Camps program and the unrest it generated had a significant impact on Canadian history. The camps exposed the limits of government intervention under Bennett's administration and highlighted the deep social divisions that the Depression had exacerbated. The On-to-Ottawa Trek and the Regina Riot became rallying points for critics of the government, contributing to Bennett’s eventual defeat in the 1935 federal election. The failure of Bennett’s policies, combined with the brutality of the Regina Riot, helped to pave the way for the election of Mackenzie King, who would steer the country through the remainder of the Depression and into World War II.

In the broader context of Canadian history, the relief camps also underscored the growing role of the federal government in addressing economic and social crises. The Depression challenged the idea that such issues could be handled solely by provincial and municipal governments, leading to a shift in public expectations about the role of the federal government in times of national crisis. The camps also served as a precursor to the more robust welfare state that would emerge in Canada after World War II, as the country learned from the failures of its responses to the Depression.

In conclusion, the creation and operation of the Relief Camps during the Great Depression were pivotal in shaping Canada’s response to economic crises. While they provided temporary relief to thousands of unemployed men and contributed to national infrastructure, they also highlighted the inadequacies of the government's approach to unemployment and the need for more comprehensive solutions. The discontent that brewed within the camps and the events surrounding the On-to-Ottawa Trek and Regina Riot became critical turning points in Canadian labor history, marking the emergence of a more organized and vocal labor movement, as well as setting the stage for future federal involvement in social welfare programs. The lessons learned from this period would influence Canadian policy for decades to come.