Unit II: The Interwar Years

Unit II: The Interwar Years II. Canada in the Interwar Years Text pp. 71-76

3) The Growth of Independence [text pp. 71-72] a) Paris Peace Conferences & Treaty of Versailles • Canada got its own seat and independently signed the treaty. Canada

b) The Chanak Crisis, 1922 • It was a port in Turkey controlled by Britain that gave it access from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. • The British sent troops there because they were afraid that Turkey would take it back. • Canada refused to automatically send the CEF to help; it was the first time it did so.

c) The Halibut Treaty 1923 • Canada and the U.S. negotiated a treaty to protect halibut stocks in B.C. and Alaska. • Canada negotiated without a British official involved, even though the British protested this.

d) The Imperial Conference of 1926 • Here, Britain formally declares in the Balfour Report that Canada is not a subordinate. e) The Statute of Westminster, 1931 • This recognized the Balfour Report formally in British Law. • Canada is now autonomous in the British Commonwealth of Nations.

4) Birth of Trade Unions [text pp.72-74] a) Bolsheviks helped overthrow the Tsar and start a Communist government. • The Canadian government feared this and didn’t want the communists to do the same in Canada. • Meanwhile, the Bolsheviks believed that everyone should control the means of production, not just factory owners • Some liked that idea.

b) Canadian Workers • They had no insurance, pension, or compensation for injuries on the job in 1919. • They wanted to form trade unions to get these along with better pay and improved housing. • Unions could negotiate with owners by collective bargaining.

c) Winnipeg General Strike 1919 i) Employers did not want to bargain with unions, so they decided to go on strike. ii) It started in Winnipeg; the unions there wanted $0.85/hour, an 8 hour day, and the right of collective bargaining. iii) There were sympathy strikes in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver.

iv) Winnipeg officials then ban demonstrations. v) June 21, 1919: riots started when strike leaders were arrested—1 dead and 30 hurt. • vi) Effects: • many lost their jobs • Economic problems recognized • Union leaders join politics: CCF (later the NDP)

5) King-Byng Crisis of 1926 • A governor general refuses to a Prime Minister’s request to dissolve Parliament…bah, you read it; it’s on p. 74.

6. Role of Women a) Social Role: women had more control over their lives

b) Involvement in the Women’s Christian Temperance Union  Women were politically active in getting Prohibition passed into law. c) Agnes Macphail: the first woman to become a Member or Parliament

d) The Famous Five: Emily Murphy, Irene Parlby, Louise McKinney, Henrietta Muir Edwards, and Nellie McClung • Women had the federal vote by 1918, but they didn’t have the provincial vote. • Women weren’t even considered “persons” under the law. • By 1929, the Famous Five succeeded in changing that.

Assignment Finish your notations up to p. 85. You will receive your handout packages next week.

Unit II: The Interwar Years