Major Social Change for the Canadian People
<< War! Bringing the War Close to Home >>
There were few aspects of people's lives that the war didn't impact upon. But perhaps one of the greatest areas of change for the Canadian people was the level of involvement governments began to have in their everyday lives. Government became involved in telling people what they could and couldn't do on a daily basis. This was very different for Islanders. Before 1929, government paid little attention to the needs or concerns of the ordinary Islander. We were to "pull ourselves up by our bootstraps" and make our own way in the world. The financial state of the Island and its municipalities made it difficult for it to be any other way. Then, the 1929 stock market crash plunged the world into a deep economic depression that made life very hard for people. Since the Island was mainly a rural farming economy we didn't know the hunger that other parts of Canada did, but jobs were hard to come by and money was a rare and wonderful thing. The Federal Government gave some relief but times were hard and unsettled. When the war came and Canada joined, people were almost happy to have the government intervene so heavily in their lives. It offered a sense of security.



  That it was during the war years the Federal Government began to create the social safety net. In 1940, the Federal Government, with the agreement of the provincial governments, started the unemployment insurance program. Family allowance was started in 1944, with Prince Edward Island being a trial site.


Things To Do!!!
  • What does the expression "pull ourselves up by our bootstraps" mean? Is it an expression that is heard much today? If not, why might that be?
  • During the war, what freedoms were given up in favour of a sense of security?
  • Once the war was over did the Canadian government withdraw from the social welfare of its people or did the intervention become deeper?
  • What are the basic necessities that you feel a government should provide for its people?
  • Do you know when Old Age Security, Medicare and universal education were introduced in Canada?