Why was the On-to-Ottawa Trek important to Canada?

A defining event of the Great Depression, the On-to-Ottawa Trek has become a poignant symbol of working class protest. In 1935, over a thousand angry unemployed men left federal relief camps in British Columbia and boarded boxcars to take their demand for work and wages directly to Ottawa.

What was the cause of the On-to-Ottawa Trek?

The On-to-Ottawa Trek was a mass protest movement in Canada in 1935 sparked by unrest among unemployed single men in federal relief camps principally in Western Canada. Federal relief camps were brought in under Prime Minister R. B. Bennett’s government as a result of the Great Depression.

What were relief camps in Canada?

McNaughton’s relief camps were expected to provide the basic necessities for single men in return for manual labour. This proposed system resembled the English Poor Laws in which the poor received helped in exchange for labour and rehabilitation. In October of 1932 the first federal relief camps opened in Canada.

Why is it called Bennett buggy?

The Canadian term was named after Richard Bennett, the Prime Minister of Canada from 1930 to 1935, who was blamed for the nation’s poverty. Cars being pulled by horses became a common sight during the Depression.

What is relief camp?

noun. 1A camp for the accommodation of people in need of aid, especially owing to a natural disaster, war, etc. 2New Zealand, Canadian A camp established by the government to house the unemployed, especially those participating in work projects (now historical).

Was there a communist party in Canada?

The Communist Party of Canada (French: Parti communiste du Canada) is a political party in Canada, founded in 1921 under conditions of illegality.

What was Black Tuesday Canada?

Beginning on Black Tuesday, October 29, 1929, when the value of the New York stock market fell dramatically, and ending in 1939, the Great Depression was a time when Canadians suffered unprecedented levels of poverty due to unemployment.

What was a Hoover cart?

The Hoover cart was driven by North Carolina farmers as a form of transportation during the Depression and was built by taking the rear wheels off of a car and attaching them to a cart. The cart was then pulled by either mule or horse.

What is a Hoover buggy?

A Bennett buggy was a term used in Canada during the Great Depression to describe a car which had its engine, windows and sometimes frame work taken out and was pulled by a horse. In the United States, such vehicles were known as Hoover carts or Hoover wagons, named after then-President Herbert Hoover.

What does Pogie stand for?

/ (ˈpəʊɡɪ) / noun plural pogeys or pogies Canadian slang. financial or other relief given to the unemployed by the government; dole. unemployment insurance.

What is a relief camp for Class 5?

noun. 1A camp for the accommodation of people in need of aid, especially owing to a natural disaster, war, etc.