TThe Great Depression was one of the greatest tribulations in Canadian History. The many factors that contributed to the depression- buying on margin, overproduction, an over reliance on the United States, Et Cetera- culminated with a financial crash that ended the gilded age of the 1920s and sent shockwaves throughout Canadian Society. The 1920s, an era of decadence, gave way to a decade of hardship and strife. Sadly, the selfish and archaic values of the 1920s carried into the Great Depression, with many leaders refusing to provide aid to the destitute citizens of Canada. The Canadian government still held the belief that the economy would right itself and that it was no business for the state to be providing handouts. When aid did come, it was oftentimes so restrictive that very few people could make use of it. One measure, the creation of labour camps by Prime Minister R.B. Bennett, was so demeaning that millions of workers coast-to-coast decided to march on Ottawa. When the previously ousted Prime Minister, William Lyon Mackenzie King, regained control in 1935, he began providing relief to the citizens of Canada. However, the decision to do so was not intrinsic. During the Great Depression, many parties such as the Co-Operative Commonwealth Federation (which later turned into the New Democratic Party) and the Social Credit Party had gained popularity amongst the masses. These parties promises radical changes in Canada. Because of the influence of these parties, King was forced to adapt to a new style of thinking. This shift led to the nascence of the Canadian welfare state as we know it today.
The influence of the Great Depression on Canada's social discourse and future cannot be overstated. Firstly, the people of Canada made and a demand and they were answered in the form of political change. Before the Great Depression, Canadian politics had been a duopoly between the Liberal Party and the many iterations of the Conservative Party. The Great Depression shattered this dichotomy and created the thriving multi-party system that we enjoy today. Also, the ideas espoused during the Depression resonate today. Many of our current policies, such as the Canada Pension Plan and Employment Insurance stem from these ideals. The abandonment of laissez-faire macroeconomic policies have helped create the developed Canada that consistently ranks highly on measures of quality of life such as the Human Development Index.