Bennett's New Deal

• Bennett was influenced by his brother-in-law, William Kerridge, Ambassador for the US, who was impressed by Roosevelt's New Deal
• Many felt that only the federal government could stabilise the economy and prevent social unrest
• The Employment and Social Insurance Act offered comprehensive unemployment insurance and allied benefits
• The National Products Marketing Board introduced minimum wages, an 8-hour workday, a 48-hour workweek, federally-supported farm credits and centralised economic planning
• The Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Act helped 100 000 farmers in south Saskatchewan revitalise their land through better technology and better cultivation methods
• The Canadian Wheat Marketing Board was formed in July 1935 to regulate wheat sales and protect farmers
• In 1934, Bennett set up a commission to investigate mass purchase and price markups, which led to the formation of the Dominion Trade and Industry Commission to regulate business activities
• Bennett was voted out of office as soon as his measures were passed
• The Committee of the Privy Council declared many measures unconstitutional in 1937 and said that the federal government didn't have the authority to adopt them
• In 1934, the Conservatives lost the provincial elections in Ontario and Saskatchewan and 4 of 5 federal by-elections
• Bennett was blamed for the depression. Horse-drawn Fords and shanty towns were called 'Bennett buggies' and 'Bennettburghs'
• Bennett failed to act on the recommendations HH Stevens' commission, so he resigned and formed the popular Reconstruction Party
• In the 1935 election, the Liberals won 173 seats in the House of Commons, the Conservatives 40 and the Reconstruction Party 1
• King won the 1935 election under the slogan 'King or Chaos'