Right after World War I had finished up, the 1920s were fast approaching. Due to various factors, this decade was called The Roaring Twenties. However, it has long been debated as to whether the 20s roared in Canada. Nevertheless, the 20s roared for Canada’s economy, as they allowed it to grow and become more independent.
One factor that allowed Canada’s economy to grow during the 1920s was a large amount of migration from rural areas to urban areas. In the 1911 Canadian Census, it was found that 58% of Canadians lived in rural regions and 42% lived in urban regions. Later, in the 1921 Canadian Census, it was found that 48% of Canadians lived in rural regions and 52% lived in urban regions. This marked the first time that more Canadians lived in urban regions than in rural regions. This trend would only increase, as more people would move to urban regions and pursue jobs outside of agriculture, which was the most prevalent career in rural regions. This trend would never reverse, and it allowed for newer industries to be formed. This was another factor that allowed Canada’s economy to grow during the 1920s.
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The industries that were formed and grew throughout the Roaring 20s were mining and forestry. The mining industry in Canada mainly dealt with minerals that exist in the Canadian Shield, which were nickel, copper, silver, and more. The forestry industry in Canada during the 1920s mainly dealt with pulp and paper. As these industries strengthened in Canada, it allowed for Canada to trade with more countries in the future, as it mainly only dealt with Britain and the USA previously. Though people moved to urban areas throughout the 1920s, the agriculture industry continued to grow, mainly with wheat grown and harvested in the Prairie provinces of Canada. This wheat was mainly exported to various countries, including Russia, which allowed it to become the world’s largest exporter of wheat crops.
As people moved to urban areas, they needed better modes of transportation than walking. This allowed for automobiles become the prevailing mode of transportation in Canada. In 1922, 1 in 22 Canadians owned a car, however by 1928, 1 in 2 families owned a car. As more cars were needed in Canada, more were also beginning to be produced in Canada, with GM, Ford, and Chrysler all opening factories in Canada, which lead to auto manufacturing becoming Canada’s 4th largest industry at the time.
One last factor that proves that Canada’s economy roared during the 1920s was an increase in GNP. At the start of the 1920s, Canada’s GNP dropped sharply from ~$5 billion (1920) to ~$4 billion (1921). However, it rose back to ~$5 billion by 1925 and continued to increase from there, reaching a peak of ~$6.1 billion in 1929.
Overall, due to all these factors Canada’s economy roared throughout the 1920s.
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