The decade of the 1980s was well known for their wild tastes of fashion and music. Due to the materialistic lifestyle, there were different economic problems the 1980s had to face. Technological advancement and the interpersonal and business relations with other countries like the US were made and improved. The events that have happened in the 1980s had a role in changing Canada. Therefore, the social, economic, and political events in the 1980s had a significant impact on the formation of the Canada we know of today.
Socially in the 1980s, Canada was affected by Terry Fox’s Marathon of Hope, Michael Jackson’s musical career, and the internet going global. Terry Fox was born on July 28, 1958. Terry Fox officially started his Marathon of Hope on April 12, 1980, with little coverage. His reason for running the Marathon was because when he was 18, he had his leg amputated due to cancer. In the hospital that he was recovering in, he saw the suffering of others with cancer and was determined to do something to help. With the help of reporters, Terry Fox was a national star when he made it to Ontario. Unfortunately, the cancer had spread to his lungs and he was forced to stop on September 1, 1980. Terry Fox was determined to complete his run across Canada but was unable to return to the road. He died on June 28, 1981. Terry Fox’s impact on Canada was that he had run the Marathon in order to raise money for cancer research. When the first Terry Fox Run was organized, it inspired others to do what they can to help fund the research. The first Terry Fox Run raised $3.5 million. To this day, approximately $750 million has been raised in Terry Fox’s name. (Terry Fox Foundation)
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Michael Jackson was born on August 29, 1958, and first began his musical career in 1964. He was very young, at age 6, and was in a band with his family members forming The Jackson Five. His solo career began in the 1970s, creating hit songs that changed the music industry. Unfortunately, Jackson died on June 25, 2009, by homicide by drugs. Jackson’s career changed a lot of things in the musical industry. He made music videos a trend to be used as an artistic and promotional tool. In his music videos, notably for “Beat It,” “Billie Jean” and “Thriller,” he helped to break down racial barriers. In his shows and his videos, he’s dancing. He changed the requirements to be a musical artist where not only vocals are required but dance skills as well, due to the major success of his shows where he’s dancing. Michael Jackson was also known for being a charitable person. One of his charities “Heal the World”, which was named after his song “Heal the World”, was made to “improve the conditions of children throughout the world.” (Michael Jackson, 1992)
The Internet we know of is “The Net” or the “World Wide Web” where a global system of computer networks that any user can gain information and use communication sites. Before, the invention of the Internet, people used pen, paper, books, and memories to gain information or to communicate non-face-to-face with others. The idea of an intergalactic series of networks was first coined by J.C.R Licklider in 1962. After years of research and design, the first internet connection occurred in Asia in 1982. It was first termed SDN and then later called the internet. Afterwards, numerous successes happened. The first UNIX network was developed in Japan and the first email was received in Germany in 1982, the first exchange through the internet in 1988, the internet becoming global, becoming the world wide web in 1989, and the internet becoming accessible during 1991. Technology has improved over time and now the internet is practically a huge, limitless space for people the access. The internet is a huge, practically limitless space for people to access. It can contain all of your information while also providing information. The internet has essentially become part of our daily lives. The people of the 21st century have all they could want with simply a swipe here or a tap there. The internet is also essential for business and education. With the internet, you can promote your business, and easily check the reviews to your company and the stock market to know which items would be more profitable. Online courses for students are available, and all the knowledge they could need is at the tips of their fingertips. The internet is a powerful tool that we have access to and use whenever we want.
Canada’s economic events like the 1982 recession, the first loonie created, and the free trade legislation between Canada and the US affected Canada and still affect us today. In 1982, inflation rates (the rise in the cost of good and services) were increasing in America. To control them the US Federal Reserve’s made a contractionary monetary policy. They thought they could decrease the number of people that were unemployed if they implemented to policy. If there was an inflation increase, the federal government would increase interest rates, which according to CBC News, hovered between 17% and 20% for most of that year. The recession started in the US, but since Canada is a close business partner to the US, the recession also impacted Canada as well. Canada depends on the US to aid in their economy since they’re our main trading partner. With the US unable to be able to purchase our goods, Canada also fell in a recession. With not enough products in demand to be sold, production of the products decreases. With the decrease in production, employment decreases. After employment decreases, profit decreases, and the cycle continues again. “In Canada, the unemployment rate climbed from 8.6 percent in December 1981 to 12.8 percent a year later. It was the highest rate Canada has seen since 1934 when the rate was estimated at 19.5 percent.” (CBC News, 1982)
Before the Canadian $1 loonie became the bronze-plated nickel coin that we know of today, it was originally a paper bill. The first loonie was made in 1987 and although the process of making the coin was expensive, the longevity of the coin lasted much longer than the paper banknote it replaced. The value of the Canadian dollar was very flexible, rising or falling depending on the foreign exchange market. The value of the loonie is important due to the fact that Canada is a trading nation. The money they acquire by selling to foreign countries money used in buying good from other countries affects the prices of their imports and exports. If the value of the loonie increases, the price of exports increases and the price of imports decreases. The demand for exports is reduced and the lower costs of imports reduce the rate of inflation.
Trade negotiations with the US began in 1986 and in 1987, the US and Canada signed the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement. Parts of the agreement were “the elimination of tariffs, the reduction of many non-tariff barriers, and it was among the first trade agreements to address trade in services.” (Canadian Gov’T, October 1, 2018). Thanks to the Free Trade Agreement, our trading relations with the US has improved. Canada is the US’ top trading partner and buys more goods than China, Japan, and the United Kingdoms combined. We both supply the other’s economy to support economic growth. Without certain tariffs on the goods we import and export to the US, we eliminate barriers that prevent a good trading relationship.
In Canada, some events that politically affected Canada are Jeanne Sauve, the first female Speaker of the House, the enactment of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and the National Day of Violence against Women. Jeanne Sauve was born on April 26, 1992, in Saskatchewan, the fifth of seven children. When Sauve was younger, her father would occasionally take her to Parliament Hill and show her a statue of Agnes Macphail, Canada’s first female member of Parliament, and would always tell her this when they visited: “You could become a member of Parliament someday if you wanted to.” After her marriage and becoming a “Sauve”, she took part in journalism, working with CBC and Radio-Canada until 1972, when she got involved with politics. In 1980, when the Liberal Party came to power again, Trudeau asked Sauve to become the first women to be a Speaker of the House. Although there were some complications in her job as Speaker at first, Sauve overcame them all, winning the respect of even her adversaries. She excelled in her role judging and perceiving with firmness and fairness. Jeanne Sauve was one of the many “firsts” for women to hold a position in the political kingdom. Sauve was not only the first female to become the Speaker of the House, but also the first woman MP from Quebec to become a cabinet minister and the first female governor general. When she was appointed as governor-general, Sauve called the appointment “....a magnificent breakthrough for women.” Now women can hold positions in the House with it being the norm, thanks to the first females of the House. “As she moved from broadcast journalist to high-profile political figure, Sauvé undoubtedly had her share of challenges and controversies. But through it all, the woman of 'firsts' never lost her characteristic elegance and grace.” (CBC)
The most recognizable part of the Canadian Constitution is the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Charter was enacted on April 17, 1982, and guarantees the rights and freedoms that Canadians believe are necessary by protecting those rights and putting reasonable limits on them in a free and democratic society. the charter of rights and freedoms was enacted on April 17, 1982, and it’s the most recognizable part of the Canadian Constitution. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees the rights and freedoms that Canadians believe are necessary by protecting those rights and putting certain limits on them, in a free and democratic society. All Canadians have those rights protected thanks to the Charter. The charter recognizes and reinforces the rights for even minority groups like those who speak different languages. The Charter respects language rights and gives enforcement of the rights to those who are disabled or disadvantaged. Even those who break the law and reside in prison have their own rights and freedom, because above the fact that they’re criminals, they’re also people as well. It does not matter what ethnicity you’re descended from. As long as you’re a Canadian citizen, your rights and freedoms are protected. The Charter helps preserve Canada as a free and democratic country where equality for all applies for any kind of government whether it be federal, provincial or local.
On December 69, 1989, a man called Marc Lépine broke into the school of l'École Polytechnique de Montréal and killed 13 female students and a female administer. Many more women and females were injured. According to the Canadian Encyclopedia, he targeted women specifically due to the fact that they were women and because they were feminists. He committed suicide after running out of bullets, and on his person, they found a list of women that proved his targets. At the time, feminists were fighting inequality and welcomed the challenge of closing those doors. They fought for equality for everyone, no matter what race, class, sexuality, or abilities you have.Feminists keep the abuse of women and children close to their cause. The l'École Polytechnique de Montréal tragedy was not the only show of violence against women. The disappearances and murders of Indigenous women were other reminders of the misogyny. Human rights and gender equality is a value that feminists are striving for and inspiring others to join their cause despite continual resistance. Some significant marks of success in our history are the slow but sure increase of female politicians. The fight for equality for all still continues, but now women and girls of the 21st century have more access to their goals and dreams than those of past women thanks to the continual fight for equality.
To summarize the 1980s had events where people inspired others to raise money for charities and fight for freedoms, broke down racial barriers through music, made great inventions, learned from the consequences of the 1981 recession, strengthened relations with our trading partners, and made breakthroughs with gender equality. Each of these events had a social, political, or economic aspect to them and they all shaped Canada to the Canada that we know of today. These people helped shape Canada for the better in the past for our present. What can you do now to shape our present into a better future?
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