Ottawa Trek

Disliking their living and working conditions, which were 20 cents a day for a 44-hour workweek in remote camps spread around the country, an estimated 1,000 men left Vancouver (by a freight train) in early June 1935 and headed across the prairies. After the trek had left Calgary, “the trekkers” picked up more recruits and when they reached Saskatchewan they were numbering an estimated 2,000 men. On June 17th when local governments refused to help the strikers they began to be disheartened by their lack of progress, so strike leaders decided to move the protest to Ottawa. 1000 strikers took freight trains and began the "On to Ottawa Trek”, but after receiving an order from Prime Minister Bennett, they were not permitted in the train cars. So a group of men led by Arthur Evans, walked to Ottawa to defend their position, while the remaining strikers waited in Regina. …show more content…
On July 1st, 1935 the strikers or “the trekkers” held a public protest, it was broken up by police squads and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) on orders from Bennett, this became known as the “Regina Riot”. When it was over, one policeman died, 40 protesters and five citizens were wounded, and 120 men were arrested. It was Canada's worst riot during the Depression. The Ottawa Trek was significant to Canada’s identity for when it disbanded; The Ottawa Trek was significant to Canada’s identity for the people of Canada threw out Bennett's Conservative government in the 1935 general election. As a result, the work camps were shut down, and there was an opportunity for a new welfare system, including unemployment