At the beginning of the great depression, urban unemployment

Canada was hit hard by the Great Depression. The worldwide depression that started in the United States in late 1929 quickly reached Canada. Between 1929 and 1939, the gross domestic product dropped 40% (compared to 37% in the US). Unemployment reached 27% at the depth of the Depression in 1933. Many companies closed, as corporate profits of $398 million in 1929 turned into losses of $98 million as prices fell. Farmers in the Prairies were hit especially hard by the collapse of wheat prices. Despite the emergence of numerous radical parties, the government was run by the major parties. The Depression ended in 1939 as World War II began.[1]