Though much was invested in new plants, plant expansions and technological upgrading, industry showed a remarkable talent for adapting existing space and technology to fit the needs of wartime production. It also created 28 Crown corporations to produce everything from rifles to synthetic rubber. It coordinated all purchases made in Canada by British and other Allied governments for things like military transport vehicles, tanks, cargo and military ships, aircraft, guns and small arms, ammunition as well as uniforms, minesweeping equipment, parachutes, firefighting equipment, and hospital supplies. This department was, in a sense, one of the biggest businesses in the world.This government department controlled and coordinated all aspects of war production. Howe became the Minister of the newly-created Department of Munitions and Supply. The total value of Canadian war production was almost $10 billion - approximately $100 billion in today's dollars. During the Second World War, Canadian industries manufactured war materials and other supplies for Canada, the United States, Britain, and other Allied countries.With the coming of the war, the government would suddenly find itself actively involved in building production plants, training a work force, controlling wages and prices, managing labour disputes, and regulating the movement of employees seeking to change jobs. The mobilization of our country's industrial potential during the war was nothing less than revolutionary and led to significant changes in the conditions experienced by workers in Canada. When the Second World War began, Canadian industry was still struggling in the midst of a bumpy and uncertain recovery from the Great Depression.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |