Canada 1950s-1970s

1940s Canada was experiencing the return to normality after the War. By the 1950s, the economic and baby booms, were transforming society. The 1950s ushered in Canada the era of consumption culture. 3.5 million cars were bought in the 1950s taking Canadian families from their new suburban homes to the towering city centers. And there were more Canadians too. Canada’s population grew to 18 million by 1961 (an increase of 50% compared to 1946). By the end of he 1950s, Canada was a youthful society, absorbing more and more immigrants. Youth also had more and more difficulty complying to the reigning WASP racism in the West and the ambient widespread conservatism in Quebec, perfectly embodied by Maurice Duplessis’ Grande Noirceur. The 1960s was thus a period of major change and overture to the world epitomized by events such as the introduction of political rights for the First Nations, the creation of the New Democratic Party, the quest for social reforms, the Quiet Revolution in Quebec, the rise to power of Pierre Elliott Trudeau’s Liberals. Within this context, Canada moved closer to becoming a more open and accommodating society. The abolition of racial discrimination in Immigration policy in 1962; the adoption of the point system for immigration in 1967; the signature of the UN Convention for refugees in 1969 are all milestones which will pave the path for the adoption of the Canadian Multiculturalism Policy in 1971.