Download Canada in Seventies and Beyond

Socials 11
Ms. Matthews
CANADA IN THE ‘70’S AND ‘80’S
Trudeau tries to solve two key problems:
1. Unemployment
2. Inflation
1972 Election: Liberal minority government (109 Liberals; 107 Conservatives)
1979 Election: voters uncertain but choose change
Joe Clark – new Conservative leader (136 seats)
Trudeau – 114 seats
( a Conservative minority government)
But: Conservatives defeated with a vote of non-confidence (Dec. 13) over budget (less
than one year in government)
 new election, February 1980
Liberals – 147 seats
Conservatives – 103 seats
Trudeau still leader of Liberals – key areas of support = Ontario, Quebec & Maritimes
1984 – John Turner replaces Trudeau as leader of Liberal Party and PM
- new Conservative leader is Brian Mulroney
September 1984
- Mulroney wins majority of seats in every province
(Conservatives – 211; Liberals – 40)
Economy
- neo-conservatism emerged = reduction of government interference in
economy and increased reliance on the market forces of supply and demand
- 1980’s and ‘90’s = increasing gap between rich and poor
- international economic growth = Canadian businesses became more efficient
in order to compete on a global scale
o 1989 Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and 1994 NAFTA (Canada-USMexico) were attempts to help Canadian businesses be competitive)