Canada Facts

20th and 21st Century

In the late 19th century and the early 20th century, the population of Canada grew rapidly. The Canadian economy also expanded rapidly helped by the spread of railways. A transcontinental railway, the Canadian Pacific Railway was completed in 1885. More than 60,000 Canadian men died in the First World War. Manitoba was the first province to allow women to vote in provincial elections. Canada suffered from a huge drop in exports of timber, grain, and fish in the 1930s. In the 1950s and 1960s, the Canadian economy boomed and Canada became an affluent society. Canada, like other nations, struggled during the 2009 recession. However, Canada quickly rebounded. In April 2012, Canada's unemployment rate was 8.1%. By September 2013, it had dropped to 6.9%. Canada is now an affluent country with abundant natural resources. Canada's population was 37 million in 2019.