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The 20’s were a time of prosperity for Canada, and, under the Liberal government of William Lyon Mackenzie King, for a majority of the decade, big changes were planned. King promised grand things in 1921 to defeat opponent Arthur Meighen, but when elected, his party held only one more seat than the combined opposition. This meant he had to work hard to make everyone happy, and for the most part, they were. King lowered the cost of shipping freight by train, and lowered tariffs on US goods to encourage Americans to buy Canadian wheat. Wheat production soared in the 20’s up to a high of 540 million bushels. King paid back some of Canada’s big loans from WW1, and tried to pass a bill which would give a 20$ per month allowance to anyone over 70, but the senate voted it down. During another term in office, however, the bill was passed, and the first old age pension plan was born. King called an election in October of 1925, but only won 99 seats to the Conservative’s 116. Fortunately, the Progressive party backed King, allowing him to stay on as PM, with a delicate hold on power.
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