Post War Years
Baby Boom, Suburbs and New Immigration

Questions to ask yourself:

How did demographic changes affect Canadian society?

What you will be able to do:

Explain the causes and consequences of the Baby Boom.

Describe the changes on the urban landscape.

Explain the impact of "New Arrivals."

"During the 1950s, [Canadian cities] experienced an economic boom, rapid growth, a dramatic rise in the school population, an increase in ethnic and cultural diversity, and the threat of annihilation in a global nuclear war. The children who entered school during this decade were part of an enormous post war ‘baby boom’. [...]

The economic prosperity of this time coupled with the increasing availability of new homes, automobiles, and new products such as electrical home appliances and television produced a consumer society strongly influenced by American values and culture."

Source: VSB Archives and Heritage: Chapter 5 - The Fifties

Post Depression and Postwar

The baby booms of the 1940s to the 1960s were at first due to the delayed births of the children whose parents had put off having them during the Depression. Additionally, a higher proportion of adults married and had more children. Furthermore, the "timing phenomena" of more adults marrying at a younger age and having children earlier on in their married life accounted for more than half of the baby boom births.

After the Second World War, the return of soldiers to their homeland and the economic prosperity of North America also encouraged couples to marry and start families. The excitement of married life led to an increase in natural increase, that is, more and more births than deaths.

In Canada, however, the increase in natural births is mainly due to better economic times in the mid to late 1950s. And one shouldn't forget that it is also in part due to a decrease in infant mortality and an increase in life expectancy. i.e., The decline in infectious diseases, improved medical practices and the democratization of access to health care are contributing to the consolidation of these demographic trends.

Text sources: Paul Rombough from sources in the Main Document Collection here. Also direct translations from RECITUS at HISTOIRE DU QUÉBEC ET DU CANADA: QUEBEC'S POPULATION 2. L’ÉVOLUTION DÉMOGRAPHIQUE DU QUÉBEC

War Bride and child - arrive Bonaventure Station - 4 March 1946 Source: Library and Archives Canada

Image source: Famille Conrad Legault, 1963, BANQ Under licence: (CC BY-ND)

Quebec Situation

The generation of children born during the baby boom contributed to the rejuvenation of the Quebec population, thus bringing about and accelerating an evolution of lifestyle habits and new ways of thinking within this population. Overall, the baby boom generation could be seen as a sort of demographic catch-up from the previous period, which had been disrupted by two world military conflicts and a major economic crisis.

Text sources: RECITUS at HISTOIRE DU QUÉBEC ET DU CANADA: QUEBEC'S POPULATION 2. L’ÉVOLUTION DÉMOGRAPHIQUE DU QUÉBEC

The birth rate among the Indigenous populations

Until the end of the 1960s, a very high birth rate characterized the demographic profile of the indigenous populations. In fact, the birth rate oscillates between 40 and 50 births per 1,000 people within this population, whereas it oscillates around 30 births per 1,000 people within the Canadian population.

This very high birth rate stimulated the growth of the indigenous population, which slowed the decline of this population and thus reversed a demographic trend that had originated in the colonial period. Despite this change, high infant mortality continued to affect the indigenous population between 1945 and 1980.

Text sources: RECITUS at HISTOIRE DU QUÉBEC ET DU CANADA: QUEBEC'S POPULATION 2. L’ÉVOLUTION DÉMOGRAPHIQUE DU QUÉBEC

Source: J. Armand Tremblay, Jos Dubé and his family of fourteen children. Manouane Indian Reserve (1947 Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, E6,S7,SS1,P92432. Licence: (BY-NC-ND).

The Re-establishment of soldiers and new government social programs

The Canadian government introduced programs in 1945 to support the one million veterans returning to civilian life, including cash payments, retraining programs, and loans. Universities were opened to veterans and preferential hiring was given to them. The 'Baby Bonus' was also introduced, which gave families a sliding scale allowance for each child. These efforts were supported by the Canadian public who wanted reforms after the war.

Another example of government aid came in 1954 when the federal government expanded the National Housing Act to let banks offerloans. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) then added mortgage insurance, reducing lender risk and making homeownership more affordable for Canadians.

These programs changed the relationship between citizens and the state, creating an expectation of care.

Sources: Summary of sections of Tim Cook. “After Victory: The Legacy of the Necessary War.” Canada’s History. 2020 Available at: After Victory: The Legacy of the Necessary War, and excerpts from History of the CMHC. Available: https://web.archive.org

The Growth of Suburbs in Canada

Starting in the 1920s, many Canadian families began moving away from crowded city centres to areas on the edge of the city, called suburbs. At first, suburbs were just the outer parts of the original city, but after World War II, suburban growth increased and extended city boundaries. Families left older neighbourhoods and moved to brand-new communities.

Cities had become increasingly crowded, during the depression then due to soldiers returning and starting families. Some people believed crowdd city centres also caused more crime and social problems. The larger families during the baby boom was another reason people needed bigger homes. Suburbs offered more space, privacy, and newer houses, which made them attractive to many Canadians.

Source: P.Rombough, based on John Douglas Belshaw. Canadian History: Post-Confederation

Cars and Autoroutes to the Suburbs

Since 1945, car ownership had doubled, and gasoline use had risen by 40%. Cars gave people the freedom to leave crowded cities and move to the suburbs. Commuters discovered that a short drive could take them far into the countryside. Many families even bought a second car to make life easier.

Urban growth also depended on new technology like improved transportation, telecommunications, and building methods. Streetcar lines had helped suburbs expand, while downtown areas built taller office towers and bigger factories. The government also built new highways, called autoroutes, which made traveling between the city and the suburbs faster. Cities became larger and more organized, with land used for housing, business, and industry.

Montreal had experienced rapid urban sprawl over the last 50 years. From 1971 to 2011, the amount of built-up land on the island had grown 25 times, spreading houses and buildings farther apart. Downtown Montreal continued to grow quickly, but the distant suburbs also expanded. These changes showed how the city and its suburbs had transformed over time.

Source: P.Rombough, based on John Gray. “Why Live in the Suburbs?” Maclean’s. Sep 1, 1954, and Stelter, G., & Artibise, A. (2015). Urbanization. In The Canadian Encyclopedia, and other sources in our larger main document collection here.

Source: La Presse, 25 janvier 1960, p.3 et 13 via University of Sherbrooke, Bilan du siècle.

New Arrivals - Post-war immigration 1950s -1960s

After World War II, Canada reopened its borders to European immigrants because of a growing economy and labour shortages. At first, most newcomers came from the United Kingdom and Western Europe, but later immigrants arrived from southern Europe, including Italy, Greece, and Portugal. Immigration from Eastern Europe stopped during the Cold War because of the Soviet Union’s control. Large numbers of refugees from Hungary and Czechoslovakia also came to Canada in the 1950s and 1960s.

Unlike earlier immigrants, many postwar newcomers worked in cities instead of on farms. They filled jobs in manufacturing, construction, and helped to build up the new urban infrastructures. Skilled immigrants also became doctors, engineers, and other professionals needed in Canada.

Italian and Portuguese immigrants were a large part of the workforce after the war. Many Italians came from the south to escape poverty and join relatives who had already moved. Portuguese immigrants immigrated as well, especially later in the 1970s. Together, these newcomers changed Canadian cities and contributed to the country’s economic growth.

Source: Various sources starting here in our larger document collection. Text by P.R.using ChatGPT.

Intérieur de l'épicerie de M. Lembo sur la rue Dante à Montréal . - [1910], Wikipedia, Public Domain

1945-1980 - Post War Years -- Baby Boom, Suburbs and...

Main Document Collection

While we work on overview texts and activities for this page, some resources are also available in our larger document collection here.

Related student pages, student tasks, and activities

You may find related documents about Post-War life in Canada and Québec on our student page on
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