The Second World War affected most countries in the world. It is a terrible page in history for all of humanity. However, despite the global war, the population continued to live, work, and even have some leisure. Today we will talk about trade in Toronto during the Second World War. It is worth noting that Toronto, like all of Canada, underwent significant changes in trade and industry. Many businesses were forced to repurpose and began working for the war effort. Read more about this on the toronto1.one website.
Canada was in the midst of the Great Depression
When the Second World War shook the world, Canada was in the Great Depression. This situation affected the country’s economy, especially industry and farming.
Before the war, Canada was actively involved in wheat production. However, the country gradually began to reduce wheat production and instead produced other agricultural goods. Also, by 1944, Canada had produced 7.4 million pigs.
It should be added that the Second World War accelerated the industrialization of Canada and Toronto in particular. The city of Toronto became one of the country’s largest industrial centres, which ensured its future development as a modern metropolis.
How trade in Toronto changed during the war
Toronto changed a lot during the war. Fortunately, our city did not experience all the horrors of war. But Toronto became one of the largest producers of military equipment and materials. The city began to manufacture military vehicles, ammunition, and munitions. All this made Toronto a centre for military production, which contributed to its economic growth and transformation into a major industrial hub.
As mentioned above, many enterprises in Toronto were repurposed. The automotive industry was particularly affected. These factories began to produce military transport vehicles: trucks and armoured vehicles. Toronto became one of the largest centres for military equipment production in the world.
Overall, Toronto played an important role in the Second World War. Our city became one of the key ports for shipping goods to Europe, supplying the Allies with food, weapons, and other necessary materials.
It should be emphasized that Toronto’s main trading partners during the Second World War were Great Britain and the United States. Great Britain was already one of Canada’s largest trading partners before the war. The war only strengthened the cooperation between the countries. In particular, military materials and food were sent from Toronto to Great Britain.
The United States also began to buy more goods from Canada during the war. And in 1959, an Agreement on Joint War Production was signed between the US and Canada.
Main goods sold by Toronto during the war
In addition to military equipment, Toronto was involved in the production and sale of other goods. About 14,000 aircraft were built in our region, including Lancaster and Mosquito bombers. Aluminum and nickel were also actively produced. In fact, Canada provided half of the Allied aluminum production and 90% of its nickel. And Canadian shipyards launched over 345 merchant ships during the Second World War.
The role of women in the Second World War must be mentioned separately. They worked actively in Toronto’s factories and plants. It was thanks to their tireless work that our city sold a large quantity of goods abroad.
So, that’s the informative material we’ve put together. We hope you found it interesting and learned more about your home city.