Prohibition in Canada

The prohibition of alcohol in Canada arose in various stages, from the possibility of local municipal bans in the late 19th century, to provincial bans in the early 20th century, to national prohibition (a temporary wartime measure) from 1918 to 1920. Surprisingly, the relatively large and powerful beer and alcohol manufacturing sector - and the huge working class that purchased their products - failed to convince any of the governments to reverse their stance on prohibition. Most provinces repealed their bans in the 1920s, though alcohol was illegal in Prince Edward Island from 1901 to 1948. By comparison the temperance act in Ontario ran from 1916 to 1927.

As legislation prohibiting consumption of alcohol was repealed, it was typically replaced with regulation imposing restrictions on the sale of alcohol to minors and excise taxes on alcoholic products.

Prohibition was mostly spurred on by the efforts of people of the temperance movement to close all drinking establishments, which they viewed as the source of societal ills and misery. The main temperance organizations at the time were the Dominion Alliance for the Total Suppression of the Liquor Traffic and the Woman's Christian Temperance Union of Canada.Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians and Congregationalists all strongly believed in prohibition as well and campaigned for it in the beginning of the 19th century, continuing throughout the rest of the century.

The women's temperance movement established itself through much of Canada and the United States during an early period of the temperance movement and is known as one of the largest contributing factors to this movement. One of the core values behind the temperance movement was the complete abolition of alcohol and it attempted to spread this message in every manner, shape and form. Finally in 1882, Nova Scotia became one of the first provinces to act. It was obvious that there was growing interest in the role of the school in the fight for a temperate society. As temperance ideologies began to be taught in schools, leaders from the Woman's Temperance movement believed progress was finally taking place.

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