The Great Depression began in 1929 and did not end until World War II started in 1939. It was a decade of misery all across the world, but Saskatchewan was hit especially hard. Years of drought, grasshoppers, and terrible grain prices combined to produce some of the worst agricultural conditions in the history of the province. Many Saskatchewan residents abandoned farms to seek their fortunes in larger centres. Bigger towns and cities were often unable to cope with the influx of people. Politicians, at a loss for what to do about the large number of unemployed people in the country, provided ‘solutions' that did little to alleviate the suffering of the populace.

Hardest hit by these inadequate policies were single unemployed men. While women, children and families could often receive help from agencies, single unemployed men had only one real option for relief: the work camp. Canadian Prime Minister R.B. Bennett and his advisors felt that these men were a potentially dangerous threat to society. To combat this the federal government established make-work projects all across the country (such as the construction of the Albert Street Bridge and the deepening of Wascana Lake in Regina ) and relief camps where single, unemployed men were obliged to stay if they wanted to receive any welfare assistance at all. It was not surprising when many of these young men began to chafe at these restrictions. The relief camps became fertile breeding grounds for the message of the Communist Party of Canada. Agitators began to lobby for better working and living conditions in the camps, where men were kept isolated and paid only 20 cents per day.

The On-To-Ottawa Trek of 1935 was borne out of the desperation that men from the British Columbia camps felt about their living conditions. The initial plan was for the men to travel to Ottawa to present their grievances to Prime Minister R.B. Bennett in person. At the request of the federal government, the Trek was halted in Regina , with tragic results. July 1, 1935 was the day of the Regina Riot, one of the most infamous moments in Canadian labour history.