Second World War
On September 1, 1939 Germany invaded Poland. Two days later, Great Britian and France declared war on Nazi Germany. Canada declared war on Germany after a lengthy debate in parliament on September 10. The government, asking the public to help the war effort issued war bonds for sale and also declared rationing of certain goods. The list included such items as molasses, gas, sugar, chocolate, various meats, butter, tea and coffee, clothing and even alcohol. This had a significant impact on the store owners as the government restricted the selling of these items to the general public. As a result, some store owners went to great lengths to find and sell these items as the demand increased.