R.B.Bennett became Prime Minister of Canada in 1930. The worst depression of the century was hitting the country, the economic conditions would blunt his prospects as Prime Minister.

A bachelor lawyer from New Brunswick who had prospered in Alberta, Bennett was elected to the House of Commons in 1911 and became Conservative leader in 1927. After winning the federal election of 1930, Bennett tried to fight the depression by expanding trade within the British Empire. But his success was limited, and his impersonal style and reputation for wealth had alienated many struggling Canadians.

In 1935, Bennett changed tactics, introducing his "New Deal" of public spending and federal intervention in the economy, but his Conservative Party was swept from office in that year's election. Bennett retired to Britain and was made Viscount Bannett. He died at Mickleham, England, in 1947