the immediate post-war years saw a short, but severe, recession as the economy readjusted to the end of wartime production. by 1921, the canadian economy was back on its feet and rapidly expanding. in the 1920s, there was an unprecedented increase in the standard of living as items that had been luxury goods such as radios, automobiles, and electric lights—not to mention flush toilets—became common place across the nation. the boom lasted until 1929.