THE

CONSCRIPTION
CRISIS

VOLUNTEERS
Recall

At the start of WW1, many people

volunteered to fight in the Canadian army.
For

the volunteers, the war was to be an

adventure. As well, the war would be over
very quickly.
It

did not go as planned: the war was long,

and everyday, more and more soldiers were
killed or wounded.
By

late-1916, people stopped volunteering.

Would

you volunteer to go fight in this war?

PUBLIC OPINION

with casualty figures regularly

printed in the papers, public
enthusiasm for the war declined;

aware now of the horrors of the war,

people no longer considered it a
glorious adventure;

recruitment levels dropped across

the board;

casualties mount as Canadians

engage in key and costly battles.

Canadian Casualties vs.

Enlistments in 1917
Month

Casualties

New Enlistments

January

4 396

9 194

February

1 250

6 809

March

6 161

6 640

April

13 477

5 530

May

13 457

6 407

June

7 931

6 348

July

7 906

3 882

August

13 232

3 117

September

10 990

3 588

October

5 929

4 884

November

30 741

4 019

December

7 476

3 921

TOTAL

122 946

64 339

CONSCRIPTION

Canada needed new soldiers to help the

Allies win the war.

How could Canada get more soldiers?

The Answer Conscription.

Conscription is automatic military service

by all men of a certain age. It is required by
law.

P.M. ROBERT BORDEN

Prime Minister Borden

introduced the idea in
1917.

Do you think everyone

agreed with
conscription?

PUBLIC OPINION

Many groups disagreed;

French vs. English

French-Canadians said, No. To the FrenchCanadians, Canada was fighting to protect

England. This was not a French war.

Protestant vs. Roman Catholic

English vs. French

Farmers vs. City-Dwellers

Farmers said, No. Their sons were needed to help harvest the
crops to feed the soldiers.

Civilians vs. Soldiers

Labour unionists said, No. They needed workers to operate the

machines making the war equipment.

ELECTIONS

Now the politics becomes interesting

The Government of Canada had to call an

election over the issue of conscription.

The Government needed votes to win. Who

would they let vote to win?

MILITARY VOTERS ACT

To help his cause Borden passes

Military Voters Act (soldiers fighting
overseas are given the right to vote)

WOMEN AND
CONSCRIPTION

He then passed the Wartime Elections Act (giving vote to the

female relatives of enlisted men)

Why would the Government of Canada want these two groups

to vote in the conscription vote?

THE LEGACY

The Government won the

election. In 1918, conscription
was introduced to Canada.

WW1 ended soon afterwards on

November 11th, 1918. Very few
Canadians were conscripted.

Canada was now divided along

lines of French and English.
This division changed Canada.

THE HALIFAX
EXPLOSION

During WWI, Halifax was a

bustling place, it had the biggest
port on Canadas Atlantic coast;
On the morning of December
6th, 1917, the French Shi9p
Mont Blanc was coming into the
harbour, it was carrying 3000
tonnes of explosives;

At the same time, a Norweigan ship,

the Imo was headed out of the
harbour;
The two ships collided at a place called
the Narrows;
The Mont Blanc exploded in a huge
flash of light killing thousands and
damaging 12,000 homes.

THE TREATY OF
VERSAILLES

The Allied Powers

recognized Canadas
contribution and asked
Canada to sign the Treaty
of Versailles;
The treaty focused on
peace and prevention of
future wars;

Government leaders met in Paris to

sign the treaty, including Canada;

Canada was given an independent voice at

the signing (because Canada was now its
own country and not a British Colony)

A League of Nations was created so

each country could send
representatives that would settle
conflicts among countries in the future.