M. Diluccio
 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 thought. 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?
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
Prime Minister Robert Borden
-Went to visit the Western Front in
1917, and realized how important it
was to send more Canadian soldiers
there.
 Canada needed new soldiers to help the
Allies win the war.
 How could Canada get more soldiers?
 The Answer – Conscription. It is like the
Draft. Conscription is military service by
all men of a certain age. It is required by
law.
 The Canadian government introduced
the idea in 1917.
 Do you think everyone agreed with
conscription?
 Many groups disagreed:
French-Canadians said, “No.” To the FrenchCanadians, Canada was fighting to protect
England. This was not a French war.
Farmers said, “No.” Their sons were needed to
help harvest the crops to feed the soldiers.
Labour unionists said, “No.” They needed
workers to operate the machines making the
war equipment.
 Now the politics becomes interesting…
 Women in Canada in 1917 could not
vote. Women were not persons under
Canadian law.
 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?
 The Government negotiated with the leaders of the
women’s rights groups in Canada.
 In return for women supporting conscription, the
Government granted the vote to two groups in the next
election:
1) Soldiers who were fighting overseas
(Military Voters Act)
2) Mothers and wives of soldiers who were fighting
overseas (Wartime Elections Act)
 Why would the Government of Canada want these two
groups to vote in the conscription vote?
 Why would the women’s rights groups agree to support
the government in return for soldiers’ wives and mothers
being given the right to vote?
CONSCRIPTION ELECTION (1917):
PM Robert Borden’s Party
(Union – for conscription)
Vs.
Wilfred Laurier’s party
(Liberal – against conscription)
RESULT:
Prime Minister Borden’s government won a
very large victory.
However, 95% of Laurier’s supporters were
form Quebec. Clearly the people of
Quebec did not support conscription.
Quebec City Riots: 1918
- Four protesters dead ; 10 soldiers wounded
 The Government won the election. In 1918,
conscription was introduced to Canada.
 WW1 ended soon afterwards. Very few Canadians
were conscripted.
 However, Canada was now divided along lines of
French and English. While English-Canada has
largely supported conscription, French-Canada said,
“No.” This division changed Canada.
 As well, some women could now vote. More women
wanted the right to vote. The door was open…just a
crack for more women’s rights.
 The Conscription Crisis truly changed Canada.