Canada in WWI
• 1911 Elections
– Conservatives gain control of government
under PM Robert Borden
• Canada’s Role and Responsibility to Britain
– Old quarrel over responsibility: should Canada,
as a dominion, send troops for imperial
defense?
– French-Canadians not eager to do so
• Felt Canada’s involvement should only be for defense
of Canada
– English-Canadians
• Loyalty to crown and Canadian self-interest required
involvement in Empire’s defense (the same people
arguing this also argued that Canada should have a
say in imperial policy)
Self-Determination?
• 8/1914: Canada enters conflict
automatically as part of the British Empire
– Though Canadians would have a say in the
extent of their contribution
• Canadian Parliament passes the War
Measures Act
– Gave federal gov’t the power to oversee the
economy and restrict civil liberties if they
were thought to impede the war effort
Military Involvement
• Canadian Army at beginning of conflict (August)
numbered at 3,000!
– It was quickly enlarged by volunteers
• By October the numbers were up to 30,000
– They were poorly equipped and poorly trained
– Canadian 1st Division were shipped to Europe
– They received further training and were then sent to front
• One Canadian led battle at Vimy Ridge in April 1917
• There were eventually 4 Canadian divisions in Europe
• Royal Canadian Navy helped escort merchant ships
across Atlantic
• Canadian pilots made up 25% of British air force
Animosity b/n French and EnglishCanadians
• As war, casualties, and sacrifices at home continued
bitterness b/n French and English Canadians
• Source of Conflict
– 1. In Ontario a struggle broke out over the use of French in
schools. Pressure was put on gov’t to end bilingual education
• Two sources of opposition
– Conservative protestants: believed English instruction was necessary to
promote national unity
– Irish Catholics: wanted separate schools b/n Protestant and Catholic,
but wanted English to be main language
• Ontario Dept. Of Ed. Made English official language and restricted
French to 2 years in elementary ed.
This conflict was a big enough problem, set alongside the
war made it even worse.
Animosity b/n French and EnglishCanadians
• 2. Conscription: French-Canadians: anti, English-Canadians: pro
– PM Borden promised Britain a force of 500,000 Canadian men
• Volunteers were not enough for two reasons:
– Horrors of trench warfare were known
– War-time demand for agricultural and industrial goods increased a need
for workers
– French-Canadians had little inclination to support Britain and
were under attack from English speaking Canadians for their
lack of support
• French-Canadians were also disheartened by the attitude of gov’t
toward French-Canadians serving in military
– Very few were ever made officers
– English was language of military
– Only one French speaking unit (known as the “Vandoos”)
Animosity b/n French and
English-Canadians
• Summer of 1917: Military Service Act is passed by
Parliament
– Severe domestic unrest; not only from French-Canadians
• Spring of 1918: massive German offensive resulted in abolishing
the exemption for farm workers sons, just when they were needed
most.
– In Québec there were demonstrations and protests against
what was already an unpopular war
In the end, 100,000 Canadians were drafted. The armistice of
Nov. 1918 meant that only 25,000 of these draftees saw
battle.
The military benefit of conscription was slight and the political
consequences were great.
How did Canada pay for
the war?
• Gov’t paid for the war through extensive
borrowing, and the introduction of the first
national income tax and a tax on business profits
– Railroads were nationalized to ensure they were
functional
A Repressive Gov’t
• The gov’t interned “aliens” and suppressed the
foreign press
• Wartime elections Act of 1917 disenfranchised
Canadians of enemy origin
• Unions had to submit to compulsory arbitration in
labor disputes
• Shortages led to about a 50% increase in cost of
living from 1915-1918 and the gov’t imposed
rationing
Impact of the War
• Agriculture (US and Canada very similar)
– Wheat prices increased by 50% and western farmers expanded the
size and number of farms
– Rural Canada sent many of its sons to war
• This resulted in an increase of labor costs which forced farmers to buy
more equipment
– Increased production pushed up the price of land
• Farmers increased production by borrowing money at high rates of
interest
• Farm debt increased substantially
• High prices also encouraged farmers to move cultivation onto marginal
land while abandoning good soil and moisture conservation techniques
• The impact of this practice was felt after the war
– The expansion was a disaster when the price of grain and other crops fell
Impact of the War
• Homefront
– Women in the workplace
• Filled jobs previously held be men
• Were paid less than half than what the men made
• Labor unions opposed the movement of women into the
workforce because they drove wages down and were seen
as temporary
– Approximately 2500 women served as nurses in the
Canadian army
• 56 of them died during the conflict
Impact of the War
• Canadian casualties
– Total population was 8,000,000
– 625,000 (8% of population) served in
military
• 60,000 killed (1% of service)
• 200,000 wounded (32% of those who
served)