Conscription in Canada during WWI

Conscription in Canada

• Initially, the war was met with enthusiastic support in Canada and Britain.
• Volunteer numbers dwindled by 1916.
• In early 1917, the daily casualty count increased due to U-boat attacks.
• Borden wanted more Canadian troops.
• Parliament voted to pass the Conscription Bill.
• This required all able-bodied men to enlist in the armed forces.
• This led to protests from across Canada, especially French-Canadians, who felt little connection to Britain or France.
• Borden acknowledged the divisiveness of conscription.
• A bill passed in summer of 1917 introduced compulsory service for men age 20-45.
• Exceptions were granted for those in vital wartime jobs, the sick, and conscientious objectors.
• French Canadians opposed conscription, led by Henri Bourassa.
• They believed Canada should be independent from Britain.
• In 1917, Canada's prime minister proposed two further bills: The Military Voters Act and the Wartime Elections Act. This granted soldiers the right to vote and women who were relatives of soldiers the right to vote.

Political Impact

• A bitter election in 1917 resulted in a Union government with a strong majority.
• The conservative and liberal parties united around the idea of conscription, forming the Union government.
• The English-speaking majority gained the upper hand in the Canadian parliament, while French-speaking parts of Canada held fewer seats.
• After the war ended in 1918, Canada remained divided.

Failure of National Unity

• By November 1918, only 45,000 conscripts reached battlefields.
• National unity was destroyed by the conscription debates.
• Conflicts included: British versus French Canadians, city dwellers versus farmers, Protestants versus Catholics and civilians versus soldiers