A Nation Divided

Background  In the beginning of the war, Canadians were excited about the war effort and thousands of men volunteered  However, with injured men returning to Canada, the reality of Trench Warfare became know to Canadians  Therefore, fewer and fewer men volunteered with each passing month  Also, after Vimy, Canadian Soldiers began to see more action and suffered much higher causalities.  The Canadian Army was shrinking!

Key Statistics MONTHCASUALTIESENLISTMENTS January February March April May June July August September October November December

Borden’s Mission  Early in 1917, Canadian Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden visited the Trenches in France  He was shocked at what he saw: the conditions of trenches and the amount of casualties  Canadians soldiers begged Borden for help: they needed more men  Borden promised them that he would get them the help they needed

The Conscription Crisis  Borden came home to Canada and attempted to pass a “Conscription” bill  Conscription means to force men to go to war  Borden’s bill hit like a bomb!  Canada was deeply divided by the issue

Supporters of Conscription  British Canadians loved the idea of conscription  They felt that other people within Canada had not done their part (especially Quebec)

Detractors of Conscription  Many groups in Canada resisted conscription 1. French Canadians 2. Recent immigrants 3. Pacifists 4. Farmers 5. Factory workers

1917 Election  An Election was scheduled for Dec  Conscription was the only issue  It divided political parties in Canada  The Liberal and Conservative parties broke up and were replaced with the conscription party (led by Borden) and anti- conscription party (led by Sir Wilfred Laurier)  Laurier realized that passing conscription would divide the country and alienate French Canadians

Borden fixes the Election  In order to ensure that he wins the election, Borden passed several laws 1. The War Measures Act: - passed early in the war, this Law takes away the basic rights of citizens - Borden used this Law to take away the Vote from immigrants from enemy countries 2. The Military Voters Act - This Law allowed soldiers who are overseas to Vote 3. The Wartime Elections Act - This Law allows women to vote for the First time - However, only women who have Fathers, Brothers or Sons in combat may vote

Aftermath  Borden wins the election in every province except Quebec  French men are specifically targeted for conscription  Massive Riots in Quebec City and Montreal!  Canada was divided just as Laurier feared

Key Points  The Canadian Army was Shrinking and needed more men  Sir Robert Borden wanted conscription  English Canada supports conscription  French Canada doesn’t  Borden wins the 1917 election by using the War Measures Act, Military Voters Act and Wartime Elections Act  Quebec Riots and has negative feelings towards English Canada that never go away!