1. Conscription 1917
Ch1201
December 2013

2. Early Support for War
In 1914, Canadians were initially enthusiastic about the war & thousands of young men rushed to volunteer for service
As the war dragged on into & casualty rates increased, the number of volunteers decreased

3. Propaganda Campaigns
The Canadian Government tries to maintain enlistment levels through extensive propaganda campaigns
Do you think these Propaganda Campaigns were effective?
Would they inspire you to “Answer the Call”?

4. Early in 1917, Prime Minister Robert Borden visited soldiers at the front & was shocked with casualty rates
Military officials urged Borden to send even more Canadian troops to Europe
Borden promised another 500,000 Canadian troops & asked Parliament to pass a conscription bill to raise them upon his return to Canada

5. MONTH
ENLISTMENT
CASUALTIES
JANUARY
9 194
4 396
FEBRUARY
6 809
1 250
MARCH
6 640
6161
APRIL
5 530
13 477
MAY
6407
13 457
JUNE
6 348
7 931
JULY
3 882
7 906
AUGUST
3 117
13 232
STEPTEMBER
3 588
10 990
OCTOBER
4 884
5 929
NOVEMBER
4 019
30 741
DECEMBER
3 921
7 476
TOTAL:

6. Conscription: means that all able-bodied men would be required to join the army
In the summer 1917, Borden passed the Military Service Act which made military service compulsory for all males between the ages of

7. Military Service Act Exemptions
Men in vital wartime production jobs
Those who were sick
Conscientious objectors did not have to join the forces due to their religious beliefs

8. Conscription Division
The implementation of conscription is very controversial & caused great division in our country
Farmers / Labourers
French Canadians
English Canadians

9. Conscription Division: Farmers/Factor Owners
Opposed conscription
They were struggling to bring in crops for the war effort & to produce weapons for battle
They did not feel that they could spare their remaining sons, hired workers, or young factory workers for the army

10. Conscription Division: French
Opposed to conscription
Many did not feel any sense of loyalty to British Empire
Many felt like second-class citizens
Much of Quebec was agricultural-based which was deemed vital to wartime production

11. Conscription Division: English
Supported conscription
Patriotic connections to Britain & had a desire to support Britain in the war

12. Election 1917
Conscription became the main issue in the December 1917 election
Prior to the election, Borden passed two further bills to strengthen his position on conscription
Military Voter’s Act:
Wartime Elections Act

13. Election 1917 Military Voter’s Act: allowed soldiers overseas to vote
Wartime Elections Act: gave the federal vote to female relatives (moms, wives, sisters, daughters) of soldiers & while at the same time refusing that right to citizens from enemy countries (disenfranchised enemy-aliens).

14. Election 1917
These two pieces of legislation increased the number of voters most likely to support conscription and eliminated ones unlikely to support compulsory service
Borden led the Union government, a coalition of Conservatives and pro-conscription Liberals

15. Union Government
For the December 1917 election, the Conservatives & Liberals who believed in conscription formed a union government
It led to a very bitter election in in which the Union government won an overwhelming majority but only three seats in Quebec, thus dividing the country along French & English lines

16. Election 1917
While Borden’s Union government won the election, Canada was completely “polarized” and divided
English-Canada voted overwhelmingly to support the Union government
While Quebec supported Laurier and the Liberals who refused to support conscription

17. Riots on the Streets of Quebec
On Good Friday, 1918 a full- scale riot broke out in Quebec City. Angry Mobs attacked English Owned Businesses. Troops were brought in to restore order. Soldiers fired shots into the crowds killing four civilians. Henri Bourassa was disgusted with the Canadian Government referring to them as “The Prussians next door” (Germans next door)
Riot Broke out in Quebec City

18. The End Result of Conscription
The intended result of the Military Service Act was to provide the war effort with an extra 100,000 men (to reach the 500,000 mark that Borden had originally promised the Allied Forces).
However, when the war came to an un- expected halt on Nov 11th, 1918, only 24,000 (25% of the conscripted men) had reached Europe.
If the war had continued, Conscription would have been a necessity. However, in the end, it’s real result was a serious blow to Canadian Unity (French-English Relations