1. The Homefront
World War Two

2. The Conscription Crisis, 1942
Canadians could volunteer for military service
The National Resources Mobilization Act (NRMA)
Gave the government powers to draft men into the military for short periods, and for service within Canada
Volunteer rates varied in different regions of the country
Ontario’s volunteer rate was more than double that of Quebec’s
Politicians argued that there was a need for soldiers on the warfront
Prime Minister King promised numerous times that there would be no overseas conscription and he did not want to break the promise that he had made to Canadians

3. The Conscription Crisis, 1942
Plebiscite
Reflects the views of Canadians on an issue, but the results the results do not have to be put into place by the government
The results- the majority voted YES in all provinces except for Quebec
King viewed this as a divided response and decided to avoid the issue
1944: shortage of trained soldiers
15,000 soldiers were needed and there were not enough volunteers to meet this demand
November 1944
Beginning of conscription government conscripted NRMA soldiers to be sent overseas
First conscripted soldiers left for Europe in December and reached the warfront in February 1945
War was almost over
Only 2643 conscripts ever reached the warfront

4. Propaganda
Materials designed to convince the public of their opinions/beliefs
The Canadian government produced sources of propaganda (posters, films, radio advertisements)
Designed to convince Canadians to contribute to the war effort, to express the threat of the enemy, and to increase pride among Canadians

10. The Treatment of Japanese-Canadians
1941
23,000 Japanese Canadians living in Canada
22,000 of those lived in British Columbia
Many of them lived in Japan and had later come to Canada
More than half were Japanese descendents who had been born in Canada
Japanese Canadians were looked at as suspicious
Worried that they supported Japan, not Canada
Many Japanese-Canadians served as soldiers during WW1
Were promised the right to vote in 1918 because of this
The outbreak of war led to this promise been broken

11. The Treatment of Japanese-Canadians
The bombing of Pearl Harbor by Japan led to increased discrimination towards Japanese-Canadians
They were worried that Canada would be attacked from within
“Relocation Centres”, 1942
Japanese-Canadians in BC were invited to move to an area called the Okananagan Valley where they would live in temporary camps
750 moved voluntarily
Internment Camps
The government forced the rest of them to leave their homes
Families were split up
Lived in central BC in wood cabins without insulation or proper heating
Some chose to move to another province so that they could remain with their family

12. The Treatment of Japanese-Canadians
January 1943
The Custodian of Enemy Property (federal government official) was given the power to confiscate the property of Japanese-Canadians
Sold at low prices, and the owners received little to noting
1945 (at the end of the war)
Japanese-Canadians had two (horrible) options
Apply for repatriation to Japan, or permanently settle east of the Rocky Mountains
3964 repatriated to Japan, 1979 of whom had been born in Canada
Repatriation order cancelled in 1947
1988, the government apologizes for its actions
Paid $21,000 to each of the 1400 people still living who had been affected by the Repatriation policy