Let us review the causes:

Introduction

While World War I was raging in Europe, Canadians at home felt the effects as well. The war changed life in Canada and raised issues that continue to affect us today. To support the war effort, people had to do more with less and help raise millions of dollars. The war also led to a national crisis over conscription and changed the role of women in Canadian society.

Contributions from home

The war effort in Canada was truly impressive. Canada supplied huge amounts of food, raw materials, and ammunition to the Western Allies. To make these contributions, Canadians were forced to survive with fewer resources and find new ways of working. Canadians were proud of their contributions to the Western Allies, both at home and abroad. Canadian efforts were perceived favourably by the Western Allies which has contributed to modern day perceptions of Canada across the world.

Work on the home front

What is the “wartime home front”? This term describes the activities of the civilian population as they support their troops. During times of war, the people at home had to make sacrifices to help with the war effort. This was the case as WWI continued.

To learn how Canadian civilians organized their efforts at home during WWI, review the following.

Wartime home front

The two world wars of the 20th century involved the whole nation, and the “home front” became a critical part of Canada’s effort. The home front refers to the civilians, including women, men, children and teenagers, who worked in various ways to help the country cope as tens of thousands of soldiers fought overseas — For example, young men who were not fighting overseas were normally employed in factories, on farms and in the cities.

Farms and factories

In the First World War, farmers cultivated new land and, with state assistance, began to mechanize their operations. Mechanization was one attempt to make up for the shortage of farm help, caused by enlistment and by the drift of workers to cities in search of employment in the war industry. City teenagers were sent into the country to assist with the harvest.

At the same time, the booming war factories were in desperate need of skilled tradesmen, too many of whom had been allowed to enlist before their greater value at home had been recognized. One result was that large numbers of women were brought into war factories, and “aliens”— immigrants who were often unacceptable for military service because of their nationality — took factory jobs. Another result of the labour scarcity was that wages rose, although not as much as the cost of living. Yet because conditions in the plants were often terrible, labour unrest was widespread.

Which items were rationed?

Building supplies, certain foods such as flour and meat, and gasoline were among the rationed items.

Gasoline was needed in the war for machines and transportation. On the home front, Canadian adults were limited to 26 L of gas weekly. People were fined for trying to buy more than their limit.

Food rationing meant that each household could buy only a limited quantity of food staples like flour, sugar, and meat. Each Canadian adult could have 1.8 kg (about 4 lbs) of meat each week. That’s about 225 grams (half a pound) per day. Rations of sugar were limited to 220 g (8 oz) per week. That works out to about one ounce (three tablespoons) each day. The government asked people not to hoard or stockpile these goods; any extra was to be shipped overseas to the war. Those that could grow and harvest crops were encouraged to send troops any produce they could spare.

Women and rationing

In most households, food was purchased and prepared by women during this time. It was the women’s responsibility to shop and keep track of the rationing booklets.

Examine the following three examples of government publications that offered advice to women.

Keeping morale high under rationing

During the war, the Canadian government wanted to inform, persuade, and inspire the public during a time when rationing and the ongoing war caused so much difficulty. The government used propaganda posters to convince Canadians that their sacrifice was helping the war effort.

What is propaganda?

Propaganda is a form of communication that’s aimed at influencing people’s attitudes and actions. Propaganda is used to target emotions and manipulate opinions to achieve specific results. Propaganda was not only used to encourage food rationing, but to encourage young men to join the army and help fight the enemy.

Few French-speaking volunteers

While many Canadians volunteered in the early days, fewer than five percent of these volunteers spoke French. Why were there so few francophone (French-speaking) volunteers?

In Canada, relations between French- and English-speaking citizens were tense for several reasons including the following:

• In 1913, Ontario banned French as a language of instruction in its schools, enraging French Canadians.
• Many Quebecers were not motivated to join because they felt little attachment to Britain and didn’t feel it was really “their war.”
• For French-speakers, it was difficult and even dangerous to serve in an English-speaking unit: all orders were given in English. There were a few bilingual Canadian regiments, but those filled up quickly.

For these reasons, tension between English and French Canadians continued to build.

More soldiers needed

After the brutal Battle of the Somme in 1916, Canada needed more soldiers. But with few volunteers, the only option left to the government was conscription. Conscription would force all eligible men to register and more men would go to war.

Canada's Prime Minister, Robert Borden, was in favour of conscription. But in order to make conscription law, he first had to win the 1917 federal election. Conscription became a key issue in this election.

To get more votes for his party, Borden decided to let soldiers and nurses overseas vote in the election. He knew that anyone fighting overseas would vote for him because they favoured conscription. They were desperate to win the war and come home.

Women who were related to people serving overseas got the right to vote in the 1917 election. These women wanted to meet their relatives again and hoped they would return home soon. This was the first time women got the right to vote in a federal election. Anyone who publicly opposed conscription and recent immigrants from “enemy countries” were barred from voting. In essence, the voting system translated into support for conscription.

Wilfrid Laurier, the leader of the Liberal party, opposed conscription.

Conscription takes effect

Robert Borden’s Conservative party won the 1917 election, and Borden quickly introduced the Military Service Act, calling up all able-bodied men between the ages of 20 and 32. Across the country, conscription notices arrived at homes with the following instructions.

As a class, review the modified passages from Tim Cook’s book titled Warlords: Borden, Mackenzie King and Canada’s World Wars. These passages are in the sections that follow.

As you explore these passages, think about how each passage contributes to your understanding of the significance of the conscription crisis during World War I.

Passage 1: English Canada and the Conscription crisis

Canadian English language newspaper headlines from 1917

What were English-language newspapers saying during the Conscription Crisis of 1917? To find out, read the following review Passage 1.

The Calgary Daily Herald asked, “Are you going to desert the boys at the front in their hour of need? [...] You encouraged them to go; would it be fair or decent or honest to desert them now?”

The Manitoba Free Press reported that the opponents to conscription “will come together in the polling booth to stab their country.”

The London Free Press warned its readers, “Every vote cast for a Laurier candidate is a vote cast for the Kaiser [the German leader].”

Prime Minister Borden had to use strong measures to control the rioting:

Borden declared martial law [a suspension of all individual rights under the law] on April 4, suspended habeas corpus [access to law and due process], and declared that any male of military service age caught rioting would be conscripted into overseas service. This ended the rioting.

Indigenous involvement

Indigenous peoples made significant contributions to the war effort on the homefront during the WWI. Many Indigenous communities and individuals made large donations to war funds. Several communities established their own branches of the Red Cross and patriotic leagues through which they raised money for the war. Indigenous communities also donated food, clothes and other goods to relief organizations. These contributions were considered patriotic and as an alternative means of support, instead of military service, which some Indigenous peoples were opposed to.

Indigenous women also played an active role in the war. The famous example, Edith Monture, a Mohawk individual, was the first Indigenous women to be a registered nurse. There is a park named in her honour in Brandtford, Ontario.

Enemy aliens

Prejudice and racism surrounding different groups of Canadians was a factor during this time. German and Ukrainian Canadians were targeted as ‘enemy aliens’ because they were Canadians with roots and ties to an enemy country. Many Canadians feared that people from enemy countries were spies and they would give away any information Canada was planning to help the allies win the war. To counter this fear, the Canadian government created internment camps. Canadians from targeted backgrounds were forcibly transferred as they might be sympathetic to the enemy during war time. Their belongings were taken away, and they were forced to work for the government for little to no pay. Now, these ‘enemy aliens’ could be monitored, and Canadians were safe.

The preceding image illustrates that these camps were purposely placed in remote areas.

The role of women

World War I changed the lives of Canadian women, but how lasting were the changes? In this section, you’ll investigate the following question: How did WWI fundamentally change the role of women in Canada?

Historical thinking concept: Continuity and change

Continuity and Change is another historical thinking concept related to historical significance. If an event is historically significant, it generally results in change.

To understand history, we have to not only understand what was significant in the past, but also how people and events created change and what continues to stay the same.

Change can bring either progress or decline. Change can be positive or negative and, sometimes, brings progress to one group of people and decline to another.

Continuities are things that remain consistent and stable over time. For example, despite political changes, there might be a continuity of values or of cultural identity.

Following are a few definitions from historians Peter Seixas and Tom Morton.

Change is a process, with varying paces and patterns. Turning points are moments when the process of change shifts in direction or pace.

Continuity means staying the same; an uninterrupted succession or flow.

Analyzing continuity and change

How much lasting change did developments that occurred as a result of the war bring to the lives of women in Canada? What events occurred during WWI that changed the lives of women on the Homefront?

The document “How women got involved (Opens in new window)” describes the events that affected women’s lives in Canada during World War I. After you’ve reviewed each event, consider whether or not it resulted in lasting change.

Summary of learning

You’ve completed the second learning activity of the course! You’ve learned that war doesn’t just impact the battlefield, but also the lives of people who don’t go to fight, or don’t want to fight. Different groups were receiving recognition and adjusting to roles that weren’t available to them before. In the next learning activity, you’ll study how Canada changed when the war ended.