The Conscription Crisis of 1917

• Conscription: military service by men of certain age required by law

  • Prime Minister Robert Borden (on our 100 dollar bill) went to the Western Front and realized how important it was to send more Canadian soldiers there
  • Wanted to ensure that Canada could replace it’s casualties and continue to play a role in the war
• Military Service Act: Drafted single men between the ages of 20-35

  • Many French Canadians, farmers, unionists, pacifists, and religious groups opposed the war
  • French Canadians: they said it was not a French war, it was a European War
  • Farmers: their sons were needed to help harvest the crops to feed the soldiers, they were struggling to bring in crops for the war effort and couldn’t spare their remaining sons or young hired workers

  Unionists: needed workers to operate the machines making the war equipment
• • In return for women supporting conscription, the government granted the vote to two groups in the next election
  • Soldiers who were fighting overseas (Military Voters Act)
  • Mothers and wives of soldiers who were fighting overseas (Wartime Elections Act)
  • Now Canada was divided along the lines of French and English
  • Some women now have the right to vote, now more women wanted the right to vote
• • Pro conscription
  • Canada has a moral and legal duty to do everything it can to help Britain
  • If Britain loses, Canada will suffer
  • If we can’t send troops then the remaining ones will be in greater danger, the ones who have died will have died in vain
• • Anti conscription 
  • Britain chose to fight in the war, let them fight 
  • Enough bloodshed, send the other troops back home if necessary