THE IMPACT OF WWI ON CANADA

Security of Canada Even though the war was fought in

Europe, Canadians were afraid that Germany might attack Canada.

The Premier of BC even bought 2 submarines to protect our coast from attack.

Disasters like the Halifax explosion were blamed on German agents.

In reality, Germany did not attack Canada directly at all.

Halifax Explosion 1917

Economy Canada’s economy benefitted greatly from

the war! Britain was desperate for resources,

ammunitions and armaments, and Canada was the perfect place to get these. Why? It was safe from German attack.

By 1917, over 250,000 Canadians in over 600 factories were busy building weapons for the war.

The lumber, mining, and farming industries also benefitted.

Unemployment was eliminated!

Government Spending The difficulty of paying for the war

brought changes to the Canadian government:

Spending went from $185 million in 1913 to $573 million in 1917 ($344 million of that was for the war).

Income tax was introduced as a temporary measure to help pay for the war.

The government also decided to borrow money from Canadians by selling “Victory Bonds”.

WWI Propaganda Poster

Position of Women Because 500,000 men had gone to

Europe, it became necessary for many women to work outside the home.

Many women began to run farms and work in munitions factories.

Now that women had a more important role, they began to get involved in issues that interested them:

Suffrage Prohibition

Suffrage and Prohibition

By 1918, nation wide prohibition was introduced.

In 1917, the Wartime Elections Act gave women with relatives in the military the right to vote.

Also in 1917, the Military Voters Act gave women who were serving overseas the right to vote.

By the end of the war, all women had earned the right to vote.

Canadians at War Approximately 450,000 Canadians served in the

armed forces overseas. Of these, approximately 60,000 never returned. Canadians fought very well in the war and won

the admiration of their allies and their enemies. In the beginning of the war, volunteers rushed

to go into the army. By 1917, fewer people were volunteering as

news of what the war was really like was scaring them away.

Conscription Crisis Because of the high casualty rate, Canada

needed about 80,000 new soldiers every year. By 1917, this number was not being met. Result: Prime Minister Borden felt that

conscription was necessary. Problem: The French Canadians in Quebec

were against conscription. They were upset because the Canadian

military had no French speaking units and very few French officers.

They were also upset because French schools in Manitoba were being closed down.

Conscription Crisis Problem: The English Canadians in the

rest of the country felt that the French were betraying Canada.

Result: In late 1917, the Conscription Act was passed.

This was opposed in Quebec, and resulted in a riot in Quebec City that caused 4 deaths.

In the end, 130,000 soldiers were drafted, but only 25,000 reached Europe before the end of the war.