Presentation Transcript

1. The Canadian Home Front During WWI

   Mobilizing a Nation for War
2. Gearing Up for War When war broke out in 1914, support was generally widespread Canada was flooded with government propaganda posters that glorified the “Great War” Every Canadian felt an obligation to do their part to support the war effort – this included church groups, women’s organizations and charities
3. A Canadian Patriotic Fund was established to collect money for soldiers’ families who struggled to survive on a private’s pay of $1.10 a day. Co-operative stores were also set up so that these families could buy food and fuel at a cheaper price. As the war dragged on, these items became increasingly scarce.
4. Racism in the Canadian Military Even though many Canadians were eager to contribute to the war effort, not all contributors were welcomed Visible minorities, such as Black, Asian, and Aboriginal Canadians faced harsh discrimination and racism Aboriginals were denied admission to the army at the onset of war, where as Black and Asian Canadians were rejected for other reasons These men were often told that this was a “White man’s war” and that their efforts were inadequate However, as the war dragged on and enlistment plummeted, the reluctance to admit non-Whites lessened
5. Aboriginal Canadians were finally allowed to enlist in the army in 1915.
6. Chinese and Japanese Canadians were reluctantly admitted to several battalions by the summer of 1916.
7. Blacks who were admitted into the army were restricted to Black-only, non-combat battalions The No. 2 Construction Battalion was an entirely Black Canadian battalion of volunteers from across Canada by 1916, 575 Black Canadians had joined the No. 2 Construction Battalion When they reached France, their duties consisted of digging trenches, building bridges and defusing land mines Eventually, a few members were transferred to the front-lines Despites all their efforts and experiences in war, these men received little recognition What does this say about racial tolerance in Canada during the first few decades of the twentieth century?
8. Opponents of Canada’s War Efforts Not all Canadians were enthusiastic about going to war Some opposed war because of religious reasons, while others were sympathetic towards Germans, Italians and Austrian-Hungarians Pacifists were Canadians who opposed war on moral grounds – these were social reformers and some farmers Pacifist religious groups included Doukhobors, Mennonites and Hutterites; they were treated with suspicion and hostility Many believed that Pacifists posed a serious threat in Canada and were just as dangerous as their enemies in Europe Religious freedoms and rights of pacifists were restricted during the war – they were no longer allowed to vote
9. As for Canadians of German decent (or ancestry of any “enemy” country), these groups were reluctant to support the war effort because of their cultural and ancestral ties to their homeland This was seen as a betrayal of Canada and the British Empire Many pressured the government to fire immigrants of German and Austrian decent from government jobs, to stop the teaching of the German language in schools and even to ban orchestras from playing German symphonies Some would even go as far as organizing anti-German gatherings in communities that were largely populated by German immigrants
10. Harsher discrimination was displayed towards those immigrants who had not yet gained Canadian citizenship and who was a former citizen of a country that was at war with Canada (i.e. Ukrainians) These immigrants were labeled “Enemy Aliens” Many developed “xenophobia” – the fear of other cultures or people from other countries By April 1915, the federal government passed the War Measures Act and ordered 9,000 people (most of whom were Ukrainian) to be rounded up and placed in internment camps in remote areas Internees were forced to do difficult physical labour and were threatened with death if they tried to escape All of their properties and valuables were seized and never returned
11. Women During the War Years Contributions made by women during the First World War was tremendous Women played a key role in Canada’s industrial achievements By late 1915, around 30,000 women stepped in to take up jobs in machine shops, metal factories, munitions plants, aircraft factories and shipyards across Canada They also worked on streetcars and buses, in the police forces and in civil services, in banks and on farms Also, 2,400 Canadian women served overseas as nurses Transitioning from the home to the work force was not easy; many women faced discrimination, received lower pay than that of men and were subjected to dangerous and unhealthy working conditions in factories Child care was not providedand there was not even separate toilets for female workers The message from employers was clear: once men returned home, women were expected to return to their traditional roles as wives and mothers
12. Despite opposition, women were taking on a stronger role in public They were opening doors in “male-dominated” fields, such as medicine and law and they were working hard on political and social reforms However, women were still denied the right to vote Many Canadian suffragists campaigned hard for women’s right to vote in provincial and federal elections The first major breakthrough was when Manitoba women were granted to right to vote in 1916 in provincial elections, followed by Saskatchewan and Alberta By 1917, women in B.C. and Ontario could also vote and by 1925 women of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and P.E.I. gained their provincial rights to vote Quebec stubbornly resisted until 1940
13. Desperate for votes in a re-election, in 1917 Prime Minister Robert Borden passed the Wartime Elections Act (also known as the Military Voters Act) This gave the vote in federal elections to women serving as nurses with the armed forces,as well as those of British descent who had relatives fighting overseas In 1918, all women over the age of 21 were granted to right to vote in federal elections
14. French-English Conflict and the Conscription Crisis At the onset of war, thousands of men, French and English alike, were eager to volunteer overseas and fight on behalf of Canada However, after discovering the devastation of trench warfare, enlistment drastically declined Many believed that Quebec was not pulling their weight in the war effort, as enlistment was the lowest there (as well as the Maritimes) Quebec lagged in enlistment for several reasons: the majority of men were farmers and were needed at home, they were young, but most importantly French-Canadian men felt as though they were being treated like second-class citizens in the Canadian military They felt this way because their language was not considered – commands, instructions and manuals were in English Why should they fight when their country does not care enough to represent their needs?
15. Yet, for English Canadians, not committing yourself to the war was completely unthinkable and unacceptable They thought that if you were an able-bodied man, you should be forced to go to war PM Borden knew that forced military enlistment would set off resentment in Quebec but more Canadian soldiers were needed overseas In May of 1918, Borden announced his policy of conscription by saying, “All citizens are liable for the defense of their country.” The Military Service Act was passed, which made military service compulsory for all able-bodied men between the ages of 20 and 45 Opposers of this bill included farmers, labour leaders and of course French Canadians Henri Bourassa spoke out opposing conscription and was supported by Laurier Borden formed a new Union government that consisted of Conservatives and Liberals outside of Quebec The 1917 election was the most bitter election campaign in Canadian history The new Union government won, however, Borden was now the leader of a deeply divided nation
16. The Halifax Explosion of 1917 While political unrest stretched across Canada, 1917 was also the year of devastation in Halifax, Nova Scotia During the war, Halifax became the leading Canadian port of the British Royal Navy Vital war supplies, such as munitions, were shipped to Europe and guarded from German submarines by convoys As a major wartime port, Halifax also hosted ships from many countries carrying a wide range of cargoes On December 6, 1917, the Mont Blanc (a cargo steamer from France carrying high explosives) and the Imo (a cargo ship from Norway) collided in Halifax Harbour The explosion destroyed a large part of Halifax and left 2,000 people dead, 9,000 injured and thousands more homeless The Halifax Explosion made the horrors of war real for the first time to Canadians on the home front
17. Paying for War By 1918, the cost of Canada’s involvement in WWI cost $1 million a day The Canadian government needed to find a way to raise money and pay for the war Borden’s government reluctantly introduced two new taxes that were only suppose to be temporary – the business tax (1916) and the personal income tax (1917) Another means of paying for war was by buying government bonds, known as “Victory Bonds” Victory Bonds were sold at a 5% interest rate The Canadian government hoped that by borrowing money from its citizens, it could help pay off the costs of war By 1917, $500 million worth of bonds were sold
18. A Changed Nation The Canadian home front would be forever changed by war: What will be the fate of visual minorities and immigrants? What will women do with their emerging political and social rights? What will become of the tensions between English and French Canadians? How will devastated parts of Canada ever recover? (physically, politically and economically) What has Canada gained from going to war?