1. Governing Canadians on the Home Front
Lesson 9

2. What are some things the Canadian government would need to do to get ready for war?
What criteria should we use in grading the governments readiness for war?
The speed with which the government reacted
The level of public support
The creativity of the action
The results of the action

3. Challenges faced when Organizing the War Effort
Recruiting and Training an Army
Raising Money
Building Support for the War Effort
Using the handout – Canada Prepares for War Reading p Complete the TLS Worksheet : Report Card
When finished, discuss your reasoning with a partner

4. Is it ever right to force citizens to go to war?
When Britain declared war, Canada had no choice but to go to war too. But the government did have a choice about how much it would help, including how many troops it would send.
At first, Canadians were so enthusiastic about the war that volunteers were turned away
Prime Minister Robert Borden promised that the government would not introduce conscription

5. Definition Conscription Forced enlistment in the armed forces
Why might Prime Minister Borden have promised not to introduce Conscription?

6. Volunteers Decrease
As the war dragged on, more Canadians were injured or killed. This resulted in fewer volunteers
Weapons manufacturers created high-paying jobs
Farmers worried about their farms if they left
French Canadians reluctant to enlist because of a lack of ties to Britain or to France
French speaking soldiers were often placed in English units and all army documents were written in English

7. Introducing Conscription
Because of the lack of volunteers Prime Minister Borden decided that conscription was the only solution
The Military Service Act, was passed in June This introduced conscription
Many people supported this act
Who would be in support of conscription?

8. Introducing Conscription
However, many people were opposed to conscription which resulted in violent protests and riots, especially in Quebec
Henri Bourassa, a politician and newspaper publisher was one of the leaders of the opposition to conscription.
Conscription was the main issue during the federal election of 1917

9. Introducing Conscription
After a close and bitter campaign, Borden won the election and conscription became a reality
In January 1918, more than men received a letter ordering them to report for duty
Many requested to be excused, others ignored the order, and some went into hiding to avoid arrest
In the end, only about conscripted men fought in Europe

10. Show You Know Questions
Imagine you are Robert Borden, the Prime Minister during World War I. Would you have introduced conscription if you had known how things were going to turn out? Explain the reasons for your answer.
Imagine that you are sitting on a panel that is deciding whether to grant conscripts’ applications to be excused from military service. What criteria would they use to decide whether someone should be excused? Explain the reasons for your answer.