What was reaction of canadians to the beginning of the war

On August 28, conscription became law and was followed by two days of violence in Montreal. Store windows were smashed and tramway rails ripped up. One hundred and fifty policemen were called in to disperse the crowd, and four were wounded, along with two demonstrators. The following evening, a demonstrator was killed in Philips Square. On Easter weekend , a 23 year-old man named Joseph Mercier was arrested at a Quebec City bowling alley, for not having his conscription registration papers on him.

The incident sparked retaliation: a crowd looted the offices of the army registrar, pitched files out in the snow and smashed the windows of English shops. On rue Bagot, they tried to drive the demonstrators back but met with a hail of rocks. Suddenly, I could make out the fire of several heavy machine guns. It was deafening and gave the impression that a massacre was taking place at the foot of the cliff. In all, four unarmed civilians were killed and dozens injured. English and French Canada hadn't been so divided since Louis Riel was hanged in A few months later - November 11, - the war ended but the fallout of the conscription issue would continue long after.

For many years the Conservative Party, which had brought in conscription, found it hard to get votes in Quebec. The conscription crisis stuck in the minds of French Canadians in the decades to come. The memories fueled the flames of growing French nationalist passions and created a permanent wedge in Canada's linguistic divide.

Avoiding the War Canada struggles to enlist more soldiers as causalities mount during the First World War read more The Halifax Explosion The largest explosion the world has ever known destroys much of the city read more Profits for Lives Canadian wartime manufacturers sacrifice lives for profits during the First World War read more A final attempt to raise a French Canadian battalion — the 14th for Quebec and the th overall for Canada — utterly failed in Until , Borden had no more news of the war or Allied strategy than he read in newspapers.

He was concerned about British war leadership but he devoted to improving Canadian military administration and munitions production. In December , David Lloyd George became head of a new British coalition government pledged wholeheartedly to winning the war. Faced by suspicious officials and a failing war effort, Lloyd George summoned leaders of the Dominions to London. They would see for themselves that the Allies needed more men. On 2 March, when Borden and his fellow premiers met, Russia was collapsing, the French army was close to mutiny, and German submarines had almost cut off supplies to Britain.

Borden was a leader in establishing a voice for the Dominions in policy making and in gaining a more independent status for them in the postwar world. Visits to Canadian camps and hospitals also persuaded him that the CEF needed more men.

The triumph of Vimy Ridge during his visit gave all Canadians pride but it cost 10, casualties, 3, of them fatal. Borden returned to Canada committed to conscription. On 18 May he told Canadians of his government's new policy.

The promise of an all-volunteer contingent had been superseded by events. French Canada's opposition was almost unanimous under Henri Bourassa , who argued that Canada had done enough, that Canada's interests were not served by the European conflict, and that men were more needed to grow food and make munitions. Borden felt such arguments were cold and materialistic. Canada owed its support to its young soldiers. The Allied struggle against Prussian militarism was a crusade for freedom.

There was no bridging the rival points of view. To win conscription, Borden offered Sir Wilfrid Laurier a coalition. The Liberal leader refused, sure that his party could now defeat the Conservatives. Laurier misjudged his support. Many English-speaking Liberals agreed that the war was a crusade. A mood of reform and sacrifice had led many provinces to grant votes to women and to prohibit the sale or use of liquor see Temperance Movement in Canada. Although they disliked the Conservatives , many reform Liberals like Ontario's Newton Rowell believed that Borden was in earnest about the war and Laurier was not.

Borden also gave himself two political weapons: on 20 September Parliament gave the franchise to all soldiers, including those overseas; it also gave votes to soldiers' wives, mothers and sisters, as well as to women serving in the armed forces , and took it away from Canadians of enemy origin who had become citizens since see Wartime Elections Act.

This added many votes for conscription and removed certain Liberal voters from the lists. On 6 October, Parliament was dissolved. Five days later, Borden announced a coalition Union government pledged to conscription, an end to political patronage, and full Women's Suffrage. Borden and his ministers had to promise many exemptions to make conscription acceptable. On 17 December, Unionists won seats to Laurier's 82, but without the soldiers' vote, only , votes separated the parties see Election of Conscription was not applied until 1 January The Military Service Act had so many opportunities for exemption and appeal, that of more than , called, , appealed.

The manpower problem continued. In March , disaster fell upon the Allies. German armies, moved from the Eastern to the Western Front after Russia's collapse in , smashed through British lines. The Fifth British Army was destroyed. Borden's new government cancelled all exemptions. Many who had voted Unionist in the belief that their sons would be exempted felt betrayed.

The war had entered a bitter final phase. On 6 December the Halifax Explosion killed over 1,, and it was followed by the worst snowstorm in years. Across Canada, the heavy borrowing of Sir Thomas White federal minister of finance finally led to runaway inflation.

Workers joined unions and struck for higher wages. Food and fuel controllers now preached conservation, sought increased production and sent agents to prosecute hoarders. An "anti-loafing" law threatened jail for any man not gainfully employed. Federal police forces were ordered to hunt for sedition. Socialist parties and radical unions were banned. So were newspapers published in the "enemy" languages. Canadians learned to live with unprecedented government controls and involvement in their daily lives.

Food and fuel shortages led to "Meatless Fridays" and "Fuelless Sundays. In other warring countries, exhaustion and despair went far deeper. Defeat now faced the western Allies, but the Canadian Corps escaped the succession of German offensives. Sir Arthur Currie insisted that it be kept together.

A 5th Canadian division, held in England since , was finally broken up to provide reinforcements. The United States entered the war in the spring of , sending reinforcements and supplies that would eventually turn the tide against Germany.

Shock tactics — using airplanes, tanks, and infantry — shattered the German line. In September and early October the Canadians attacked again and again, suffering heavy casualties but making advances thought unimaginable s ee Battle of Cambrai. The Germans fought with skill and courage all the way to Mons , the little Belgian town where fighting ended for the Canadians at 11 a.

Greenwich time , 11 November More officially, the war ended with the Treaty of Versailles , signed 28 June Canada alone lost 61, war dead. Many more returned from the conflict mutilated in mind or body. The survivors found that almost every facet of Canadian life, from the length of skirts to the value of money, had been transformed by the war years.

Governments had assumed responsibilities they would never abandon. The income tax would survive the war. Overseas, Canada's soldiers had struggled to achieve, and had won, a considerable degree of autonomy from British control. Canada's direct reward for her sacrifices was a modest presence at the Paris Peace Conference at Versailles see Treaty of Versailles and a seat in the new League of Nations. However, the deep national divisions between French and English created by the war, and especially by the conscription crisis of , made postwar Canada fearful of international responsibilities.

Canadians had done great things in the war but they had not done them together. Eloi Passchendaele Timothy C. Front Lines - The Trenches Watch a short documentary about life in the trenches based on letters written by Canadian troops on the front lines in the First World War. From the National Film Board of Canada. Macleans J. Blood and the Ballot: Democracy on Hold A brief documentary about the divisive and bitter federal election of that centred on the conscription issue. From CPAC.

Note: a very large document. Valour Road Watch the Heritage Minute about Canadian troops and pilots who served with great bravery and distinction on the front lines of the First World War.

With France under occupation and the Americans maintaining neutrality, Canada was now Britains leading ally. One crisis has not passed before another has arisen in its place. Peril has been heaped upon peril. Who will say on what new horizon destruction may not loom tomorrow? Only a few months earlier, King had tried to limit Canadas commitment. But now the country geared up for a full war effort. In June , King ordered a national registration for home defense but maintained his position about no overseas conscription.

But by the end of , two hundred thousand Canadians had volunteered to fight in Europe. The Prime Minister commanded factories to begin twenty-four hour a day, seven-day a week production of war supplies.

Rise of the Fascists Canada Goes to War. But questions remained. What role would the Canada play and what price was it willing to pay?