Conscription Crisis in Canada1917

Conscription (compulsory military service)

• Britain and New Zealand had both already enacted conscription measures. So too did the United States when they entered the war in April 1917. • However, Borden knew that invoking

conscription was extremely risky. Quebec would vote overwhelmingly against it. So too would many western farmers as they too needed their sons on the farm.

Borden visited Canadian troops fighting on the front lines in France. The appalling conditions, his 'sacred commitment,' and the sheer reality of the numbers

involved, convinced him that conscription was the only viable solution.

On June 11, 1917, Borden introduced his conscription measure to the House of Commons. Within a week, there were anti-conscription riots in Montreal.

Farmers complained that the exemptions given at the start of the war for their sons had now been taken away.

Henri Bourassa emerged as the champion of the French Canadians and the chief opponent of conscription.

He argued that his people had no duty to die as martyrs in a foreign war. To make matters worse, Bourassa argued that the war was an imperialistic struggle that had little, if anything, to do with Canadian security. Young French Canadians were needed on the farms.

Bourassa touched a sensitive nerve when he claimed that Germany did not threaten Canadian liberties.

Voting in the House of Commons went strictly along linguistic lines. Every French Canadian member voted against the bill, while virtually every English Canadian MP voted for it. (The final vote was 102 to 44.)

The Military Service Act (conscription) became law on August 29, 1917. It compelled all able-bodied males between the age of 20 and 34 to serve in the armed forces.

Some exceptions were made for conscientious objectors, those working in essential war industries, or those whose families might suffer if they were drafted.

First Nations & Conscription

• While members of so many communities had willingly enlisted as volunteers, they did not believe that they should be forced into military service.

• When the Military Service Act was originally drafted, government officials did not consider the special case of the Indians. Indian communities reacted swiftly, however, and a flood of letters from Indians and Indian agents demanding that status Indians be exempt from conscription caught Indian Affairs unprepared.

• D.C. Scott initially claimed, which meant that they would be called up for conscription like everyone else in Canada. Many Indian communities considered this a grave injustice, reminding the government of verbal treaty promises that assured them they would never have to take up arms against their will.

• Numerous letters noted that status Indians did not have full rights of citizenship: they could not vote, for example, and were legally treated as ‘wards’ or ‘minors.’ Given this status, how fair would it be to compel them to serve and assume the same responsibilities as enfranchised people?

• In the end, this sustained Aboriginal lobbying of the government proved successful.

Further riots occurred when conscripts refused to answer the call.

White feathers were given to men by women who were not in uniform, and was a sign of shame and cowardice.

The country was badly divided, and this was occurring during war, a time when a premium was placed on unity.

http://www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/dhh-dhp/pub/boo-bro/abo-aut/chapter-chapitre-05-eng.asp

http://canadachannel.ca/HCO/index.php?title=7._The_Home_Front_and_The_Peace&action=edit

Small Group Questions

1. Why was Borden determined to commit Canada to sending a large number of soldiers to war?

2. Why might conscription be supported in Ontario and other parts of Canada?

3. Why did conscription act as a divisive force rather than a unifying one in this time of war?

4. Given their status at the time, how fair would it be to compel First Nations to serve and assume the same responsibilities as the rest of Canadians?

5. Does the conscription crisis indicate something about our national interests in 1917? (hint: it does!)

Individual Reflection

• If you had been eligible for conscription in 1917, how would you have responded? What if you were a First Nations man/woman?

• Should the national interest become the interest of all citizens during a time of crisis?