The War At HomeBCATP

Bomber Command

Role of Women

Arsenal of Democracy

Total War

Conscription-NRMA

Japanese Internment

British Commonwealth Air Training Plan

• British Instructors would train pilots and other flight personnel from all over the Commonwealth in Canada

BCATP

Between 1940 and 1945, Canada would train 137,000 aircrew,

more than England and all the rest of the Commonwealth

combined.

Bomber Command

Lancaster Bomber main 4 engine bomber during the war

• Armament– 8 x 0.303 inch machine guns in nose, dorsal

and tail turrets plus one 22,000 pound bomb or up to 18,000 pounds of smaller bombs

NOSE ART

• Clip from Fog of War

Role of Women

• The Proudest Girl in the World• Like WWI, Women played a huge role in the war effort

during WWII• Because of the policy of Total War, a labour shortage

emerged in the early stages of the war • In response, many single women, and women who’s

husbands had left to fight in Europe mobilized and took men’s places in factories

• They worked as welders, drillers, and machine operators• Many factory workers gained the nickname “Rosie the

Riveter”

Arsenal of Democracy

Beds at a factory so workers could world longer hours making stuff for the war effort.

Wartime Economy• Increased production meant increased employment

meant increased income which meant increased spending…

• However, because many goods were being sent to Britain there was a risk of inflation (too many dollars and too few goods)

• King wanted to avoid inflation and debt that crippled Canada after WWI

• James Ilsley became the minister of finance and promoted Victory Bonds as a way for Canadians to invest and save money, while financing the war effort

Wartime Economy

• Ilsley also increased income taxes (just like WWI created income tax) to increase government revenue

• Prices rose despite Ilsley’s efforts and inflation occurred • The Wartime Prices and Trade Board (created to fight

inflation and social unrest) froze wages and prices to combat inflation

• King also imposed food rationing (Canadians were only allowed a certain number of goods per week)

• USA and Britain had rationing too but Canada’s rations were much more generous

Not Another Bloody Saturday-Avoiding Social Unrest

• Wage freezes made striking difficult for unions• The labour (worker) shortage was a benefit • Howe was strongly opposed to labour unions but steel

workers in BC and Nova Scotia went on strike in 1943 anyways

• This forced the government to ensure that employers recognized unions chosen by employees

• In response to the growth of the CCF, King created the Family Allowance program ($ paid to families with children)

• This started Canada’s “cradle to grave” social security policy

Another Total War

• After declaring war, the Canadian Government became much more involved in planning and controlling the economy

• April 1940, the government establishes the Department of Munitions and Supplies with C.D. Howe as Minister

• Howe has a lot of authority, and shows it by telling industries to produce goods they had never made before.

• Vancouver built ships, and Montreal built planes and bombers (Lancaster)

Total War con’t• Car industries in Ontario (places like Windsor) built

military vehicles and tanks• At times, the private sector could not produce the

necessary goods• In response, Howe created Crown Corporations

which were businesses and corporations owned by the government.

• The government controlled and ran many areas of Canadian society such as running telephone companies, refining fuel, mining uranium, and controlling food production

• Farmers were encouraged to produce more wheat, beef, and dairy products.

Another Conscription Crisis

• STEP 1 - National Resources Mobilization Act (NRMA)– Gave the government special emergency powers

to mobilize all the resources in the nation to defeat the enemy. Including domestic conscription!!

• King, “Conscription if necessary but not necessarily conscription”

• What did he mean?• CBC Radio Clip

Conscription con’t

• A plebiscite (referendum) was held on April 27, 1942 to ask for permission to institute overseas conscription.

• All provinces except Quebec vote “yes”• No conscripts are sent overseas until the

closing months of the war…they were all picked from the NRMA conscript list of domestic conscripts.

• 12,000 NRMA conscripts are sent to Europe

Japanese Internment

• There were ten internment Camps in total; they consisted of: three road camps, two prisoner of war camps (POW), and five self supporting camps scattered throughout Canada during the second World War. Prior to World War II, 22,096 Japanese Canadians lived in British Colombia; three quarters of them were naturalized or native born Canadians.

Japanese Internment

• Gallery Walk

• 8 stations

• One partner goes to 1-4, the other goes to the 5-8.

• Once finished, come together and share what you have learned.

• 5 minute power write.

• Counterpoints pg 126-127

Greenwood, BC