The Home Front

•King had come to power opposing conscription in WWI

•Held a plebiscite asking Canadiansto decide on conscription

•English Canada voted YES, Quebec voted NO

•"Conscription if necessary, but not necessarily conscription” -King

•It was implemented at the end of the war, but no conscripts saw action in Europe - for home defense only.

Conscription

Conscientious Objectors and Pacifists Were against war on spiritual and moral basis and 10,700 Canadians fell into this category during WWII• Included Mennonites, Dukhobors & Quakers who

had come to Canada to escape conflict• Supported non-violent ways to bring change and

end conflict• Contribute to the war effort by :

• Buying Victory bonds• Farming or forestry• Serving in medical and dental corps

White feathers were a symbol of cowardice and given to men who chose not to serve by women in their community.

•Rationing (ration books)•Very high employment – not enough workers

•Many women filled men's jobs - state funded daycare

Economic and Social Conditions

•Wage and price controls•Federal spending very high•Income taxes increased•Victory bonds

• Played a major role in army - 45 000 in active duty (non-combatants)• Served as drivers, cooks, clerks, messengers, laundresses, ferrying aircraft• Paid only 2/3 wage• Not welcomed in the military

- discrimination from permanent officers• 46 died• Weapons manufacturing

Women in WWII

Camp XCamp X was a paramilitary and commando training center located between Whitby and Oshawa, Ontario where Allied spies trained

•Spies helped organize the resistance movements in Europe•Helped sabotage Nazi supply lines and

railways•Fed Germans false information

in preparation for D-Day

Official and unofficial racism against “enemy aliens" - German and Italian Canadians•Japanese internment camps•March 1942 all Japanese were moved to the interior •Property confiscated•Families separated•Men paid 25 cents a day

Racism at Home

•Given nothing back after the war•More than 6000

were sent to Japan•Government issued official

apology in 1988 and gave

each internee still living $21 000.

S.S. St. Louis June 1939The ship was carrying nearly 1000 Jewish Refugeesseeking asylum from persecution in Nazi Germany• Turned away from Cuba• Turned away from the US

A group of academics and clergy tried to persuadethe Canadian government to accept them but failed

The Captain managed to gain acceptance for some of the refugees in the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands

The refugees were eventually captured. Less than half of theformer S.S. St. Louis passengerssurvived the war