Canadas Response To Wwi

CANADA
IN WWI:
THE
PEOPLES
RESPONSE
The War Measures Act
Women
Quebecois
The Government
Conscientious Objectors
Enemy Aliens
Civilians
The Economy
WHO AND WHAT ARE WE TALKING

ABOUT?
This was an act passed in August of 1914

What were the consequences of the act????
Censorship
Economic control
Elimination of democratic rights and civil liberties
Overriding provincial rights
THE WAR MEASURES ACT
The War measures act is a Canadian statute that

came into effect on August 4th, 1914.
It allowed the federal government emergency
powers to govern by decree under circumstances of
war, invasion or insurrection, real or apprehended
IT gave the government the okay to do everything
necessary for the security, defense, peace, order,
and welfare of Canada (Textbook, page 27)
WHAT IS THE WAR MEASURES ACT?
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

HAD NEVER BEEN GRANTED
THIS MUCH POWER
BEFORE!!!!!
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
Under the act the Cabinet does not have to

submit its proposals to parliament for
approval
Lawmaking process in the legislature can be
avoided
The government can intervene in the
economy of the country
Strip ordinary citizens of their civil rights
Censored mail
Habeus corpus suspended
Limited the freedom of enemy aliens
recent immigrants from the countries that
we were now at war with
TEXTBOOK, PG 27
Consider the following questions in this

think pair share.
1. What is your opinion on The War
Measures Act?
2. What are some possible benefits of
the act?
3. What are some problems that could
arise from such an act?
THINK PAIR SHARE
Intervention in Canadian society

increased dramatically during the war
1916 War Profit tax
1917 Personal income tax
Temporary
1917 Nationalization of half of the
railroads
1918 Increased civil service to
40,000
THE GOVERNMENT DURING WWI
Financing the war was expensive

despite high production levels
The cost of the war was 1.3 billion by
March of 1919
Public debt in 1911: 350 million dollars
vs. Public debt in 1918: 1,175 million
dollars.
ECONOMICS OF THE WAR
How did Canada finance the cost

of the war?
1. Victory bonds
2. Income tax
FINANCING THE COST OF WAR
In attempts to appeal to patriotism

Victory bonds were encouraged
Could be cashed in with interest after the
war
VICTORY BONDS
This was supposed to be temporary

Well off families and individuals: 3% of
their income
4% on business profits
INCOME TAX
The money from income tax and victory bond

initiaitves was not enough
Canada had to borrow money to fund the cost of the
war
From other countries (USA)
NOT ENOUGH
During WWI 500,000 people

that lived in Canada were from
the German, Austro-Hungarian
or Ottoman empires
8579 people into 26 camps
performing tasks such as
building roads and clearing the
land WORK CAMPS
They were paid 25 cents per
day
A Dark Chapter in Canadian Hist
ory
INTERNMENT OF ENEMY ALIENS
PROPAGANDA
During WWI Canadians were bombarded with war propaganda

Used to get people to support the war effort
Films, radio, politics, posters, speeches
Persuaded young men to volunteer (80% of Canadians were
volunteers during WWI)
BUT: it often distorts truth
Lies about battles on the Western front
Lies about enemy casualties and allies successes
Why do you think

Propoganda was
Successful?
When: 1917
Where: Halifax, Nova Scotia
What: A huge explosion occurred when a French
ship (Mont-Blanc) loaded with explosives collided
with a Norweigian the Imo in the harbour.
Why: The collision was an accident
The Numbers: Between 2000-3000 killed, 10,000
injured
This was the largest man-made explosion (Before
the Atomic bomb)
Germans were inaccurately blamed for this
Peggy Gregoire Remembers the Explosion
HALIFAX EXPLOSION
THE HALIFAX EXPLOSION
Referred to as a Khaki Election

A Khaki Election is any election that is
influenced a great deal by war, wartime, or
postwar sentiment
In 1917 the Military Voters Act was passed
and the vote was granted to all servicemen and
women in the Canadian Expeditionary force.
Many of these people could now cast their vote
in any riding in Canada
In 1917 the Wartime Elections Act was also
passed
This meant that the vote was granted to: wives,
sisters, mothers, and daughters of soldiers
The Union Government won the election
THE ELECTION OF 1917
Were these two acts:

The Military Voters act and the Wartimes
Election Act
Democratic? Why or why not?
Did they interfere with the democratic
process?
THINK PAIR SHARE ROUND 2
Mennonites and those from similar churches

were exempt from service
Many were imprisoned
Mennonite and Hutterite immigrants were
barred
Canadian conscientious objectors were
given the option of non-combatant service
medical or dental corps or working in parks
under supervision
Most chose to work in parks under
supervision and were placed in Alternative
Service Camps
CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS
Conscription divided Canadians

Farmer, Quebecois, British loyalists,
families of soldiers
In January of 1918 conscription was
imposed.
400, 000 affected
100, 000 drafted
24, 000 soldiers were sent to France
CONSCRIPTION
1917: desperate need of soldiers

Attempts to recruit and replace
soldiers failed conscription was
implemented
English Canadians were less opposed
to conscription because of loyalty
and ties to Britain.
French Canadians felt no connection
to Britain and opposed conscription
= Military Voters Act Voters
overseas could vote for conscription
CONSCRIPTION CRISIS
Anti-Conscription Parade
The French Canadians did not feel

that they needed to serve the British
in WWI
Conscription was the most hated in
Quebec
Henri Bourassa and Wilfred
Laurier were the leaders of the
campaign against conscription
They felt that the war was putting
Canadians against each other
The tension between French and
English Canadians that developed
here would last for many years
THE QUEBECOIS IN WWI
WWI affected the role of women and their

position in Canadian society
They
1. played an essential role in war
production
2. They volunteered their time to support
troops
3. Served in the Royal Air Force
4. Were nurses
5. Victory gardens, Victory bonds, and
rationing programs
6. Kitchen Brigade
WOMEN IN WWI
Before WWI some women had local and provincial

voting rights that were generally dependent upon
them owning property
By 1900, Nellie McClung and The Famous Five

had successfully fought for womens suffrage in
Manitoba provincial elections
In 1917, the Wartime Elections Act gave the

vote to British Women who were war widows, or
had sons husbands or brothers serving overseas
In 1918, Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden

introduced a bill to extend the franchise to women
did not apply to Quebec
Quebec women did not gain full suffrage until 1940
Who was the first woman elected to Parliament?

Where? When?
Agnes Macphail, Ontario, 1921
Photo: Canadian Nurses at

A hospital in France are
among the first to
vote.
WOMENS SUFFRAGE DURING WWI
IMAGINE
1.
2.
3.
4.
Imagine you are on of the following during WWI:

A woman
Quebecois
An Enemy Alien
A man under conscription
Now I want you to write freely for 10 minutes about what it
might be like to be the person you have chosen.
THE END

Canadas Response To Wwi

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CANADA

The War Measures Act

WHO AND WHAT ARE WE TALKING

This was an act passed in August of 1914

THE WAR MEASURES ACT

The War measures act is a Canadian statute that

WHAT IS THE WAR MEASURES ACT?

THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

Under the act the Cabinet does not have to

Consider the following questions in this

THINK PAIR SHARE

Intervention in Canadian society

THE GOVERNMENT DURING WWI

Financing the war was expensive

ECONOMICS OF THE WAR

How did Canada finance the cost

FINANCING THE COST OF WAR

In attempts to appeal to patriotism

This was supposed to be temporary

The money from income tax and victory bond

During WWI 500,000 people

INTERNMENT OF ENEMY ALIENS

During WWI Canadians were bombarded with war propaganda

Why do you think

THE HALIFAX EXPLOSION

Referred to as a Khaki Election

THE ELECTION OF 1917

Were these two acts:

THINK PAIR SHARE ROUND 2

Mennonites and those from similar churches

Conscription divided Canadians

1917: desperate need of soldiers

The French Canadians did not feel

THE QUEBECOIS IN WWI

WWI affected the role of women and their

Before WWI some women had local and provincial

By 1900, Nellie McClung and The Famous Five

In 1917, the Wartime Elections Act gave the

In 1918, Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden

Quebec women did not gain full suffrage until 1940

Who was the first woman elected to Parliament?

Agnes Macphail, Ontario, 1921

Photo: Canadian Nurses at

WOMENS SUFFRAGE DURING WWI

Imagine you are on of the following during WWI:

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