Why does Canada have conscription?
The federal government enacted conscription in both the First World War and the Second World War, creating sharp divisions between English-speaking Canadians, who tended to support the practice, and French-speaking Canadians, who generally did not. Canada does not currently have mandatory military service.
Did Canada have conscription in the South African War?
During the South African War (1899–1902), several thousand Canadians volunteered to fight for the British Empire overseas. Conscription for Canada’s limited war effort in South Africa had therefore not been necessary.
What are the best books on Canadian conscription?
Granatstein, J.L. Conscription in the Second World War, 1939–1945: A Study in Political Management. Toronto: The Ryerson Press, 1969. ISBN 0-7700-0249-8 Granatstein, J.L. and J.M. Hitsman. Broken Promises: A History of Conscription in Canada.
Can Canadian conscripts be deployed overseas?
The act also allowed for conscription for the defence of Canada, but did not allow conscripts to be deployed for overseas service.
When did conscription start in Canada?
29 August 1917The Military Service Act became law on 29 August 1917. It was a politically explosive and controversial law that bitterly divided the country along French-English lines. It made all male citizens aged 20 to 45 subject to conscription for military service, through the end of the First World War.
Did Canada have conscription in ww2?
The Conscription Crisis of 1944 was a political and military crisis following the introduction of forced military service for men in Canada during World War II. It was similar to the Conscription Crisis of 1917, but not as politically damaging.
When did conscription end in Canada?
English Canadians supported the war effort as they felt stronger ties to the British Empire. On January 1, 1918, the Unionist government began to enforce the Military Service Act....Conscription Crisis of 1917GoalsRepeal the Military Service Act End conscription in CanadaMethodsMass protests, riots9 more rows
Were Canadians forced to enlist?
For the first two years of war, Canada relied on a voluntary system of military recruitment. It adopted a policy of conscription, or compulsory service, only after a long, difficult political debate in 1917.
How did Canada recruit soldiers in ww2?
In 1940, Canada adopted conscription for home service with the National Resources Mobilization Act, which allowed the government to put men and women into jobs considered essential for the war.
How did conscription work in Canada?
Conscription Prevails The required legislation, the Military Service Act, worked its way through Parliament during the summer to be passed in late August. It made all male citizens between the ages of 20 and 45 subject to military service, if called, for the duration of the war.
What countries still have conscription?
Most conscripting countries conscript only men, but Norway, Sweden, Israel, Eritrea, Morocco and North Korea conscript both men and women. Voluntary national service may require only three months of basic military training. The US equivalent is Selective Service.
Can you refuse conscription?
A conscientious objector (often shortened to conchie) is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, or religion.
Why did Canadians volunteer to fight in the Vietnam War?
The Vietnam War had considerable effects on Canada, but Canada and Canadians also affected the war. The Canadian government did not officially participate in the war. However, it contributed to peacekeeping forces in 1973 to help enforce the Paris Peace Accords. Privately, some Canadians contributed to the war effort.
What is the difference between conscription and enlistment?
As a verb, conscript means "force to join," like a military that conscripts new soldiers. In contrast, those who choose to join are recruited; when they enter the service, they enlist.
Who is exempt from conscription Canada?
Anyone who has voted in a Dominion election after October 7, 1917 is ineligible and incompetent to obtain an exemption on conscientious grounds. Class 1 and Class 2 shall include all those have attained the age of nineteen years, but were born on or since October 13, 1897, and are resident in Canada.
Why did Canada change its conscription policy?
As France fell and Canadian troops needed reinforcements, Canada changed their conscription policy, only allowing home defense for conscription; the public did not have an adverse reaction because they saw it as a necessary step as the war progressed.
Why did King of France want to avoid conscription?
King, first of all, wanted to avoid conscription because it would be met with firm resistance, and nearly every political member was against conscription. When France fell, King had to rethink how he would approach conscription, so he modified the policy to be home defense conscription only.
What was the Prime Minister's approach to conscription?
Prime Minister King’s approach to conscription was adapted in many ways. In WWI, the Borden government introduced conscription and did damage control later on, figuratively and literally. However, in WWII politicians, slowly implemented conscription and made sure that the public had a favorable view of conscription.
Why did people start speaking out in favor of conscription?
People started to speak out in favor of conscription because they saw how damaging this war was so far. These circumstances were perfect because King, making sure that he gets public approval, held a vote on whether to allow overseas conscription, and the Bill came with positive reception, and Bill 80 was passed.
What did the French Parliament disagree with?
On the political side, the French Parliament members disagreed with conscription, but the English Parliament members did; knowing this, the Conservative party feared that the Liberal Party would join with other opposing parties to sway the upcoming election in the Liberal’s favor.
When did the military draft men?
On May 18 th, 1917, Prime Minister Borden announced that he would implement conscription as he deemed it necessary. On August 29 th, 1917, the Military Service Act passed, which would draft male citizens aged 20 to 45 into the war.
Who was the Prime Minister of Canada during the First World War?
Sir Robert Borden addresses the troops. (EM-0591C/Canadian War Museum) During the First World War, Robert Borden saw that Canada’s army recruitment could not keep up with the supply and demand that the war needed. On May 18 th, 1917, Prime Minister Borden announced that he would implement conscription as he deemed it necessary.
Who demanded conscription in the war?
Mitchell Hepburn, the Premier of Ontario and John B. McNair, the Premier of New Brunswick both demanded overseas conscription in speeches attacking King. A Gallup poll in November 1941 showed 61% of Canadians satisfied with the war effort, but 60% also wanted conscription for overseas service.
Who was the Canadian Prime Minister during the 1917 Conscription Crisis?
Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King had been haunted by the way the Conscription Crisis of 1917 had fractured the Liberal Party between its English-Canadian and French-Canadian members. King, who experienced the split first-hand, was determined to avoid another such split.
What was the only battle Canada had fought to date?
Bennett sarcastically noted that this was the fourth Christmas in a row that the Canadian Army was sitting in Britain doing nothing, and that the only battles on land that Canada had fought to date were Hong Kong and Dieppe , both of which were defeats. In March 1943, during the Operation Spartan war game, General Andrew McNaughton, commanding the First Canadian Army, had been badly defeated, and was judged unfit to command an army in the field with the war game's umpires criticizing McNaughton for leaving his HQ to supervise the building of a bridge while his supply lines were caught up in a huge traffic jam. After Operation Spartan, the British had been strongly pressuring the Canadians to remove McNaughton before he led the First Canadian Army into a real defeat in a battle. King had tried to keep the Canadian Army out of action to avoid casualties that might require a difficult decision on overseas conscription, but in the spring of 1943 with the Allies clearly winning the war, he was seized with the fear that the war might end with Canada winning no battles on land, something that was certain to hurt the Liberals in post-war elections. Accordingly, King demanded that the 1st Canadian Infantry Division, which had been sent to Britain in 1939, be included in Operation Husky, the Allied invasion of Sicily. General McNaughton was not keen on having a division being taken from his command but was promised that 1st Division would return to Britain after Sicily was taken. A brigade from one of the three "home defence" divisions in Canada was sent to the Aleutian Islands Campaign in 1943 (the islands were technically North American soil and thus deployment there was not considered "overseas"). By this time, there were 34,000 soldiers, mostly Zombies, guarding the coast of British Columbia against a possible Japanese invasion, and to dispel criticism that such a huge force could be more profitably deployed to Europe, King wanted the Zombies to see action. These divisions in British Columbia were made up largely of conscripts, other than officers and NCOs, and desertions before embarkation were noted. Canadian conscripts deployed in the Aleutian Islands Campaign were pointedly issued American helmets. When the 13th Brigade landed on Kiska on 15 August 1943, they discovered that the Japanese had already left, and the island was empty. The major battle that the men of the 13th Brigade had to fight during their six-month stay on Kiska was with the taxmen over the question of whether they were overseas or not, as the former meant exemption from paying taxes on the grounds that they were west of the International Date Line, which they used to argue that they were in fact in Asia, making them overseas. The Revenue department won.
What was the Conscription Crisis of 1944?
Conscription Crisis of 1944. The Conscription Crisis of 1944 was a political and military crisis following the introduction of forced military service for men in Canada during World War II. It was similar to the Conscription Crisis of 1917, but was not as politically damaging.
How many home defence draftees were sent to Europe in 1944?
It was on 22 November 1944, that the Liberal government decided to send to Europe a single contingent of 16,000 home defence draftees trained as infantry men. Further contributing to King's difficulties was the return of Duplessis to power in the Quebec election of 8 August 1944.
Why did MacDonald favor conscription?
MacDonald tended to favor bringing conscription if that was necessary to win the war, but if the former Premier of Nova Scotia was widely viewed as a possible future Prime Minister, and MacDonald wanted to avoid another 1917 style split in the Liberal Party , making him ambivalent about where he stood.
When did General McNaughton go to the bar of the House of Commons?
Many of the Zombies deserted rather than fight in the war. As General McNaughton was never elected to the House of Commons, on 23 November 1944 , McNaughton had to go to the bar of the House of Commons to announce 16,000 Zombies were to go overseas if the House gave its approval.
Why did Borden have to use conscription?
Borden had implemented conscription because he believed the war had to be won and that Canada must play its full part. To achieve these ends, he almost broke the nation. The conscripts, however reluctant they may have been to serve, nonetheless played a critical role in winning the war.
What was Canada's most divisive issue during the Great War?
Conscription was Canada’s most divisive issue during the Great War. Recruitment of volunteers went well into 1916, but there were some disturbing patterns. British-born Canadians enlisted in huge numbers, but English-speaking, Canadian-born enlistment was relatively low.
What act allowed soldiers to vote in their home constituency?
The Military Voters Act let soldiers vote in their home constituency or, if they did not know its name, for the government or the Opposition. Votes could be allocated where the government most needed them. The Wartime Elections Act (WTEA) was similarly slanted.
How Does Conscription Work?
Union Government
- Borden was concerned that opponents of conscription, including the Liberal Party, would join forces to defeat the Conservative government in the general election that December. Borden decided that the best way to bring conscription about — while placating Quebec, where support for it was weak — was to bring his francophone opponent into a wartime coalition. On 25 May, h…
Wartime Elections Act
- The controversial Wartime Elections Act became law on 20 September 1917. It extended the right to vote in federal elections to nursing sisters (women serving in the Canadian Army Medical Corps) and to close female relatives of military men. Canadian women had previously been denied the right to vote in federal elections. (See Women’s Suffrage in Canada.) By extending the vote, t…
Election of 1917
- The federal election of 1917 was divided. Neither French- nor English-speaking Canadians were unanimous in their views on the subject; but English Canada, broadly speaking, gave Borden his mandate to put conscription into effect. The Union Governmentwon a majority with 153 seats, including only three from Quebec. Laurier’s Liberals won 82 seats, 62 from Quebec. As a politica…
1918 Anti-Conscription Riots
- Anti-conscription riots broke out in Quebec. In 1918, the government used the War Measures Act to quell the anti-conscription Easter Riots in Quebec Citybetween 28 March and 1 April 1918. Martial law was declared, and more than 6,000 soldiers were deployed. Rioters attacked the troops with gunfire and with improvised missiles, including ice and bricks. The Easter Riots gre…
How Many Men Were Conscripted in The First World War?
- The process of call-ups began in January 1918. Certain exemptions from call-up were also lifted in the spring of 1918. Of the 401,882 men who registered for military service, 124,588 men were drafted to the Canadian Expeditionary Force. Of those, 99,651 were taken on strength, while the rest were found unfit for service or discharged. In total, 47,509 conscripted men were sent overs…
Conscription in The Second World War
- Two decades later, as the threat of a new war in Europe became serious, the question of military conscription again caused lively political debate. However, in March 1939, both the Liberal Party and Conservative Partyaccepted a program rejecting conscription for possible overseas service. When Canada declared war in September 1939, the government renewed its pledge not to consc…
Overview
There is at present no conscription in Canada. Conscription was implemented in Canada during the First and Second World Wars for men of military age and fitness.
The Plebiscite of 1942
Background
The Zombies
The Conscription Crisis of 1944 was a political and military crisis following the introduction of forced military service for men in Canada during World War II. It was similar to the Conscription Crisis of 1917, but not as politically damaging.
The Aleutians and Italian campaigns
By 1941, there were enough Canadian volunteers to form five overseas divisions. The Conservatives were pressuring King to advise the Governor General to introduce overseas conscription. The loss of the two battalions in Hong Kong had shocked the Canadian public, which demanded that Canada do more to win the war. Arthur Meighen's attacks on King started to resonate, and in January 1…
Introduction of conscription
Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King had been haunted by the way the Conscription Crisis of 1917 had fractured the Liberal Party between its English-Canadian and French-Canadian members. King, who experienced the split first-hand, was determined to avoid another such split. In 1922, during the Chanak Crisis, when the United Kingdom almost went to war with Turkey, King had first asserted that Canada would not automatically go to war as part of the Briti…
Postscript to the crisis
In June 1940, the government adopted conscription for home service in The National Resources Mobilization Act (NRMA), which allowed the government to register men and women and move them into jobs considered necessary for wartime production. The act also allowed for conscription for the defence of Canada, but did not allow conscripts to be deployed for overseas service. French-Canadian nationalist mayor of Montreal Camillien Houde gave a speech urging al…
See also
In his Christmas broadcast in 1942, former Conservative Prime Minister R.B. Bennett sarcastically noted that this was the fourth Christmas in a row that the Canadian Army was sitting in Britain doing nothing, and that the only land battles that Canada had fought to date were Hong Kong and Dieppe, both of which were defeats. During the Operation Spartan wargame in March 1943, General Andrew McNaughton, commanding the First Canadian Army, had been badly defeated a…