Canada and World War 1
The war to end all wars began August 4, 1914 when the British Empire,
including Canada, declared war on Germany. By the end of 1916, over 400,
000 Canadians had voluntarily enlisted to fight in Europe.
Their most important victory came with the capture of Vimy
Ridge in 1917.The Vimy Ridge battle is regarded by many as a turning
point for all Canadians - a move away from the long, historic domination
of the British Empire toward self-determination.
The Sadness of the Somme-Mary Riter Hamilton Canadians were also involved in major battles at Somme, where more than 24,000 Canadians lost their lives in the summer and fall of 1916, Passchendaele and Ypres where one of history's most memorable poems was composed by Major John McCrae, a surgeon with the Canadian forces. There are 61,000 Canadians in the war cemeteries in Europe - a reminder of Canada's contribution to the war. |
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The Conscription Crisis 1917 Trench warfare caused a very large number of casualities on the battlefields of Europe which led to demands for conscription (compulsory military service) to ensure a steady flow of men into the armed forces. Englsh Canadians accepted the view that if Britain was at war Canada was at war and therefore supported the notion of conscription. French Canadian nationalists such as Henri Bourassa opposed the war and conscription. Despite French Canadian opposition to conscription, the Conservative government of Robert Borden passed the Military Services Act making military service compulsory for all able-bodied male British subjects between the ages of twenty and forty-five on August 28, 1917. Violence, anti-draft meetings and riots took place in Quebec. The conscription issue had left a feeling of hostility between French and English Canadians for many years. |
