a European conflict of such magnitude and horror that it was to become known as “the war to end all
wars”.
Other than the virtue of publicly honoring its membership in the British Empire, Canada had no
reason to enter, and nothing to gain from its involvement in this European war. The United States kept
out of the conflict until the year before the war ended, and it entered only because of the direct threat of
Germany’s appeal to Mexico to declare war on the US. There was no threat to North America from
the European conflict.
But, being a British colony, Canada was forced to take part in the war. Of the 425,000 military
personnel sent to Europe by Canada, 60,000 died in the trenches and battlefields, and 178,000 were
seriously wounded. One must consider the impact of 60,000 dead from a total Canadian population of
only eight million. A significant proportion of Canada’s young men were slaughtered on the battlefields
of Europe – maybe up to ten percent of that generation by some estimates.
In terms of heroism and glory the Canadians achieved a great deal. At the Battle of Vimy Ridge,
the German forces repulsed both British and French offensives, but the Canadians were successful, and
also captured more prisoners than in any attack by the British. However, the Canadian death toll was
almost 3,600 and the wounded was just over 7,000 – for the capture of one hill in Europe. At
Passchendaele and Ypres, the Canadian forces acquitted themselves heroically, but at Passchendaele
16,000 Canadians were killed, and at Ypres 6,000 Canadians died.
It is probable that, despite the Canadian achievements, such as at Vimy Ridge, the course of the
war was unaffected by the presence of the Canadian troops. Despite the nearly half million troops
supplied by Canada, this number pales compared with the twelve million Russians, the eight million
French, the five million Italians and the almost nine million from the total British Empire most of whom
would be from Britain. While the Canadian involvement on the war front was detrimental to Canada and
not a major contribution to the Allied war effort, the impact of the war on the “home front” was also
having a negative effect.
In August 1914, the passing of the War Measures Act granted the Canadian government
unrestricted power during the war – a power which was abused. During World War I, many innocent
children, women, and men were classed as “enemy aliens” and interned. No evidence of hostility
towards Canada was needed: the absence of Canadian citizenship was sufficient. By the end of the war,
9,000 had been interned and had their property confiscated, while 88,000 had to register and carry
identity papers at all times and report to the police every month. Many of the internees were Ukrainian
even though Ukraine was not involved in the war. Even American visitors with Austrian passports were
interned. Conditions in the internment camps were often primitive and the treatment of the internees
brutal but this information was censored by the government and kept from the public. Instead, the
Canadian government promoted the propaganda issued by the British government resulting in hostility
towards “foreigners” that lasted after the war. Internees were forced to live in these camps until 1920
though the war ended in 1918. The war had changed Canadian liberal democracy into a xenophobic
dictatorship.
The long standing differences between the French speaking and the English speaking Canada
was exacerbated by the introduction of conscription through a “rigged” election. Prime Minister Robert
Borden created the Military Voters Act which gave the vote to Canadian soldiers regardless of how
long they had lived in Canada, took away the vote from pacifists, and gave the vote only to women who
were related to soldiers. Obviously this ridiculous act was to ensure his success and the success of
conscription. The Francophones were outraged by such cheating. They objected to conscription
because they considered the war to be a largely a British affair. They also objected to being forced to
serve under a British command. Riots ensued in Quebec in 1918 after conscription had become law
with the passing of the Military Service Act by the Conservative Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden,
leaving four Francophones dead. This single event raised the level of suspicion and mistrust by the
Francophones towards the Anglophones to a new level and this continued in Canada until 1985. For
many decades, French Canadians regarded the Conservatives as a party for Anglophones. Canada lost
the trust of one of its largest culture groups, the French.
It is clear that what several kilometers Canada gained the Allies, she had no reason to lose her
men or anything to gain to warrant the division of the nation that conscription caused. Nor were the
several kilometers enough to justify the brutal and unjustifiable treatment of foreign immigrants to
Canada. World War I brought nationalism to a new level - a level where Canadians feel justified in
discriminating other races. These losses were suffered for a ridge or 5km of mud.
Zoë Doyle – Canada and World War I
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