Considering Canadian Conscription The infamous Canadian conscription crisis during the first world war is anything but a crisis. This term connotes a wrongdoing on Canada’s behalf, in response to dire straits. When Canada first announces its participation in this worldwide massacre, the response of its citizens is somewhat unusual, one encompassing immense excitement on their behalves. One may attribute this enthusiasm to the romantic idea of European denomination, or perhaps naïveté towards war realities. Regardless, Canada’s citizens welcome the war with open arms, to the point where “regimental officers could be picky about recruits”. However by 1917, this attitude has disappeared, after witnessing the realities of war and its consequences. Canadians begin to realize that death and disease is far less appealing than a military uniform and
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This creates a large problem for Canadian prime minister Robert Borden, who has pressure to send troops for ally and imperial nation Britain, but is lacking a sufficient quantity of soldiers willing to do so. Borden passes the War-Time Elections Act which extends the right to vote to more citizens than ever before, not coincidentally the same citizens that would likely favour his platform of conscription. He is re-elected in on December 17, 1917, and subsequently passes a bill for conscription in the new year. This is the first draft Canada has ever witnessed within its borders, and it is not well-received by people today. These individuals deem it unfair to forcefully recruit soldiers into a war, an argument that does have some merit. However, while the country’s first draft is often frowned upon and seen as unmerited, had Canada not passed the bill for conscription, it would be neglecting its citizens, allies, and fallen soldiers. In this instance, it is more beneficial conscript men then to not, however in a war as deadly as
This creates a large problem for Canadian prime minister Robert Borden, who has pressure to send troops for ally and imperial nation Britain, but is lacking a sufficient quantity of soldiers willing to do so. Borden passes the War-Time Elections Act which extends the right to vote to more citizens than ever before, not coincidentally the same citizens that would likely favour his platform of conscription. He is re-elected in on December 17, 1917, and subsequently passes a bill for conscription in the new year. This is the first draft Canada has ever witnessed within its borders, and it is not well-received by people today. These individuals deem it unfair to forcefully recruit soldiers into a war, an argument that does have some merit. However, while the country’s first draft is often frowned upon and seen as unmerited, had Canada not passed the bill for conscription, it would be neglecting its citizens, allies, and fallen soldiers. In this instance, it is more beneficial conscript men then to not, however in a war as deadly as