Canada’s Homefront During WW1

In August 1914, Britain declared war on Germany, which meant that Canada was going to war as well. Canada’s young men were going to war to serve their country as well as demonstrating their patriotic duty to Britain as they left behind their loved ones on the Canadian homefront. The First World War had a profound impact on life in Canada during the war. As our Canadian soldiers faced conflicts and huge challenges on foreign battlefields, there were many changes coming for those left behind on the Canadian homefront as they faced many social challenges and a shift in life, as they knew it. During WW1, the Canadian homefront saw a great transformation in the role of women in Canadian society, reforms in the labour movement and an increase in tension between French and English Canadians due to the conscription crisis.

At the turn of the century, the role of women in Canadian society began to change drastically as their roles expanded beyond the home. Many Canadians viewed the woman’s role as the mother and homemaker but Canada’s participation in WW1 dramatically altered how women were viewed. So many Canadian men enlisted in the war that Canadian labour force was hugely diminished because if men were at war, they could not be working in the factories so Canada was forced to turn to women to join the workforce. “As the number of volunteers increased it was becoming clear that a new source of labour would have to be found. Women soon filled the gap…Many Canadians felt some discomfort with this new role for women.” {Gage,58}Women joined the labour workforce in jobs that were traditionally filled by men and they were now working as conductorettes, assembly line workers, farmers and even as munitions factory workers. They worked just as hard as their male counterparts but were not paid equally. WW 1 meant that women were actively involved in helping the war effort so they began to demand equal rights and the freedom to make their own decisions. Because of their hard work during WW1, the female relatives of Canadian soldiers gained the right to vote in 1917 in the Wartime Elections Act. This was an incredible victory for the women’s suffragist movement in Canada as a result of Canada’s involvement in WW 1. The labour force was largely affected by the war and many changes came about because of the labour shortage.

As many Canadian men went to war, the Canadian labour force on the homefront faced a great labour shortage regardless of women replacing their male counterparts. In the area of skilled labour, there was an even greater need so those men that were required for these special jobs were not permitted to join the military. These men felt that they were indispensable so they took advantage of the war and worked hard to gain better working conditions and higher pay. As the war went on, many factory owners became wealthier due to Canadian participation in the war so the workers put pressure on their employers to reward them in return. Employers were not so eager to share their profits with their work force so in turn the labour force began to join labour unions to negotiate on their behalf. Many disputes ended up in work stoppage or slowdowns, which forced both sides to come to a mutual accord. The labour unions really started to move to the forefront and although they were not entirely successful at this time, the labour force were keenly aware of their rights as union memberships grew exponentially in Canada at this time. “By 1918 the Canadian government passed Orders-in-Council prohibiting strikes but also assuring the rights of workers to join unions and an eight-hour workday…”{Gage, 61}. The labour unions had not achieved all that they set out to do but they did put the government on notice that they would have to negotiate in good faith with the workers as working conditions pre-WW1 were no longer acceptable to the working class and this was a turning point for the Canadian labour force on the homefront during the war that was quickly losing popularity.

While many Canadians supported the war effort in the beginning, as the war casualties increased the war volunteers faded. The Canadian government struggled to find men to serve their country. French and English Canadian relations had been strained since the time of Louis Riel and although it abated, WW1 brought more tension to the English and French relationship in Canada. French Canadians felt no obligation to defend either French or British interests on foreign soil as they felt that they were left on their own to fight to save French language and culture in Canada. Prime Minister Borden had promised no mandatory military service so French Canadians were satisfied that they would never have to serve in this war but Borden was forced to break his promise and passed the Military Service Bill. French Canadians were outraged and there were violent demonstrations in French Canadian cities throughout Canada. These French Canadians were already upset with the fact that French language schools had been eliminated in many French-speaking communities in Canada. They did not want to be forced by law to join in a war that did not involve them and to lose their sons to a foreign war. Many French Canadian farmers attempted to apply for exemptions from participating from the war and some even hid to avoid enlisting. During the Election of 1917 many laws were passed to help gain support for conscription and French Canadians felt betrayed by what they saw a British government that gave no thought to French Canada’s feelings. The vote for conscription only served to divide the nation as this only fuelled the fire of resentment that already existed between French and English Canada for generations to come.

In conclusion, it is entirely accurate to state that World War 1 did indeed thoroughly impact life on the Canadian homefront. The change in the women’s role due to the labour shortage allowed women to re-evaluate their lives and allowed them to see just how valuable they were to society as a whole. They began their long fight towards equal rights and freedom under the law as their male counterparts and won. As a result of the need for skilled labourers during WW1, the workforce paved the way for future labour contracts and negotiations to guarantee fair pay and better working conditions for workers. One could say that the labour unions forced the government to take notice of the labour movement. Finally, the conscription crisis brought back into focus the monumental divide between the French and English and this only served to anger Quebecers who felt betrayed by the government that seemed to only serve English interests. This would impact French and English relations well into the future as the separatist movement has gained much influence and ground in modern day Quebec.