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. Explain how the federal government’s response to Canadian enlistment during the First World War led to a protest movement in Quebec. In your explanation, identify and connect the following points.  Canadian enlistment at the start of 1916.  An action undertaken by the federal government.   A protest movement in Quebec.

. Explain how the federal government’s response to Canadian enlistment during the First World War led to a protest movement in Quebec. In your explanation, identify and connect the following points.  Canadian enlistment at the start of 1916.  An action undertaken by the federal government.   A protest movement in Quebec.

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1. Explain how the federal government’s response to Canadian enlistment during the First World War led to a protest movement in Quebec. In your explanation, identify and connect the following points. 

  • Canadian enlistment at the start of 1916. 
  • An action undertaken by the federal government.  
  • A protest movement in Quebec. 
Third Week of November Conscription Crisis When Canada first entered the war, the federal government specified that military recruitment would be strictly on a volunteer basis. However, beginning in 1916, enlistment declined - a trend that was even more pronounced among French Canadians, who had been accused of not doing their part in the war effort. Prime Minister Borden was determined to sustain the war effort to show the United Kingdom that Canada should be considered a partner, rather than a mere colony. On July 24th, 1917, he introduced the Military Service Act, which divided MPs, as it was opposed by almost all francophones and supported by almost all anglophones. The law imposed conscription throughout the entire country, meaning all Canadian men aged 20 to 45 (unmarried or widowers without children) were required to enlist in the army. The conscription debate sharply divided the country. The majority of French Canadians, farmers, unionized workers and non-anglophone immigrants were opposed to it, and saw it as a betrayal by the government, which had promised that military service would be voluntary. Henri Bourassa proclaimed that compulsory military service was a form of "blood tax". Opposition was so strong in Québec, that in January 1918, Joseph Francoeur presented a motion, later called the "Francoeur Motion", for Québec to withdraw from the Canadian federation, since it was the only province that didn't support conscription. A few weeks later, in March 1918, the situation escalated when an anti-conscription demonstration in Québec City turned into a riot. Soldiers were ordered to fire into the crowd, killing four men.³ The Military Service Act was relatively ineffective: "The Military Service Act was unevenly administered, and there were numerous evasions by called-up recruits, and many exemptions granted. Thousands of young men refused to even register for the selection process. Of those that did register, 93 per cent asked for exemptions... [French-Canadians] were seriously alienated by this attempt to enforce their participation in what they considered a British imperial war. More broadly, the conscription crisis bitterly divided the country along French-English lines."4
Transcribed Image Text:Third Week of November Conscription Crisis When Canada first entered the war, the federal government specified that military recruitment would be strictly on a volunteer basis. However, beginning in 1916, enlistment declined - a trend that was even more pronounced among French Canadians, who had been accused of not doing their part in the war effort. Prime Minister Borden was determined to sustain the war effort to show the United Kingdom that Canada should be considered a partner, rather than a mere colony. On July 24th, 1917, he introduced the Military Service Act, which divided MPs, as it was opposed by almost all francophones and supported by almost all anglophones. The law imposed conscription throughout the entire country, meaning all Canadian men aged 20 to 45 (unmarried or widowers without children) were required to enlist in the army. The conscription debate sharply divided the country. The majority of French Canadians, farmers, unionized workers and non-anglophone immigrants were opposed to it, and saw it as a betrayal by the government, which had promised that military service would be voluntary. Henri Bourassa proclaimed that compulsory military service was a form of "blood tax". Opposition was so strong in Québec, that in January 1918, Joseph Francoeur presented a motion, later called the "Francoeur Motion", for Québec to withdraw from the Canadian federation, since it was the only province that didn't support conscription. A few weeks later, in March 1918, the situation escalated when an anti-conscription demonstration in Québec City turned into a riot. Soldiers were ordered to fire into the crowd, killing four men.³ The Military Service Act was relatively ineffective: "The Military Service Act was unevenly administered, and there were numerous evasions by called-up recruits, and many exemptions granted. Thousands of young men refused to even register for the selection process. Of those that did register, 93 per cent asked for exemptions... [French-Canadians] were seriously alienated by this attempt to enforce their participation in what they considered a British imperial war. More broadly, the conscription crisis bitterly divided the country along French-English lines."4
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