Conscription
Large scale conflict often entails social, political, and economic upheaval. The Canadian Home Front during WWII experienced its own struggles and changes as the war progressed. This blog series will look at some controversies and uprisings that occurred on Canadian soil during the war, like conscription and conscientious objectors. This series will also address new roles for women and social changes that occurred as women filled new roles within Canadian society and the Canadian Armed Forces.
As the war progressed, more and more people were needed to fight abroad. Conscription, or compulsory service in the military, created a huge divide between French- and English-speaking Canadians during the First World War. When World War II began in 1939, Prime Minister Mackenzie King promised that the Canadian government would not conscript soldiers. However, by 1940, when Nazi Germany was occupying more and more territory in Western Europe, many Canadians, including those who volunteered and their families, many of whom were English-Canadians, put pressure on the government to supply more people to the war effort.
In an attempt to mobilize more Canadians, King’s government introduced the National Resources Mobilization Act (NRMA). This act required all eligible men to register and allowed for conscription for domestic service only. This meant men were required to serve on the Home Front in defence roles. This compromise momentarily appeased the people who wanted conscription and those who did not want to serve. The men who were drafted into this service were unkindly nicknamed ‘zombies’ by the active servicemen because they were considered ‘half-alive’ for staying safe at home while others were risking their lives overseas. Nevertheless, once Japan entered the war in 1941, Canada needed to send more troops overseas.
PRIME MINISTER KING VOTING FOR OVERSEAS CONSCRIPTION IN 1942. IMAGE FROM WIKIMEDIA COMMONS.
In April 1942, King held a referendum to release him from the promise he made in 1939 to prohibit conscription. The ‘yes’ side won, meaning King could instate conscription. The ‘yes’ side was not an overwhelming majority though, and it revealed deeply entrenched divides in Canada. In Quebec, over 70% of voters voted ‘no’. Following the referendum, the NRMA was altered to allow for overseas service, but no one was sent overseas yet, as volunteers were sufficient.
In June 1944 the Allies landed in Normandy. This offensive was successful and ultimately lead to the Allies re-establishing a foothold in Western Europe; however, D-Day alone saw over 1000 Canadian casualties, including 359 deaths. Following this offensive, Prime Minister King was urged by his Minister of National Defence, J.L. Ralston, to begin sending men overseas. Approximately 13 000 men were sent abroad, but fewer than 3000 made it to the field before the war ended; 69 men died.