CANADA HISTORY

The Home Front

When the First World War broke out in August 1914, many Canadians, like much of the world, believed it would be a short, dramatic conflict, finished by Christmas. Few could have foreseen the monumental scope of the war, the vast human and material toll, and the profound ways it would reshape Canada’s economy, society, and national identity. Once the decision to go to war was made, Canada swiftly mobilized its resources. Agriculture, industry, transportation, and financial systems pivoted toward the war effort, setting the country on a path that would alter its trajectory and place in the world.

Mobilization and Economic Transformation

At the outbreak of the war, Canada was still largely an agricultural nation, but the demands of the war effort spurred an unprecedented expansion in its industrial capacity. Factories that had previously produced consumer goods were retooled to manufacture weapons, munitions, and other war-related materials. New factories sprang up to meet the seemingly insatiable demand for armaments, uniforms, and supplies. The Canadian government played a key role in overseeing this transformation, establishing control boards to regulate production, transportation, and supply. These boards ensured that Canada’s contribution to the war effort, whether in the form of soldiers, food, or manufactured goods, was consistent and reliable.

The country's railways, vital for moving soldiers and war materials across the vast Canadian landscape and toward Europe, became critical wartime infrastructure. The Grand Trunk Railway and the Canadian Northern Railway, both private enterprises, were taken over by the government to ensure the uninterrupted flow of military goods and personnel. This intervention was indicative of the broader trend during the war of increased state control over key industries, a marked departure from Canada’s traditionally more laissez-faire approach to business.

The agricultural sector, which had long been the backbone of Canada’s economy, expanded significantly during the war. As soldiers were sent to the front, farmers were called upon to increase food production to feed not only the Canadian population but also the troops and citizens of Britain and France. New farming technologies were introduced, and the use of women and children in agricultural labor increased dramatically. The war effort transformed Canada’s farming sector from a largely domestic operation into a crucial supplier for the Allied forces.

The Role of Women in the Workforce

One of the most significant social transformations brought about by the war was the increased role of women in the workforce. With so many men off fighting, women were called upon to fill jobs that had previously been considered unsuitable for them. Women worked in munitions factories, offices, and as streetcar operators, positions they had rarely occupied before. Their contribution to the war effort was indispensable, and it marked the beginning of a profound change in Canadian society’s view of women’s capabilities.

This shift in women’s roles fueled the growing suffrage movement, which had already gained momentum before the war. Women like Nellie McClung, a prominent suffragist, argued that if women were capable of filling men’s jobs during wartime, they should also be given the right to vote. In 1916, Manitoba became the first province to grant women the vote, followed by Alberta and Saskatchewan. By 1917, the federal government, under Prime Minister Robert Borden, extended the vote to women who had male relatives serving in the military through the Wartime Elections Act. This was a pivotal moment in the Canadian women’s rights movement, as it laid the groundwork for women’s full political participation in the post-war years.

Financing the War and Economic Strain

The financial demands of the war were immense. The Canadian government raised funds through a variety of means, including war bonds, which were sold to Canadian citizens as an investment in the war effort, to be repaid with interest once the war was over. These bonds were heavily marketed to the public, with campaigns urging citizens to do their part to support the troops by investing in victory. The government also introduced new taxes—most notably, Canada’s first personal income tax in 1917—to help cover the rising costs of the war. A federal sales tax was also introduced, marking the beginning of the modern tax system in Canada.

While many Canadians willingly contributed to the war effort, either by buying war bonds or through increased taxation, the economic strain was felt across the country. Inflation increased, wages failed to keep pace with the rising cost of living, and labor unrest became more common. Workers in the munitions industry, who were in high demand, used their leverage to push for better working conditions and higher pay, leading to a surge in union membership. The war inadvertently strengthened the labor movement in Canada, giving unions a more prominent role in labor-management relations.

Ethnic Tensions and National Unity

The war also exacerbated existing ethnic tensions within Canada. German Canadians, who had been integral members of many communities, found themselves increasingly ostracized as anti-German sentiment swept the nation. Acts of hostility, including attacks on businesses and homes owned by German Canadians, became more common. In a symbolic gesture of this animosity, the city of Berlin, Ontario, was renamed Kitchener in 1916, after Lord Kitchener, the British war hero. The anti-German sentiment was paralleled by anti-French sentiment, particularly in English Canada, where many viewed French Canadians as being reluctant to fully support the war effort.

The divide between English and French Canadians was stark. While English Canadians, many of them recent British immigrants, felt a strong connection to the British Empire and saw participation in the war as a moral and patriotic duty, many French Canadians viewed the war as a conflict that had little relevance to their lives. The war reignited old tensions between the two communities, tensions that had been simmering since Confederation. Quebec’s reluctance to fully support the war effort, combined with the deeply unpopular conscription crisis of 1917, which forced men into military service, drove a wedge between the two linguistic and cultural groups.

The Conscription Crisis and its Lasting Impact

As Canadian casualties mounted and volunteer enlistments declined, Prime Minister Borden introduced conscription in 1917 through the Military Service Act. The move was deeply divisive, particularly in Quebec, where anti-conscription protests and riots took place. The Conscription Crisis became a defining issue of the war on the home front, pitting English Canada, which largely supported conscription, against French Canada, which viewed it as a betrayal.

The political fallout from the Conscription Crisis would resonate for decades. Borden’s Unionist government, a coalition of Conservatives and pro-conscription Liberals, won the 1917 federal election, but Quebec remained overwhelmingly loyal to Wilfrid Laurier and the Liberal Party, which opposed conscription. The deep divisions between Quebec and the rest of Canada, exacerbated by the war, laid the groundwork for the regional tensions that would define much of 20th-century Canadian politics.

National Identity and Canada's Emergence on the World Stage

While the war exposed deep divisions within Canada, it also fostered a growing sense of national identity. Canadian troops had fought with distinction in key battles such as Ypres, the Somme, and most notably, Vimy Ridge in 1917. The success at Vimy Ridge, where Canadian soldiers captured a strategic position that both British and French forces had failed to secure, became a symbol of Canadian resilience and military prowess. It was widely seen as a moment when Canada “came of age” as a nation, proving itself on the world stage. The sense of pride and unity generated by Canada’s military achievements helped to foster a nascent nationalism, separate from the country’s colonial ties to Britain.

Canada’s status as a dominion within the British Empire evolved as a result of its contributions to the war effort. Prime Minister Borden’s insistence on an independent Canadian seat at the Versailles Peace Conference in 1919, rather than simply being represented by Britain, marked a significant step toward Canadian autonomy. Although Canada was still tied to Britain constitutionally, the war had demonstrated that it was capable of acting on its own behalf in international affairs, a fact that would be formally recognized with the passage of the Statute of Westminster in 1931.

A Nation Transformed

The First World War was a transformative period in Canadian history. The war effort spurred economic growth, particularly in the industrial sector, and altered the social fabric of the country as women took on new roles in the workforce and demanded political rights. However, the war also exposed deep ethnic and regional divisions, particularly between English and French Canadians, which would shape Canadian politics for decades to come.

At the same time, the war helped forge a new sense of Canadian identity. Through its military achievements, particularly at Vimy Ridge, and its growing role in international diplomacy, Canada emerged from the war not just as a colony of Britain, but as a country with its own distinct voice and national consciousness. The war may have divided Canadians in some ways, but it also united them in the belief that Canada had earned a place on the world stage. The Great War laid the foundation for Canada’s emergence as an independent nation, and its legacy continues to shape the country’s identity to this day.