“To What Extent does Nationalism Drive the Pursuit of National Interests?”

“During Times of Conflict can these Pursuits Lead to Policies that are Ultra-Nationalistic ?”

Chapter Focus

CONSCRIPTION IN CANADA

WORLD WAR ONE&

WORLD WAR TWO

CONSCRIPTION is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national

service, most often military service

This raises some important questions to think about….

1. What issues are raised by the mandate of conscription in a democratic nation?

2. Do you believe mandatory military service is necessary? Why or why not?

WORLD WAR ONEThe Military Service Act

Voluntary enlistment had been uneven, and the military believed they could not maintain the Canadian Army at full strength without CONSCRIPTION.

Encouraged by English Canadians and the British, the Prime Minister, Sir Robert BORDEN, introduced the Military Service Act on the 29th of August, 1917 .

Riots broke out in Québec. The Act was unevenly administered, and there were numerous evasions and many exemptions.

• 404,395 men were called up.• 380,510 men applied for exemptions.• In all only 24,000 conscripted men saw service in France.

The Act's military value has been questioned, but its political consequences were clear.

English Canada …..YES

Quebec ……NO

ALL IN FAVOR ….

Sir Robert BORDEN

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugeq0PIjuSQ

WORLD WAR TWODuring World War Two the question of CONSCRIPTION came up again.

In 1940, Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King, called an election and promised Quebec no conscription.

King believed the country MUST appear united.

By 1941, with recruitment slowing, support for the use of conscription was growing, especially in English Canada.

In 1942, King held a national plebiscite (a vote by the electorate determining public opinion on a question of national importance) for the possibility of having conscription.

“Conscription if necessary, but not necessarily conscription.”

Quebec voted 73% no, while the rest on Canada voted 80% yes.

CANADA’S “ZOMBIES”Conscription was once again instituted but King insisted they be used for home-land defense only.

In 1942, with fear of invasion low, conscripts basically marched the country with nothing to do. (ZOMBIES)

By the autumn of 1944, unexpectedly high casualties on the front, left the Canadian Army short of manpower.

On Nov 22, 1944, however, the Prime Minister, acknowledging the sentiments of many of his Anglophone voters, reversed his decision in an effort to save his government and announced that conscripts would be sent overseas.

Riots broke out in Montreal but the real opposition came from the “zombies” who did not sign up for war overseas.

Canadian troops (Zombies) at Vernon Camp in 1944 demonstrating their resistance to compulsory service overseas.

Even though only 13,000 men were conscripted overseas, and fewer than 2500 made it into battle (69 died) this second conscription crisis again worsened relations between Anglophones and Francophones in Canada, though to a lesser extent than during WWI.

CANADA’S BRUSHES WITH

ULTRA-NATIONALISM

Prior to Canada's entry into the First World War on 6 August 1914, over 170,000 Ukrainians had settled in the country: whole families of peasants lured by Canada's National Policy to settle western homesteads and tens of thousands of single men and women who arrived to work as industrial and agricultural laborers. Most came from territories within the Austro-Hungarian Empire, one of the Central Powers with which Britain and Canada were soon to be at war. This would have dramatic consequences for them, as it did for hundreds of thousands of other pre-war immigrants who inadvertently found themselves living in a country at war with their former homelands.

Many of these immigrants were already Canadian citizens, although that was not necessarily a shield from discrimination, but many thousands were not. In order to deal with a large un-naturalized immigrant population, the Dominion Government enacted a series of regulations and orders-in-council for the monitoring, registration and potential confinement of un-naturalized immigrants from countries with which Canada was at war. During the course of the war, some 80,000 immigrants from "enemy" countries were registered as "enemy aliens" and 8,579 "enemy aliens" confined in internment camps. The majority of those interned were civilian male non-combatants; Ukrainians, Poles, Hungarians, Croats, Serbs, Slovaks, and other immigrants attracted to Canada from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, along with small numbers of Turks and Bulgarians

World War OneIn order to address fears and perceived threats at home, Prime Minister

Robert Baldwin’s government created a piece of legislation that would give them special powers to deal with issues regarding national interests within Canada, specifically to preserve the security of Canada. This document was called….

“The War Measures Act”

The W.M.A. gave the Canadian government the power to arrest and detain suspected enemies of the nation. It gave the ability to govern by decree when it perceived there to be a time of “war, invasion or insurrection, real or suspected” .

Decree: The government could simply pass orders and laws and avoid the

parliamentary process required to pass legislation

World War One

Internment detention or confinement of a person in time of war.

Though not strictly PRISONERS OF WAR, civilian internees were generally treated according to international POW standards.

During WORLD WAR I enemy aliens were subject to internment, but only if there were "reasonable grounds" to believe they were engaged in espionage or otherwise acting illegally. 3 groups were the focus of internment during the First World War

• Ukrainians – who had emigrated to Canada from territories under the control of the

Austro-Hungarian Empire• Germans and Austrians• Turks

World War One

Of 8579 men at 24 camps across Canada• 5954 were Ukrainians – from areas controlled by Austria-Hungary• 2009 Germans• 205 Turks • 99 Bulgarians• 81 women and 156 children, dependants of male internees, were voluntarily

interred

World War One

Prisoners Compound, Castle Mountain, AB.

World War OneThe Huns Band, Kapuskasing. ONT.

Prisoner on stretcher, shot by guard when trying to escape.

World War TwoDuring WW2, the WAR MEASURES ACT was introduced once again

In WORLD WAR II the Minister of Justice could detain anyone acting "in any manner prejudicial to the public safety or the safety of the state."

Thus both enemy nationals and Canadian citizens were subject to internment.

Most of the Germans were members of German-sponsored organizations or leaders of the Nazi Party in Canada. After Italy entered the war, a number of prominent Italians and Canadian fascists were interned.

World War TwoJapanese Internment:

Following the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, Americans and Canadians (mostly British Columbians), called for the internment of the Japanese.

In Canada, there were fears that some Japanese, who worked in the fishing industry, were charting the coastline for the Japanese navy, acting as spies on Canada's military.

Military and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) authorities felt the public's fears were unwarranted, but the public opinion quickly pushed the government to act.

By 1941, 60% of all Japanese Canadians living in Canada were born in Canada.

World War TwoIn 1942, the government authorized the removal of "enemy aliens" within a 100-mile radius of the BC coast.

On March 4, 1942 …. 22,000 Japanese Canadians were given 24 hours to pack before being interned.

This notice was distributed throughout British Columbia. If any Japanese were found in the prohibited areas listed, they would be incarcerated.

World War Two

Japanese internment camp in B.C.

By October 1942, the Canadian government had set up 8 internment camps in interior BC.

World War Two

Innocent Japanese Canadians were stripped of their rights, possessions confiscated, issued special clothing, humiliated, thrown behind barb wire fences, and were forced to do manual labor.

A road crew of interned men building the Yellowhead Highway.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxVZtQULIMQ&safe=active

Canada’s Current National Interests