Unit 1: How Did WWI Affect Canada? Pt 1

When Britain declared war on Germany on August 4^th, 1914, Canada was automatically at war with Germany. The war itself had been caused by an accumulation of nationalism, imperialism, and militarism between the world’s most powerful empires at the time. It was triggered by the assassination of the archduke of Austria, Francis Ferdinand. The Central Powers, consisting of Germany, Italy, and Austria-Hungary were at war with the Triple Entente; Britain, France and Russia. No one knew just how horrible the “Great War” would be. As Canada geared up for war, citizens with all different cultures enlisted in the military, but were not treated as equals. While thousands of Black Canadians willingly joined the Canadian army, they were separated and not allowed to go to combat. Their assigned jobs included digging trenches, building bridges and defusing land mines. Many believed that if they were allowed to kill white men in the war, they would do the same when they returned home.

World War I exposed Canada’s shameful racist ideology when the government invoked the War Measures Act, sending nine-thousand “enemy aliens” to internment camps across the country. Their only crime was originating from a country that Canada was at war with. The internees were forced to do hard labour such as clearing forests, draining land and building roads. They were not allowed to leave the camps, and by the end of the war one-hundred and seven people had died in the camps. They would never see a free Canada ever again. When Prime Minister ordered conscription through the Military Service Act, he rekindled the divide between French Canadians and English Canadians. French Canadians saw no need to join the war and fight for an empire that was not their own. This left a bitter feeling towards the Canadian government and led to the separatist movement in Quebec.