World War II (1939-1945)

World War II (1939-1945) The Canadian Home Front

I will post my powerpoints on the class website • Take notes that work best for you • Practice summarizing important events

In this lesson you will be able to: • Describe Canada’s evolution as a politically autonomous nation • Identify and describe the significance of events contributing to national autonomy such as: parliamentary vote to join WWII • Assess the impact of the conscription crises, Quebec nationalism, bilingualism, and regionalism on Canadian unity • Represent the opposing views of two or more people (actual or hypothetical) who lived through the WWI or WWII conscription crisis • Assess Canada’s role in WWII and the war’s impact on Canada • Explain the war’s impact on the home front (ex. conscription, air training, propaganda) Objectives

The 1931 Statute of Westminster declared Canada a fully sovereign state – equal with Britain as well as the other dominions of the Commonwealth. • At the outbreak of war, P.M. Mackenzie King declared “parliament will decide” • 1936 – Canada is reluctant to join the European War • 3 September 1939 – United Kingdom declares war on Germany • Canada declares war on 10 September 1939 (although CCF party leader J.S. Woodsworth was against) Canada Goes to War

Britain and France declared war on Sept. 3, 1939 • Canada declared war on September 10, 1939 Canada’s Response: • PM King called a special session of Parliament to debate the issue, where he vowed there would be no conscription. • In 1939 – King’s election promised no conscription • 1940 – King implemented the National Resource Mobilization Act in June 1940, which required all single men to help with the war effort, but not to serve overseas. • At the beginning voluntary enlistment was strong The Canadian Home Front:Conscription

Problem:But the winter of 1942 brought grim news from the Allies (countries fighting Germany). Hitler’s troops were winning the war. At the same time, voluntary recruitment in Canada began to slow. There was a resurgence of pro-conscription sentiment in English Canada. • King held a plebiscite (a vote on a single issue where the people express an opinion) for a referendum to be released from his promise to not introduce conscription. • The Results:English Canadians: 80% in favourFrench Canadians: 73% against The Canadian Home Front:Conscription Anti-conscription rally in front of the Chateau Frontenac, Quebec City, Que

By the plebiscite King could introduce conscription. Why didn’t he? What reason would he want to avoid conscription? • Minister of Defense, Colonel J.L. Ralston was advocating conscription The Canadian Home Front:Conscription

Discuss with a partner and record your findings: • How was the Conscription Crisis of 1944 similar to the Conscription Crisis of 1917? How were they different? • From a political and emotional view, why was the issue of conscription important? The Canadian Home Front:Conscription

Conscription began Nov 1944 • Riots broke out in Montreal. But real opposition came from Canadian zombies • Zombies:Canadian conscripted soldiers who refused to go “active” • In Terrace, BC., zombies mutinied for a week, some forced by gunpoint. • By the National Resource Mobilization Act, roughly 13,000 men were sent abroad, but only 2,500 actually reached the battlefield. 69 died in action. The Canadian Home Front:Conscription

King, concerned with maintaining unity and Liberal rule, managed to more-or-less maintain English-French relations. • On a piece of paper, write from the perspective of one of the following during WWII. What opinions would you have towards conscription? What would you feel is important? What advice would you give P.M. King? • An able-bodied Quebec man • An able-bodied English Canadian man • A Canadian zombie • A newspaper reporter (include a headline) The Canadian Home Front:Conscription – Reflection Activity

The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan • Canada was not prepared for war (old and unfit equipment) • In December 1939, Canada announced the BCATP, The British Commonwealth Air Training Program • A cheap and safe way for Canada to contribute • Canada had open spaces and out of enemy reach • Many of the Commonwealth pilots trained in the BCATP • Canada trained 130,000 + by the end of the war The Canadian Home Front:Canadian Training Facilities

Camp X • Opened a few days after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbour • A special spy training facility located outside Oshawa, Ontario • Trained 500 Canadian, British, and American spies • Had a communications centre. Hydra, a complex radio system intercepted enemy signals and transmitted info between Britain and North America • Talk to your partner/group:What made Canada a good location for wartime training facilities such as Camp X and BCATP? The Canadian Home Front:Canadian Training Facilities

Propaganda • “information that is spread for the purpose of promoting a particular cause” and not necessarily truthful • Hundreds of documentaries and short films released by the National Film Board of Canada to encourage Canadians to participate in the war effort • Many propaganda posters feature the working class. Why do you think this was effective/important? The Canadian Home Front:Propaganda

Homework

World War II (1939-1945)