Conscription In Canada Essay Research Paper Canada

Conscription In Canada Essay, Research Paper

Canada was founded as a nation on two distinct cultures and two very different languages . The end productbeing two nations in one sovereign state . For the French speaking Canadians , it is an endless struggle to retain their separate culture . For many French Canadians the most common emotion felt is that they have never received cultural , political and economic equality to the extent the English -speaking Canadians have. In the 20th century , the relationship between English and French Canadians has deteriorated because of the fact that French Canadians feel that they have been treated as second class citizens .The Conscription Crisis of 1917 and 1939 – 1945 only added to this sentiment and brought forth many different attitudes in a fragile Canada .The people of Quebec also felt as if they were being pushed and compressed tightly into their province by the thoughtlessness of the English Canadians . ” How could French Canadiens – the only real Candaians – feel loyal to a people who had conquered and humiliated them , and were Protestant anayway . France herself was no better ; she had deserted her Canadians a century and a half ago , had left them in the snow and ice along the St . Lawernce surrounded by their enemies , had later murdered her anoited king and turned athiest … if a people deserted God they were punished for it , and France was being punished now . ” 1This sort of sentiment was one that was shared by many French Candiens . French-English relations were already suffering and continued to do so before World War 1 . But the biggest strains occurred when issues of Canadian participation in World war 1 and 2 were mentioned . Most of the strain originated from Quebec .Conscription was be the nail that drove a wedge deep into the

national unity of the country and would serve as a precursor to the modern developments in Canadian unity . Twice in the twentieth century conscription destroyed national unity. It tore apart political parties and it greatly divided French Canadians from English Canadians forever. There were mixed feelings all around

Canada , tensions built, patience was stretched and friends would become enemies . Twice in Canada’s history conscription proved to be an ill fated plague that ate away at the nationalistic structure that

Canadians had struggled to build . So why all the controversy . Was the hell conscription wrought on all the country , especially Quebec truly necessary .

No it was not necessary !I believe that the conscription crisis of the Second World War was not as damaging to Canada as a whole as that of 1917 . When the first conscription crisis occurred in 1917 , Canada was inexperienced , it did not have the abilities or capabilities to handle such a crisis , yet the political question was clear , could national unity be preserved . In 1917 it was not , French Canada found itself virtually unrepresented in the seats of power in Ottawa . The war was not only a war that would be

fought with guns on a foreign shore but with pride and frustration in the province of Quebec , pride for the French language and culture , and frustration over Prime Minister Borden’s broken promise concerning conscription . For Quebec their language was their biggest weapon in their arsenal as it meant for them the maintenance of their culture . The tragedy in both wars went far beyond the number of casualties , the real problem lay between the two Canadian races and their inability to resolve any differences at a time when the

demands of war should have been brining them closer together . In the Second World War , it was Prime Minister Mackenzie King that would attempt to hold together the pieces of national unity that had been

crushed by the nail of the first conscription crisis .

Conscription in 1917 was one of the biggest issues that shook the Canadian political structure . Critics argue that conscription allowed Canada to help Britain and France defeat Germany and thus

providing Canada with national untiy ; however , many other critics argue that conscription was needless because it unnecessarily split the country and caused a breakdown in the political harmony the French and English had struggled to achieve . Conscription certainly did allow Canada to defend Great Britain and prove its patriotic ties , but it without a doubt severed any ties between the French and English Canadians . Was Conscription in 1917 a path that was necessary to be followed by all Canadians . I , think it was not . It forced the French Canadiens to battle for a country they did not feel loyal to . Subsequently conscription raised the cost of living and created growing social unrest , ultimately destroying the very essence of

national unity between the two cultures . Conscription did not bring national unity to the young country , instead it brought war to Canada. The fight would be between French Canadiens and English Canadians, yet there would be no real victor in this war . The product of conscription is a country threatened , to this day , with division .The beginning of the Great War was welcomed with enthusiasm in Canada. It would be short and glorious , and full of adventure . Sure there might be a few casualties, but the war was only going to last a

few short months , at least that what people thought . All around Canada men rush