How Conscription Negatively Impacted Canadian Society

Sir Wilfrid Laurier declared â€Å"I oppose conscription because in it has the seeds of discord and disunion† (Newman, 94). Conscription is compulsory military service. It caused hatred, riots and protests that divided Canada severely. It was the cause that tore the delicate balance between the French and English Canadian relationship. The conservative party, who had first introduced conscription, still find it difficult to receive votes from Quebec, even after 50 years. (CBC, 14) Conscription was not justified as it negatively impacted not just Canadian society, it created political problems and caused a severe division between Canada’s two linguistic groups. Conscription negatively impacted Canadian society. This bill stripped†¦show more content†¦The Wartime Elections Act gave both male and female family members of soldiers the right to vote. Borden was positive that these specific citizens would vote for him in the election, because these new voters would support conscription, â€Å"desperate to give their soldiers reinforcement and relief† (Quinlan, 32). Although the act was in Borden’s favor in the upcoming election, his effort to â€Å"rig† it caused much bitterness in the political parties (Quinlan, 32). This election tore apart Canada. Party meetings were full of heated arguments and disputes. While the French- Canadians were seen as cowards, and the English were viewed as dictators. The Unionists won 153 seats, but only 3 were from Quebec. Wilfrid Laurier’s liberals scored 62 seats out of 82 from Quebec (Quinlan, 32). Adding to the list of political problems, Borden had initially promised no overseas conscription. When he retreated from this promise, this made Canadian citizens distrustful of their government. A country cannot be led strongly when its citizens do not trust their country leaders. Conscription caused a severe division between Canada’s two major linguistic groups, the English and French Canadians. The French were unwilling to volunteer as they saw it as a British War. Although France was under attack, they felt little loyalty to their mother country. Many believed that Canada had already done its part in the war, arguingShow MoreRelatedOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 PagesLandscape Sam Wineburg, Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts: Charting the Future of Teaching the Past Sharon Hartman Strom, Political Woman: Florence Luscomb and the Legacy of Radical Reform Michael Adas, ed., Agricultural and Pastoral Societies in Ancient and Classical History Jack Metzgar, Striking Steel: Solidarity Remembered Janis Appier, Policing Women: The Sexual Politics of Law Enforcement and the LAPD Allen Hunter, ed., Rethinking the Cold War Eric Foner, ed., The New American