CANADA S HOME FRONT: SOCIAL AND POLITICAL ISSUES Canadian History 1201
CANADA S HOME FRONT Many men and women went overseas to fight, but those who stayed at home played an equally important part in this total war effort Along with volunteers, and other matters that benefited individuals, some laws such as The War Measures Act gave the government enormous powers over the people of Canada This power was used in questionable ways The Home Front encompassed everything that was happening back home, away from the fighting in Europe and the Pacific
THE WAR MEASURES ACT The King government revived the War Measures Act of 1914, which gave it enormous powers over the people and industries of Canada There were 28 Crown Corporations producing munitions, airplanes, uniforms, synthetic rubber and various other essential war products
THE WAR MEASURES ACT The government had the power to assign workers to jobs in these industries as the need arose Certain products were rationed during the war and strikes and lockouts were replaced with compulsory arbitration
THE WAR MEASURES ACT - HIGHLIGHTS Censorship and the control and suppression of publications, writings, maps, plans, photographs, communications and means of communication Arrest, detention, exclusion and deportation Control of the harbours, ports and territorial waters of Canada and the movement of vessels Transportation by land, air, or water and the control of the transport of persons and things Trading, exportation, importation, production and manufacturing Forfeiture and disposition of property and the use thereof
PROPAGANDA The federal government launched a propaganda campaign to encourage Canadians at home to support the war effort The National Film Board (NFB) was particularly important to the government s efforts and turned out hundreds of documentaries and short films which were shown all over Canada Posters and radio messages were everywhere as well Video: WWII Propaganda Disney s Pluto Bacon Grease (3:00)
JAPANESE CANADIANS After Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941, Canadians feared an attack on Canada s West Coast, either by naval shelling or an actual invasion Anti-Japanese feelings grew quickly This was especially strong on the west coast where the danger seemed greatest and where there was a long history of anti-asian discrimination
JAPANESE CANADIANS Some people feared that Japanese Canadians would help the invaders, although there was no evidence to cast doubt upon the loyalty of Japanese Canadians The fear of espionage (spying) within the country led to the arrest, with no legal basis, of 38 Japanese Canadians
JAPANESE INTERNMENT In February 1942, the government announced that people of Japanese ancestry living near to the coast of British Columbia would be moved inland Approximately 16,000 of the 21,000 evacuated Japanese Canadians were Canadian citizens
JAPANESE INTERNMENT Japanese Canadian businesses and homes were seized with little or no restitution and people were sent to internment camps Japanese Canadians continued to be denied the right to vote until 1949 Video: Internment The Scar of the Great White North (10:13)
OTHER MINORITY GROUPS Although Japanese Canadians received the harshest treatment during the Second World War in Canada several other groups were subjected to discrimination The Jehovah s Witness were resented by the Roman Catholic Church in Quebec In order to maintain the support of the Roman Catholic Church and Quebec, King outlawed the organization and seized its meeting halls and property Other religious groups that were subjected to prejudice and discrimination were the Hutterites, Mennonites and Doukhobor's, who had immigrated to Canada to avoid involvement in warfare Groups that practiced pacifism during the war and were often met with hostility from other Canadians
OTHER MINORITY GROUPS Until 1942 the government ignored employers restrictions on hiring Blacks After protests from Black university students and a campaign by the press and the Canadians Jewish Congress, this practice ended Prejudice was also evident with regards to refugees
OTHER MINORITY GROUPS Canadian made it difficult for Jewish refugees to enter Canada before the war As news of concentration and death camps began to reach Canada, there was no change in government policy or in the attitudes of the immigrant branch Many of the immigrants who managed to immigrate to Canada were placed in Internment Camps
CONSCRIPTION CRISIS In 1939, Mackenzie King made an election promise that he would not introduce conscription for overseas service The following year, King s government passed the National Resources Mobilization Act (NRMA), which included conscription for home defense only Young men were called up for 30 days of training In April 1941, it was extended for the duration of the war
CONSCRIPTION CRISIS There was a clear separation between the regular volunteer army and the NRMA soldiers or zombies as they came to be called French Canadians, prepared to defend their Canadian homeland, made up about 37% of the NRMA forces Francophone s also made up 19% of volunteers for the regular army Compared to 12% in the First World War
CONSCRIPTION CRISIS In 1942, in the face of growing casualties overseas, the need for reinforcements grew King held a plebiscite (a vote), asking Canadians to release him from his promise of not conscripting for service overseas Many Quebecers saw this request as a betrayal
CONSCRIPTION CRISIS The majority of Canadians (64%) generally supported the idea of compulsory overseas military service However, 79% of English Canadians voted Yes, while 85% of French Canadians voted No Once again, there was serious divisions between French and English Canadians King s government passed legislation (law) allowing for overseas deployment on conscripts, but only if it became essential About 13,000 conscripts were sent overseas but only 2,400 reached the front lines before the war ended A very similar situation to that of WWI Video: Quebec History WW2 Conscription (8:48)
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