January 2012

During the war, the federal gvt continued in its regular roles but it also had to coordinate & finance the war effort

It passed the War Measures Act in August 1914 which gave govt control over many areas of life in Canada

Under the War Measures Act:

People suspected of being enemies of the state (Enemy aliens such as Germans, Austrians,) faced arrest & detention with rule of law

Govt could also dictate to farmers & factory owners what to produce for the war effort

People were required to sacrifice in order for victory to be achieved in Europe

“Victory Gardens”….to produce as much food as possible

Canadians were sending large amounts of food to both troops & also to allied countries

In Canada, people were forced to cut back & to waste nothing

Shift in consumption of wheat, flour, beef, & bacon to other foods

With men off fighting, children & women had more work to complete.

New opportunities opened for women during the war years and they became an essential component of Canada’s war effort

35,000 worked in munitions factories by 1917 (were considered unsuitable for women before 1914)

drove buses/streetcars, worked in banks, on police forces, in civil service jobs, & on farms

Essential component of Canada’s war effort

Organized fundraisers, knitted socks, & packaged parcels for the war effort & to support the troops overseas

Red Cross, Front-line ambulance drivers & nurses (‘bluebirds’)

Many women with husbands overseas became heads of households for the 1st time

Responsibilities included feeding, clothing, housing their families

Many lost their husbands in the war

Due to their increased participation in society & the employment sectors, increasing numbers of women became convinced that they should have equal share in political decision making

Enfranchisement – getting the right to vote

By 1918, war was costing our govt. over $1 million a day.

Questions emerged about how to finance this war?

-Victory Bonds: issued by the govt. By buying them, citizens were loaning money to the govt for the war effort. They could be cashed in after the war for a higher profit.

Private & commercial investors loaned the govt over $1 billion to be paid back with interest after the war.

Income tax was introduced during the war. (It was introduced as a temporary measure to help finance the war & was never abolished).

Children bought Thrift Stamps

CANADA 1914

Mainly agricultural No munitions industry

within Canada

CANADA 1917

600 munitions factories with over 300,000 workers

Completing over 2 million $ / day in orders

800, 000 shells a month were sent from Canada to Europe

Industrial production reached new heights with the manufacturing of war weapons & supplies

The war industry had over 300,000 Canadians employed in factories by 1918 (airplanes, shells, ship production)

Sparked the establishment of new industries

New products required minerals such as copper, zinc, & nickel

Textile production increased with a demand for khaki (for uniforms), flannel (for hospital blanks), & canvass (for tents)

World food shortage & use of German U-boats benefitted Canadian meat & dairy producers

Farmers on the

Prairies also enjoyed high profits