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Canada at War
Coming of Age
Our War?
 When Hitler invaded Poland, France and Britain
declared war on Germany.
 Most Canadians assumed that as part of the
British Empire would naturally follow.
 British PM Churchill firmly requested Canadian
aid.
 Under Statute of Westminster 1931 – the
Canadians had the right to refuse
 The Canadian PM Mackenzie-King was not sure
if this was Canada’s war
 He deferred an answer for a week
 Met with his Cabinet to sound them out
Canada Joins Up
 Mackenzie – King disliked military trappings
and traditions.
 He had not served in World War One and had
a keen distrust for generals.
 As such he had tended to under fund the
military, as did most of the western powers,
during the Depression in order to save
money.
 By 1939, Canada’s armed forces
consisted of 4,200 permanent and
57,000 militia soldiers.
 On Sept. 10th, the House of Commons met
and after a brief debate, voted to go to war.
 It was not unanimous
 Quebec members raised concerns
about a repetition of the losses of the
first war.
Finally
 Across Canada there was a sense
of relief.
 Most Canadians did not want the
war, but they wanted the
uncertainty over.
 Some were happy that Canada
had agreed to stand by Great
Britain.
 Others hoped we would not get
bullied like we did in the
beginning of the World War
One.
 This was all very different.
 The nationalism from the First
World War had matured over
the inter war years.
 The Canadian government was
more assertive and willing to
ensure that its voice was
heard.
Call the Boys Back Up
 Unlike Borden, Mackenzie – King wasted no time in
deciding the conscription issue.
 National Resources Mobilisation Act (NRMA)
 Nationalised industries, registered potential
recruits, rationing etc.
 Initially those who registered were required to
serve locally but as the war progressed they were
needed overseas.
 1942 National plebicite – re-write conditions of
service – 63% of Canadians supported it.
 By 1945 - only 2463 conscripted men
reached the front lines. Out of these, 79 lost
their lives
The Home Front
 With the fall of France, Canada became
Britain’s main ally until the Germany attacked
the USSR in the summer of 1941.
 Canada set itself up as Britain’s arsenal


British Commonwealth Air Training Program
(BCATP) – over 72,000 Canadian pilots were
trained.
The total value of Canadian war production almost $10 billion (c. $100 billion in today’s
dollars).
Canada’s Economic Miracle
 By 1945 Canada’s war
production was fourth among
the Allied nations (US, USSR,
UK).
 Only 30% of this was
needed for Canada’s
armed forces: the
remainder went overseas.
 Canadian industry
produced over 800,000
military transport vehicles,
50,000 tanks, 40,000 field,
naval, and anti-aircraft
guns, and 1,700,000 small
arms.
 Canada served as a money
lender to the UK
They Also Served

Just as in 1914, women volunteered to help win the war.
 While they were welcome to take civilian jobs (public transportation) or work in
factories, the government was initially reluctant before 1941, to let them serve in a
military capacity.
 By the end of the war 50,000 women were in uniform.
 By late 1944, the number of women working full-time was double the rate of 1939.
 Between 1 and 1.2 million women were working full time
Bibliography
 http://www.canadaatwar.ca/page17.html
 http://www3.nfb.ca/ww2/home-front/women-and-the-
war.htm?article=18789&page=3&subtype=articles
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_front_during_World_W
ar_II#Canada
 http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/history/secondwar/fact_sh
eets/women
 http://www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/exhibitions/newspapers/
canadawar/britishairplan_e.shtml