UNIT 3 WORLD WAR II (V2)

Canada Declares War

Parliament Votes for War

Canada declares war on Germany September 10 1939 Minister of Justice Ernest Lapointe from Quebec supported Canada’s involvement in the

war but not conscription

“I am authorized by my colleagues in the Cabinet from Québec, to say that we will never agree to conscription and will never be members or supporters of a government that will try to enforce it.”

PM Mackenzie King assured Canadians that conscription would not be introduced

“So long as this government may be in power, no such measure [conscription] shall be enacted.”

Mobilizing Canada’s Resources

Canadians reacted less eagerly to World War II than they had for World War I > September 58, 330 volunteers

Canadians volunteered because there was high unemployment as a result of the Depression and it was a job, strong ties to Britain and patriotism, and national pride

The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan

December 1939 British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) trained pilots and other flight personnel from the Commonwealth countries (Australia, New Zealand, Britain)

Canada was chosen because of it’s open skies, climate and distance from the fighting in Europe

PM King supported the BCATP because he thought it would keep Canada’s contribution to the war at home not fight overseas and thus avoid the issue of conscription

Total War

total war is a war in which all the nation’s resources, economic and military, are used to win the war > home front and battle front = total war

total war is also a war which is unrestricted in terms of the weapons used, the territory or combatants involved, or the objectives pursued, especially one in which the accepted rules of war are disregarded

total war changed the economy to produce ships, planes, and military supplies for the war

War Measures Act introduced April 1940 Department of Munitions and Supplies was established with CD Howe as its

minister to direct the war time economy Howe told industries what to produce and how to produce it Howe established Crown Corporations to produce war materials that the private sector

was unable to produce the government ran telephone companies, refined fuel, stockpiled silk for parachutes,

mined uranium, and controlled food production total war was necessary to defeat the enemy > total war propaganda Fig 5-16 & 5-16

p.132

Source: Counterpoints p.130-131Review the documents in the section Canada Declares War and complete the questions.

Vancouver Board of Trade poster What is the purpose of the poster?

Attack On All Fronts propaganda poster What areas of the workforce are represented in the poster? How does the poster represent the policy of total war?

Maintenance Jobs in Hangar paintingHow does the painting represent the policy of total war?