Name:________________________________________________________Date:_______________________________
WhydidtheyfightforCanada?
WouldyougotowartodefendCanadainatimeofcrisis?Aswe’velearned,CanadafoughtaspartoftheBritishEmpireanditsalliestodefendourhonourandthelibertyofotherpeoplearoundtheworld.ThewaralsoinvolvedmanyofthoselivinginCanada,thoughtheywereexcludedfromfullcitizenshipbecausetheywerenotwhitemen.Differentpeopleofdiversebackgrounds,participatedinthewar.
1. Reviewtheevidenceprovidedasagroup.ClassifytheevidenceintoexamplesofPositiveandNegativeExperiences.
2. UsethechartbelowtogatherpositiveandnegativeexperiencesofdiverseCanadiansduringwartime.3. Drawyourownconclusionstorespondtotheinquiryquestionabove.
PositiveExperiences NegativeExperiences
Historic
alEvide
nce
YourCon
clusions
Responding to the Call to War
1. ThisisapictureofMasumiMitsui,whowasturnedawayinB.C.HewantedtoshowhispatriotismforCanada.Hisgrandsonexplainsthatthis“was[his]newlyadoptedcountryand[he]wantedtoshowthattheydeservedtobetreatedlikeotherCanadians.”ThoughhewasnotallowedtoenlistinB.C.,hetravelledwithotherstoAlberta,wheretheyenlistedwiththe10thBattalion,CanadianExpeditionaryForce.AboutonepercentoftheunitwasmadeupofJapanese-Canadiansoldiers.i
2. Jewish-Canadiansdidn’tfacethesamesortofdiscrimination.TherewereevenposterswritteninYiddishthatweredirectedatpossiblerecruitslivinginMontreal.JewishCanadianswereanimmigrantcommunitytotallycommittedtowhatwasthenaveryAnglo-SaxonattitudeinCanada.Pro-BritishopinionwasevenmorepronouncedinToronto’sJewishcommunity.DuringtheFirstWorldWar,38percentofallJewishmalesolderthan21inCanadaservedintheCanadianExpeditionaryForce.ii
3. FromtheonsetoftheFirstWorldWar,CanadiansofGermanicoriginfaceddiscriminationfromthegovernmentandthepublic.ThisdiscriminationstartedwitharollbackofcivilrightswhentheWarMeasuresActwasestablishedwithinweeksofthedeclarationofwar.PeoplefromGermany,Austria,HungaryandUkraineweredeemed“enemyaliens,”eveniftheywerenaturalizedcitizens.Theyhadtocarryidentificationcardsandwereforbiddentojoinsocialistmovements,leaveCanadawithoutapermitorpossessfirearms.ImmigrationtoCanadafromthefourcountrieswassuspendedentirely,andthosegrantedcitizenshipafter1902hadtheirstatusrevoked.iii
4. AcrossCanada,some8,579“enemyaliens”–mostofGermanoriginviaUkraine–weresenttointernmentorworkcamps.Manywereunemployedpeoplethegovernmentfearedcouldjoinradicalmovements.OnecamplaidmuchofthefoundationforBanffNationalPark.“TheGermansneverreallywantedto,ordaredto,askforanycompensation…Whentwoworldwarswerecausedbysomeonefromwhereyoucamefrom,ortheplaceyou’reassociatedwith,youfeelveryintimidated.Youdon’twanttocauseanyproblems.”iv
5. AcountrythathadopeneditsarmstohomesteadersfromEasternEuropequitesuddenlycloseditsmindaswarbrokeout.Most[enemyalien]interneesweresingle,poor,unemployedUkrainianmen,buttheyhadthecompanyofBulgarians,Croatians,Germans,Hungarians,Italians,Poles,Serbians,Turks,Romanians,andRussians.Maj.-Gen.SirWilliamDillonOtter,whooversawtheinternmentprogram,reportedthat3,138interneeswerelegitimateprisonersofwar.Another5,441wereunquestionablycivilians,including156childrenand81womenheldinVernon,B.C.,andSpiritLake.v
6. WhilethefightingstoppedwiththearmisticeonNovember11,1918,someinterneeswerekeptbehindbarbedwireuntilwellinto1920,suchwasthevalueoftheircontinuedforcedlabourtoadepressedCanadianeconomy.Whentheywerefinallyreleased,someinterneesclaimedtheirpersonalpossessionshadbeenstolen.“Thesewerenotbyandlargewealthypeople.Buttheyclearlydidlosesomevaluables.”vi
7. Beforethewar,womenfoughtforgreater
accesstoeducation,andjobopportunities.Canadianwomenalsocampaignedfortherighttovote(suffrage).Womenwontherighttovoteinprovincialelectionsfirst,andthenin1918PrimeMinisterBordenextendedsuffragetomostCanadianwomen.vii
8. WomenwerenotallowedtosignuptofightintheFirstWorldWarassoldiers,sailors,orpilots.Still,morethan3000womenenlistedasnurses.Thesenurses,called“Bluebirds”forthecolouroftheirdresses,tookcareofwoundedanddyingsoldierswithinafewkilometersofthefrontlines.viii
9. Whenmenwenttowar,manywomenassumedsolesupportforfamiliesandoperatedfarmsandbusinesses.Manywerehiredtodoskilledworkinfactories(i.e.makingsuppliesforthewarsuchasweaponsandammunition).ix
10. OnJuly5,1916,theNo.2ConstructionBattalionwasformedinPictou,NovaScotia—thefirstlargeBlackmilitaryunitinCanadianhistory.Recruitmenttookplaceacrossthecountryandmorethan600menwereeventuallyaccepted,mostfromNovaScotia,withotherscomingfromNewBrunswick,Ontario,theWestandevensomefromtheUnitedStates.x
11. ThesegregatedNo.2ConstructionBattalionwastaskedwithnon-combatsupportroles.AfterinitialserviceinCanada,thebattalionboardedtheSSSouthlandboundforLiverpool,EnglandinMarch1917.ItsmembersweresenttoeasternFrancelaterin1917wheretheyservedhonourablywiththeCanadianForestryCorps.Theretheyhelpedprovidethelumberrequiredtomaintaintrenchesonthefrontlines,aswellashelpedconstructroadsandrailways.xi
12. Anestimated2,000BlackCanadians,suchasJamesGrant,RoyFells,SeymourTyler,JeremiahJonesandCurlyChristian,weredeterminedtogettothefrontlinesandmanagedtojoinregularunits,goingontogivedistinguishedservicethatearnedsomeofthemmedalsforbravery.xii
13. Approximately4,000Indigenousmenenlistedfromacrossthecountry,morethananyotherethnicgroup,goingontoserveinthearmy,navyandairforce.Atatime,whenracismwasdeep-rootedandIndigenouspeoplewereconsidered“wardsofthestate,”thiswasnosmallfeat.“Therewereonesthatmadeittothelevelofcolonels,generals,majors,”saysL.JamesDempsey,anassociateprofessorofNativeStudiesattheUniversityofAlberta.xiii
14. Indigenoustroopsleftaremarkablerecordofwartimeaccomplishment.Severalwerecommissionedasofficers,andmanyservedasbattle-hardenedplatoonleadersandcombatinstructors.Atleast50weredecoratedforbraveryonthebattlefield.Manyacquirednear-legendarystatusasscoutsandsnipers,drawingonpre-warhuntingskillsandwildernessexperience.Themostdecorated,CorporalFrancisPegahmagabow,anOjibwafromtheParryIslandBandnearParrySound,Ontario,receivedtheMilitaryMedalandtwobarsforhisbraveryandeffectivenessasasniper.xiv
15. IndigenousrecruitsdidfaceracialprejudicebutalsohadtodealwithamilitarythatwasalmostexclusivelyEnglishspeaking–alanguagemanynativesdidnotspeak.CanadianWarMuseumrecordssuggestthatmostunitsembracedthesesoldiers,however,especiallysinceseveralexcelledintheirmilitaryroles.Somebecameofficers,whileothersservedasplatoonleadersandcombatinstructors.Atleast50weredecoratedforbravery.xv
16. OneBloodIndiancalledBumbleBeeCrowChiefallegedlyshowedupforinspectionwitha“rearrangeduniform.”He’dditchedthebootsformoccasins,shavedthevisoroffhiscaptoseebetter,hadbroughthisowngunandrefusedtocutoffhisbraids.Hewaspromptlydischarged.“Theytookonelookathimandsaid‘Thiswon’tdo.’”xvi
17. WhileIndigenoussoldiersenjoyedmorefreedomsabroadthantheydidinCanada,thingsreturnedtothestatusquooncebackathome.ThefederalgovernmentextendedmanypostwarbenefitstoIndigenousveterans,butnotasmanyasthosegiventoothervets.Allthesacrificesandachievementsonthebattlefielddidnotresultingreaterfreedomsorrights,suchasthevote,forIndigenous.xvii
18. xviii
19. xix
20. xx
21. xxi
22. xxii
23. xxiii
24. xxiv
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