The+War+at+Home

=War At Home =

If You Were in Charge
War is a difficult time in a country's history. Suppose that you were a government official at the time of World War I, the Great War. How would you answer each of these questions? Choose either Yes, No, or Unsure.

 In a time of war, should the government be able to...

 1. Force able-bodied men to join the armed forces?  2. Put citizens born in the enemy country into work camps?  3. Introduce new taxes to pay for war supplies and weapons?  4. Reduce school hours so that boys can help work on farms?  5. Have control over what's printed in newspapers?  6. Use propaganda (one-sided information) to support its views?  7. Reduce or limit citizens' personal freedoms?  8. Limit the amount of food people could have at home?  9. Bar some groups from the armed forces because of their ethnic origin?  10. Give military manufacturing contracts to friends of officials?

 As we tackle the rest of this unit, compare your survey answers with what the Canadian government actually did in the war years.

 Activity
<span style="background-color: #c3e7e7; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> 1. Compare your answers with those of other students. Discuss how and why government powers differ between peacetime and wartime. <span style="background-color: #c3e7e7; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> 2. If Canada went to war tomorrow, which government powers on this list do you think would be introduced? Which of these powers do you oppose? Why?

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Government Actions to Support the War
<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Ethel Chadwick was a fairly well off young woman living in Ottawa when the Great War began. Like many of the soldiers during WW1, she kept a detailed diary. But her notes were a personal record of the home front, filled with her opinions and her social activities. In August 1914, Ethel's social connections got her a seat in the public galleries as a special "War Parliament" was underway in Ottawa. There, she heard the War Measures Act introduced.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> The War Measures Act gave strong powers to the prime minister and Cabinet and limited the freedoms of civilians. It said that in a state of emergency (the war), Prime Minister Robert Borden and his government ministers could <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">legally make laws without having to debate them and pass them through Parliament. The War Measures Act also allowed officials to arrest and imprison people without charging them with any offence. Furthermore, people born in enemy countries could be deported without trial.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> The Great War cost Canada about a million dollars a day. Prime Minister Borden knew that large amounts of money, food, and weapons were needed, so he used the War Measures Act to ensure that Canadian citizens participated in the war effort. For example, in 1917, a "temporary" income tax of 3 percent was applied to people with a certain level of income. There had never been an income tax in Canada before this. Here are other ways the government directed the war on the home front:

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> - The government issued War Savings Stamps and Victory Bonds with good interest rates. People could buy the stamps and bonds, with the money going toward the war effort, and then cash them in after the war.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> - The government formed the Canada Food Board to direct food production and consumption. People were asked to ration (limit to a fixed amount) their food so that there would be more to send to the troops overseas. The board set fines for hoarding food.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Interesting fact....
<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Daylight Savings Time (in which the clocks "spring forward" and "fall back" one hour) began during World War I to save energy and use the light of the sun. Germany was the first to enact it, followed by Britain, much of Europe, Canada, and the U.S.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">- The government took more control over newspapers, and used them for propaganda (messages sent out to the public to promote a cause). It could also stop papers from printing stories it didn't want the public to read. That practice is called censorship.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> - The government used propaganda and advertising to get citizens to support the war. Posters and famous spokespeople such as ace pilot Billy Bishop were used.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> - The government issued large contracts to manufacturers through the Imperial Munitions Board. They were to produce weapons, ammunition, and war materials for the Allies.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Dig Deeper!
<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Finance and War Production

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Questions
<span style="background-color: #c3e7e7; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> 3. Review the above list. Choose the two most important ways the government directed the war on the home front. Explain your choices.

<span style="background-color: #c3e7e7; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> 4. a)Do you think the War Measures Act gave the prime minister and Cabinet too much power? Explain your opinion.

<span style="background-color: #c3e7e7; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> b) What additional powers, if any, would you need if you were governing Canada during a state of emergency today?