Canadian lives changed drastically during the early 1900s as their alliance with Britain forced them into the first world war. When it was first introduced men were ecstatic to enlist and join the Canadian military. Many young men considered this to be a great opportunity to be adventurous and heroic individuals and show their nationalism towards Canada. After the first two years their excitement to join the war began to dwindle. Wounded men would come back from the war and tell horrible stories about what life was like and the terrible conditions they were forced to live in. Men would hear these stories and it resulted in them no longer wanting to join the Canadian military. Canada’s Prime Minister during this time, Sir Robert Borden noticed that the casualty rate was higher than …show more content…
It hugely affected the social aspect of people and their personal lives as it impacted families and their stability as well as violating the free will of men and citizens. It also influenced the quality of the military as men were improperly trained and resulted in more fatalities. Conscription left a mark on the economy as well, as women had to step up and fill in the male jobs. This caused the farming industry and the workforce to deplete as they needed more and more women to fill in these positions. Lastly, conscription ended up dividing the Nation into to between the French Canadians and the English Canadians as they both had different views and opinions on conscription. Overall the Conscription Act of 1917 had a detrimental impact on Canada and it is a defining moment in our history as it was so controversial and impacted every Canadian in one way or another. Mandatory recruitment ruined our economy, our society, and weakened our military. Canadians and our Government should learn from these mistakes and not repeat history once