World War 1 Effects On Canada Essay

With the advancement of the economy and settlement due to the formation of the Hudson’s Bay Company to the tedious but substantial process of the creation of Canada’s identity known as the Canadian Confederation, these were just a few events that hugely impacted Canada. However, arguably one of the most influential events in Canada was their mandatory involvement in World War I. With over 600,000 Canadians in the midst of the war, no one could have predicted the disastrous and adverse outcome the four-year long war had on the nation. It was clear that World War I had tremendously impacted Canada politically, economically, and socially.

With politics being one of the major catalysts to the start of WWI, there was no doubt that many stances

Shortly after the war, Canada was in the state of major debt, which added to the fuel of their troubled economy. As stated in the Canadian Encyclopedia, “In 1917 the government's Victory Loan campaign began raising huge sums from ordinary citizens for the first time. Canada's war effort was financed mainly by borrowing. Between 1913 and 1918 the national debt rose from $463 million to $2.46 billion” (First World War WWI). With all this on Canada’s plate, the nation also had to deal with the inconsistent demand for production and employment. There were wartime costs, federal taxes, and more financial policies that were administered which affected the frail economy. This eventually lead to the closing of many factories, cancellation of manufacturing orders, decrease in construction, and more. However, the decrease in employment started to take a turn when the demand for war supplies escalated. Slowly but surely, many workers were needed to produce large amounts of shells, equipment, and more. The war caused Canada’s economy to take a toll which forced them to take action to regain back to a financially stable

As a result, the nation was torn and had to gradually build their way up back to orderly fashion. The main dispute that occurred was the concept of conscription, also known as the Military Service Act. Around late August when the act was passed, all male citizens ranging from the ages 20 to 45 were forced to be involved in the war. Furthermore, around 48,000 men were commissioned to fight overseas and unfortunately, many had suffered. As I witnessed in a World War 1 documentary produced by National Geographic, there were many graphic scenes and disturbing pictures that showed the reality of the war and its results. The men in the war had to face pelting bullets, explosive bombs and even mustard gas poisoning. As quoted by Vera Brittain in her memoir, “I wish those people who talk about going on with this war whatever it costs could see the soldiers suffering from mustard gas poisoning. Great mustard-coloured blisters, blind eyes, all sticky and stuck together, always fighting for breath, with voices a mere whisper, saying that their throats are closing and they know they will choke”. Despite the huge negativity the war had on the people who were involved in the war, there were some triumphs that generated because of WWI. A major event would be the increased focus on women. In 1917, women were now allowed to vote federally as a result of the Wartime Elections Act. In other words, women that were