They were conscripting Canadian soldiers to join war ecause they did not have enough.
•This predicament started in early 1917 right down to the end of the war. World War I broke out in 1914 and Canada, as a collaborator of Great Britain, involuntarily found itself in the scrimmage.
There are many cons, for one, trying to pass conscription laws was very hard and caused stress for Canada's leaders at the time.
J.-E Caron has written: 'Conscription and agriculture' -- subject(s): World War, 1914-1918, Conscription Crisis, 1917, Agriculture, Food supply
This exerpt comes from Wikipedia under the heading of The Conscription Crisis of 1944. There was a conscription crisis in World War 1 too.*****The Conscription Crisis of 1944 was a political and military crisis following the introduction of forced military service in Canada during World War II. It was similar to the Conscription Crisis of 1917, but was not as politically damaging. Because conscription was declared late in the war, only 2463 conscripted men reached the front lines. Out of these, 79 lost their lives.****So of the men who were drafted in 1944 to fulfill the needs for more troops most remained on the home front. You can see by the excerpt above that very few went to the front lines. It took 9 men to support and supply 1 warrior on the fighting front. So the drafted men ended up being in support and some were trained to fight but the war ended soon after they were ready to fight the Nazis.
The Conscription Crisis of 1917 in Canada arose during World War I when the government introduced mandatory military service to address dwindling volunteer numbers. This decision sparked intense political and social conflict, particularly between English-speaking Canadians, who largely supported conscription, and French-speaking Canadians, who opposed it due to a sense of alienation and differing national loyalties. The crisis deepened divisions within Canadian society and had lasting effects on national unity, ultimately influencing political dynamics and responses to future military conflicts.
The Girl and the Crisis - 1917 was released on: USA: 26 February 1917
The Mexican Crisis - 1917 was released on: USA: 20 January 1917
Quacky Doodles' Food Crisis - 1917 was released on: USA: 12 March 1917
During World War I, Canada introduced conscription in 1917 through the Military Service Act, which mandated military service for men aged 20 to 45. Approximately 400,000 men were conscripted, but only about 100,000 actually served overseas, as many sought exemptions or were unable to fulfill their service obligations. The introduction of conscription was controversial and led to significant political and social unrest in Canada.
Conscription in Canada during the First World War was highly controversial, and many disagreed with it passionately, and some, violently. In Canada, this is referred to as the Conscription Crisis of 1917.
Many French Canadians also opposed conscription in 1917.
Unionists supported conscription in 1917 primarily to strengthen the British war effort during World War I, as they believed it was essential for maintaining loyalty to the British Crown and ensuring the defeat of Germany. They saw conscription as a means to mobilize more soldiers from Ireland to fight, thereby demonstrating their commitment to the union with Britain. Additionally, many unionists viewed conscription as a way to counter nationalist sentiments and reinforce British identity in Ireland.