Canada and WWI

  • Canada enters WWI

    Canada became an integral part of the British Empire which fostered national pride but not without raising questions of inequality.
  • Employment boom in munitions factories

    The war provided countless jobs - particularly for women , which helped the economy and more importantly changed the normative behaviours surrounding gender.
  • Nursing Sisters at the front

    Women who served in close proximity to the frontlines demonstrated great courage and leadership and were able to change the public perception of the capacity of women.
  • Conscription Crisis

    The conscription of military services split English-speaking and French-speaking Canadians leading to protests and divisions that lasted beyond the war.
  • Halifax Explosion

    One of the largest explosions ever created by humans; almost 2000 killed, and the city was destroyed.
  • Battle of Vimy Ridge

    Considered a tipping point for the identity of Canada, the four divisions participated together and won.
  • Military Voters Act & Wartime Elections Act

    Extended the right to vote to military members and their female relatives, however, removed voting rights for enemy aliens.
  • Women gain federal right to vote

    Major step in equality: women could now vote federally, moving toward a more democratic society.
  • Period: to

    Spanish Flu Pandemic

    Killed more Canadians than the war itself. It fractured coping systems and devastated families.
  • Return of Soldiers and Veteran Benefits

    Veterans received some land and some assistance, which helped with reintegration for veterans, yet often unequally.