The Pros And Cons Of Conscription
Conscription, involuntary labor demanded by an established authority (Brown). Is it socially correct to force someone into military service, or should everyone be given a choice on what they want to do with their lives? Well in 1917, the Prime Minister of Canada, Sir Robert Borden, had promised Canadians that he would not introduce overseas conscription to citizens at any cost (Bain). Nevertheless in May 1917, Borden took back his promise and introduced the Military Services Act (Le Canada- A People’s History). On August 29 1917 under the Military Services Act, conscription became law in Canada to all able-bodied men between the ages of 18-45 (Jones, and Granatstein). Robert Borden later introduced temporary income tax under the War Tax Act
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They were all dominions of the British Empire. Canada was fighting for Britain and not itself, because Canada was still legally bound to the British Empire and later considered a member of the British Commonwealth of Nations (Bain). Robert Borden had to keep his promise, seeing that the Mother Country was the biggest power in the world at that time, with the support of many dominions around the world. Upsetting the Mother Country would not be pleasant and Borden wanted to keep the good relationship which Canada had established with the big powers. Moreover, Borden saw conscription as a last resort to fulfill Canada’s troop commitments to the Mother Country. The Prime Minister believed that Canadians would understand his motives, but unfortunately, only the English-Canadians understood (Bain). They felt strong ties to Britain, whereas French-Canadians felt no special tie to either Britain or France. The Mother Country was in charge of all dominions, and Robert Borden knew that breaking a promise made to them would only negatively impact Canada. Canada would have no one to turn to if war was declared against them, because almost all countries were ruled by the British Empire. If anything, all countries would declare war against them, because a war for the British Empire meant a war for all its dominions. If that were to happen, Canada would be isolated and there would be no way out from the trouble made. Borden concluded that it would definitely be wiser to send conscripts overseas to fight for Britain and risk their lives than that of a whole
They were all dominions of the British Empire. Canada was fighting for Britain and not itself, because Canada was still legally bound to the British Empire and later considered a member of the British Commonwealth of Nations (Bain). Robert Borden had to keep his promise, seeing that the Mother Country was the biggest power in the world at that time, with the support of many dominions around the world. Upsetting the Mother Country would not be pleasant and Borden wanted to keep the good relationship which Canada had established with the big powers. Moreover, Borden saw conscription as a last resort to fulfill Canada’s troop commitments to the Mother Country. The Prime Minister believed that Canadians would understand his motives, but unfortunately, only the English-Canadians understood (Bain). They felt strong ties to Britain, whereas French-Canadians felt no special tie to either Britain or France. The Mother Country was in charge of all dominions, and Robert Borden knew that breaking a promise made to them would only negatively impact Canada. Canada would have no one to turn to if war was declared against them, because almost all countries were ruled by the British Empire. If anything, all countries would declare war against them, because a war for the British Empire meant a war for all its dominions. If that were to happen, Canada would be isolated and there would be no way out from the trouble made. Borden concluded that it would definitely be wiser to send conscripts overseas to fight for Britain and risk their lives than that of a whole