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Reputable Canadian Air Force
In 1914 flight was at its infancy and flighting a plane without crashing it was a great advancement. Pilots like Billy Bishop made it possible for Canada to create a reputation of a respectable Air Force. This was huge progress. -
Aboriginals and People of Colour in WW1
The minority joining the War was a great social-political advancement. Examples of people who achieved great things are Pegahmagabow (was awarded 3 military medals) and Jeremiah Jones (received a nomination for a Distinguished Conduct Medal for saving his unit from enemy machine gun nest).
However, after the war, these fierce warriors were seen just by their ethnic backgrounds and still suffered discrimination. -
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War Artists
During WW1 various artists had the opportunity to improve their skills, create a name for themselves and record the war through beautiful and detailed art pieces that today are considered primary sources of the history of WW1. This was great social progress. -
Women’s joining the Workforce and the right to vote
During the WW1 Many Women had to join the labour force to take place of the men who were serving at the WW1. In 1917 PM Burden passed the Wartime Elections Act which allowed female relatives of soldiers serving in the war to vote. However, these measures very, unfortunately, did not affect women of colour. This was a good advancement, but it was only a first step in the fight of equality free of discrimination and racism. This was good social-political progress. -
Conscription
In 1917 the government needed more soldiers to serve in the war to replace all the injured and deceased soldiers. At that time society did not think that going to war was exciting anymore. So, PM Burden enacted the Military Service Act which made mandatory to men aged 20-45 to enlist with the army. This created great resentment and anger against the government and it also created a greater restrain in the relationship between English and French Canadians. This was a decline. -
Discrimination Against Immigrants
In 1917 the same act that gave women the right to vote was the one who took away the right to vote of the people who were born in enemy countries. These people suffered a lot of discrimination and injustices, such as working arduously and under horrible conditions in the Internment Camps. Also, after WW1 the high unemployment caused great discrimination against the immigrants. This was a great social-political decline. -
Post Wartime Economy
During the war, some Businesses and Industries could grow. However, when the war was over the economy was sluggish, the cost of living was high and so was unemployment. This was a economical decline. -
Countless Casualities
During WW1 Countless lives were taken away. By the end of the war counting only Canadian lives, 61,000 people died and another 172,000 were wounded. This was a great social decline. -
Prohibition
In the War Measurement act, the government also enacted the prohibition, which prohibited the making and selling of liquor. This was a decline because the citizens felt they were being controlled by the government. Violence often went hand in hand with prohibition and many people resorted to other drugs to compensate for not being able to consume alcohol. This was a social decline. -
A More Autonomous Canada
After WW1 Canada became more autonomous. It assumed a cautious role in the newly established League of Nations and 1926 it was established that all the Dominions would be “autonomous communities within the British empire equal in status…though united in a common allegiance to the Crown.” This was a great advancement, and, in this aspect, you could say the war was great social-political progress.
