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Enemy Aliens
-1 Tensions during the war were extremely high, especially towards those who had Austro-Hungarian or German descent. These people were called enemy aliens. Other civilians were concerned that they would be spies, so the government made them report to the police regularly, they would also send them to camps to do labour for extremely low wages. The government had promised them the money they had earned after the war, but most never got their money. -
Women's Suffrage
+1. The right to vote for women came in three phases, first for women who served as nurses, second for women who had family serving in the war, and finally women over 21. With women in the workplace and gaining the right to vote, they now had much more political presence. Unfortunately, many of those arguing for women’s rights were prejudiced against most others, which is why this is a +1. Asian women got the right to vote in 1948 and First Nations women in 1960. -
Conscription Crisis
-1. During the midst of the war, Canadian soldiers were struggling and needed support. The number of people willing to voluntarily enlist was extremely low as they had all already enlisted and everyone now knew about the actuality of war, so the government created the Military Service Act, which forced all males between 25-45 to enlist. I put this in a -1 because around 90% requested an exemption as well as how much this issue divided English Canadians and French Canadians. -
The Spanish Influenza
Spanish Influenza was a virus that appeared in 1918. It spread to Canada through returning soldiers, killing between 20 and 100 million worldwide, an accurate count was hard during the war. The government closed any service that wasn't essential leaving many without jobs. The flu left many struggling, households lost their income, parents lost their children, children lost their parents, and soldiers struggled in the last stretch of war with a lack of resources, which is why I put this at a –2. -
First Nations Veterans
-2 In 1919 Lt. F.O. Loft made the League of Indians in Canada to fight for indigenous rights. In the war many indigenous soldiers were very skilled, unfortunately only some got recognition. Because of how they performed the superintendent of general Indian affairs wrote a letter of recommendation for them. Even with the letter the government still sought to stop them from gaining rights, and went as far as giving away indigenous veterans' land to non-indigenous veterans. That's why this is a -2. -
The Group of Seven
+2. In the 1920s seven friends got together and created a group of artists, though they had been painting together long before. Many people weren’t aware of Canada’s natural beauty, and the group of 7 wanted to try and preserve that beauty of untouched lands through their art. Members usually went into the wilderness to paint, often in dangerous conditions. I am putting this event at a +2 because they were considered the first national art movement and had a huge influence on Canadian art. -
First Nations Children and Residential Schools
In 1920 the government made residential schools required, which were made to assimilate first nations peoples. Children were taken from their homes and forced into these schools and treated horribly. They were punished for practicing their culture. For punishments, they would be beaten and burned with coal. Thousands of children were mentally, physically and sexually abused in these schools. Thousands of children died and were put in mass unmarked graves in these schools. I've put this at a -2 -
Frederick Banting
+1. Frederick Banting is the co-maker of insulin. During the war, when he was in the med corps, he was awarded the military cross because he treated a wounded soldier for 16 hours despite also being wounded. Post-war, he worked at the university of western Ontario, where he got the idea for insulin. After creating it he later sold the patent for $1, with the promise profits would be used for more research. The discovery of insulin has helped millions of people worldwide. I’ve put this at a +1 -
Fanny "Bobbie" Rosenfeld, Canadian Athlete
Fanny “Bobbie” Rosenfeld was a natural athlete from a young age. She took part in many sports, like basketball, tennis, softball, lacrosse and hockey. While she was in many teams, Rosenfeld’s popularity rose when she beat Rosa Grosse, a Canadian champion, in a race. Rosenfeld’s popularity and talent encouraged many women to start entering sports even when doctors said that it harmed their chances of getting pregnant and discouraged them. She was a role model for young girls. I've put this at +1 -
The Famous Five
+1. The Famous 5 were a group of women that challenged a law that stated women weren’t people regarding politics. When people called for Emily Murphy to be on the senate it was denied as she was a woman, so she fought it alongside 4 other women. After several tries, they got the law appealed. Eventually, in 1930, the first woman senator was appointed. I put this at +1.