Impact of the First World War on Canada’s unity

World War I, which involved more than 30 nations, was one of the worst wars in the history of humanity, mostly because of the introduction of new military technologies and trench warfare. Canada made no exception, as it was the deadliest conflict in its history. In addition to causing the death of more than 60,000 Canadian soldiers, the country had to deal with another unintended consequence. Indeed, WWI also highlighted and reignited an internal conflict that had never been resolved : the division between Quebec and "the rest of Canada." This divide can be traced back to before Canada was even officially created, after France’s loss of Quebec to the British. When a situation calls for a single national decision, this lack of internal cohesion keeps coming up, which frequently results in French Canadian voices being ignored or silenced. Canada had to fight overseas, but it was also fighting within its own territory. Here, in a conflict as significant as WWI, the debate over the level of involvement Canada should pursue caused French Canadian voices to be marginalized in favor of the dominant British Canadian perspective. This exhibit seeks to challenge the portrayal of Canada as a unified single nation by highlighting the divergence of opinions and visions regarding WWI, an important moment in Canadian history. Its purpose is to demonstrate the extent of this almost forced involvement of French Canadians in the war, whose voices were overlooked as if they were not representing a part of the country. To point out the reciprocity of this feeling of division and the omnipresence of the conflict in all shapes and forms, a variety of sources were purposefully chosen.. The selection of artifacts reflects this disagreement and reveals the difficulty French Canadians experienced in having their voices heard and their presence taken into consideration. It is crucial to acknowledge how this internal conflict influences numerous historical occurrences in Canada since it is a major problem that affects many other challenges the country faces. In essence, this digital exhibit will illustrate how Canada’s involvement in World War I resulted in divisions within the population based on war-related disagreements between French and British Canadians.