Artifact 2 : Anti-conscription parade at Victoria Square
Citation :
Anti-conscription parade at Victoria Square. Photograph. Library and Archives Canada, Item ID number : 3193206. https://recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/home/record?idnumber=3193206&app=fonandcol
Label :
In spite of the efforts made in the recruitment campaigns, French Canadians didn’t enroll as much as the government hoped they would. In fact, they did not feel attached to France either, but believed in a separate French Canadian identity. Most French Canadians didn’t see why they should get involved in defending countries that they don’t relate to. Moreover, the economy in Quebec was mostly relying on agriculture, which means that people, especially sons, needed to stay to help their family. This artifact is a photograph that was taken at Victoria Square in 1917. On May 24th, 1917, a parade was organized in Montreal to protest against, among other concerns, the implementation of a mandatory military service. Indeed, Quebec was in the majority against this legislation in comparison with the rest of Canada. This is an example showcasing the division between British and French Canadians regarding Canada’s involvement in the war. The people protesting in Montreal were trying to make their discontentment heard in an already tense climate within the “two Canadas”.
Bibliography :
Trouillard, Stéphanie. “The scars World War I left on French Canadians”. France24. April 3, 2014. https://www.france24.com/en/20140403-quebec-world-war-one-conscription-crisis-canada