Artifact 4 : Election results from 1917

Citation : 

“Election results from 1917.” Image. Valour Canada. Military History Library, Domestic. https://valourcanada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/191720Election_inset5.jpg

Label :

In 1917, Canadians voted in the federal election to choose the members of the House of Commons. It was a pivotal event for Canada’s involvement in the war. The biggest issue at stake was the division over the Conscription which had been implemented earlier in the same year. Two figures were facing each other : Prime Minister Robert Borden's Unionist government, which supported conscription, and Sir Wilfrid Laurier's Liberal Party, which opposed it. The Union Government was created by Borden to bring the opposition on his side and try to make them accept the Conscription in exchange for seats. However, the results of the election demonstrate once again the lack of national unity and a very clear political division within the Canadian population. The Liberal Party only obtained a majority of seats in Quebec, and the Unionists (Union and Conservatives) obtained a majority in English-speaking provinces, reflecting the linguistic gap. This election is often labelled as the “Khaki election”, reflecting the similarities between the war that was happening in Europe and the clash in Canada.

Bibliography :

“Election of 1917 : Military Service Act.” Valour Canada. July 18, 2019. Last modified February 2, 2020. https://valourcanada.ca/military-history-library/election-of-1917-military-service-act/

Foot, Richard et al. “Election of 1917.” The Canadian Encyclopedia. August 12, 2005. Last modified March 19, 2020. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/election-of-1917