Canadas Defining Moments essays

Canada's Defining Moments essays In this essay, three of Canadas most defining moments will be defined. A compulsary military service, the election of a Prime Minister, and the turning point for Canada in World War I. These three events are considered to be the most defining moments in the past one hundred years of Canadas history. Outlined is the Conscription Crisis. Pierre Elliot Trudeau, and The Battle of Vimy Ridge. Although there are many events that have helped shape Canadian history, these three have stood out to be the most significant. In 1917, Canadian soldiers were being killed during World War I. The British Army at the time, was relying heavily on Canadian and Austrailian soldiers and the casualties were outnumbering the new enlistments. Prime Minister Borden realized they needed help desperately so he introduced the concept of conscription in 1917. Although it was strongly opposed by many, Borden would not back down. The Military Service Act was passed in August and all men between nineteen and fourty-five wouldhave to enlist. Conscription did not take effect immidiately so Borden did everything in his power to find out if the country supported conscription. Therefore he formed a Union Government and called for a federal election. In 1917, Borden' government passed the Wartime Elections Act which extended the federal vote to women for the first time. The vote only went to nurses at the front and to the wives, sisters and mothers of soldiers. They were of course, all in support of conscription. Con scription in WWI was a defining moment because, although it was strongly supported in Ontario, BC, and the Maritimes, Quebec was adamantly opposed and it divided the country sharply along cultural lines. The effects of conscription the riots the legislation caused in Montreal, and the deep cultural rift it left in its wake helped to define future English French relations in Canada. ...