Military Service Act

A Dictionary of Contemporary World History | 2004 | 700+ words | Copyright

Military Service Act (Canada) Passed on 29 August 1917, it introduced military conscription overseas as voluntary recruitment proved insufficient to supply the Canadian forces in World War I with enough troops. The actual effect of the Act was limited, as less than 25,000 conscripts actually arrived in Europe. However, it deeply split Canadian society between English-speakers broadly supportive of the measure, and French-speakers fundamentally opposed to the idea of being compelled to die for the British Empire. It split both political parties, but proved infinitely more harmful to the Conservative Party (Progressive Conservative Party). Their leaders Borden and Meighen were responsible for drafting the Act, and they were subsequently unable to form a government sustained by a stable majority.

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JAN PALMOWSKI. "Military Service Act." A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JAN PALMOWSKI. "Military Service Act." A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O46-MilitaryServiceAct.html

JAN PALMOWSKI. "Military Service Act." A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. 2004. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O46-MilitaryServiceAct.html

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