Canada and the Mobilization of Manpower during the Second World War

Abstract

This chapter recounts Canada's efforts to raise armed forces between 1939 and 1945, which have been shaped by the memory of political and social differences between English- and French-speaking Canadians over whether the federal government should compel men to serve outside their country in times of war. It mentions the imposition of the conscription that led to a divisive wartime election and major cleavages between the two linguistic groups. It also details how the Canadian Army, Royal Canadian Navy (RCN), and Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) ultimately expanded in sizes after 1939. The chapter explains how the expansion of Canada's army played a role in the country's contribution to the global population during and after the conflict. It explains why civilian bureaucracy that mobilized men and women for the armed forces and other tasks did not constitute the comprehensive, forward-thinking blueprint for managing Canada's manpower resources.