Contributions from the Canadian homefront (ww2)

1. Contributions from the Canadian homefront (ww2)

2. Rationing • Total War: All industries, materials, and people were put to work for war effort • In 1942 the government set up Wartime Prices and Trade Board • Skilled workers (engineers) came to Canada after the Nazi invasion to help change Canada’s industries to produce war supplies

3. Effects on the Economy • WW2 ended depression, provided Canadians with jobs and brought an economic boom • The total value of Canadian war production was almost $10 billion • During the war Canada produced 11 billion dollars of munitions, 43,000 heavy guns and 16,000 aircrafts

4. Contributions from Women At Home: • Contributed by donating old cookware and other household items • Gave blood and war bonds • It was difficult at the time for women to balance regular household responsibilities with their new roles to contribute to the war effort • -women had to raise children and provide for their families while their husbands were off at war

5. Contributions from Women Continued In Industry: • 570,000 women worked in the Canadian industry at the beginning of the war which increased to 1 million five years later • By the end of the war women proved to everyone that they could take the roles of men and do it well

6. Contributions from Women Woman working at a milling machine in a Cadillac plant, September, 1942.

7. Contributions from Women Female workers manufacturing military uniforms in Ontario. December 1939.

8. Key Figures C.D. Howe • Minister of Munitions and Supply for war • Convinced business people to work for his ministry for a dollar a year to produce war supplies • Howe transformed the Canadian economy and had control over the lives of his workers

9. Key Figures Elsie MacGill • First woman to receive an electrical engineering degree in Canada • First female aircraft designer in the world • She supervised production of fighter planes at the Canadian Car and Foundry Company • Was a role model and symbol of the economic transformation Canada made during war

10. Key Figures Prime Minister Mackenzie King • Promised at the beginning of the war that no one would be forced to fight overseas to avoid another split between the French and English Canadians • He did not want conscription to divide the nation again as it did in World War 1 • The National Resources Mobilization Act (NRMA) was introduced in 1940, which required that all adult males were required to perform military service in Canada

11. In 1942, King held a plebiscite, which allowed citizens to vote on whether or not they were in favour of releasing the government from its promise that it would not introduce conscription • Nine Canadian provinces said yes with 80% of the vote, while the French Canadians were opposed with 72% • In 1944, the army was desperate for more troops overseas, and conscription became necessary • Although the French Canadians were not happy about this, they respected Mackenzie King for trying to prevent conscription

12. Outcomes of the Event Economic Growth • In 1939 the depression and unemployment still occurred in Canada • By 1945, the economy was thriving again • Materials such as aluminum and chemicals, which contributed to the war effort also caused Canada’s industries to expand

13. Outcomes of the Event Continued International Recognition • Canada gained a higher international status as a result of the war • Became a founding member of the United Nations • Canada was slowly beginning to defend human rights, as it was taking in more Holocaust Survivors than any other nation • Overall, Canada became more multicultural as a result of the war

14. Outcomes of the Event Continued Newfound Respect for Women • Instead of just doing housework and taking care of the children, women also had to take roles during WW2 that were traditionally done by men • This change in gender roles took a while to get used to • Ultimately, everyone gained more respect for women because of all the contributions they were able to make to the war effort • It was another step in creating more equality between men and women

15. Works Cited • Canadian Museum of History. "Politics and Government: Conscription." WarMuseum.ca. N.p., 22 Oct. 2009. Web. 19 Apr. 2014. http://www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/exhibitions/newspapers/canadawar/conscription_e.shtml • Government of Canada. "Canada Remembers Women on The Home Front." Veterans Affairs Canada. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2014. http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/those-who-served/women-and-war/history/homefront

16. Smith, Julie. "Wartime Home Front." The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada, 7 Feb. 2006. Web. 10 Apr. 2014. http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/en/article/wartime-home-front/ • Socknat, Thomas P. "Pacifism." The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada, 3 Jan. 2007. Web. 9 Apr. 2014. http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/en/article/pacifism/ • Suderman, Derek. "Peace Perspectives." Mennonite Historical Society of Canada. N.p., 1998. Web. 20 Apr. 2014. http://www.mhsc.ca/index.php?content=http://www.mhsc.ca/mennos/tpeace.html • "The Canadian War Industry." Canada at War. N.p., 17 Sept. 2007. Web. 8 Apr. 2014. http://www.canadaatwar.ca/content-17/world-war-ii/canadian-war-industry/