CANADA S HOMEFRONT DURING WWII TOTAL WAR
What was the Total War Policy? This Canadian policy stated that all of Canada s industries, materials, and people were to concentrate and focus on the war effort. In 1939, Canada immediately initiated the War Measures Act. The powers granted allowed for the government to create a total war society.
The Total War Policy Affected: 1. Training and Recruitment 2. Propaganda 3. Economy and Financing of the war 4. Supplies and Wartime Production 5. Canada/USA Relations 6. General Lifestyles
1. TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT In 1939, Canada s military had: Less than 4,000 sailors, less than 10,000 soldiers, less than 5,000 pilots/aircrew By 1943, they had: (estimated) 75,000 sailors, Over 480,000 soldiers, over 300,000 pilots and aircrew. How did this happen?
A) Propaganda
B) British Commonwealth Air Training Program (BCATP) Graduated over 120 000 people from Commonwealth countries and others Majority (55%) were Canadian $2 billion dollar cost billion dollar university of the air 856 deaths while training
C) CAMP X- Spy Training Facility Operated in Oshawa from 1941-1946 Training camp responsible for training recruits for the Special Operations Executive of the British Security Coordination during World War II (#103) Forerunner of CIA
D) Conscription Crisis: Part II To be continued
Posters Roughly 700 different propaganda posters were created by the Canadian government. New media: Radio, Film Walt Disney created various films for the war effort (watch clips) Corporations Newspapers 2. Propaganda
Propaganda also included: Comic books Johnny Canuck was a cartoon hero created in 1869, later reinvented as a WWII action hero Celebrities Mary Pickford- movie star Conn Smythe- owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs, builder of Maple Leaf Gardens; he also served in both world wars
3. Economy and Financing the War Who was responsible for the war s financing? C.D. Howe Minister of Munitions and Supply Canada s unemployment rate in 1939 ------ 11.4 in 1945 ------ 1.6
Government and the Economy The war launched Canada out of the depression and into an economic boom. C.D. Howe, minister of munitions and supply, quickly organized Canada s war economy, he assumed near dictatorial powers telling businessmen what they would produce including how much and how fast. Canada became an industrial power, new factories were built, and old ones adapted for war purposes. Factories churned out thousands of guns, ships, fighter planes and military vehicles.
C.D. HOWE S ACCOMPLISHMENTS Canada became an industrial power actually becoming one of the largest industrialized countries in the world WWI war productions = $1 billion WWII war productions = $3.7 billion Production expanded rapidly: by 1942, Canada was producing more than 4,000 aircraft a year. So heavily involved in the war effort at home, that he was nicknamed, Minister of Everything
Wartime Prices and The Trade Board Prime Minister Mackenzie King was determined to avoid the problems of greed and inflation which had plagued the Canadian political landscape during the first World War The government set up the Wartime Prices and Trade Board (WPTB) to control prices and supervise the distribution of food and other scarce goods.
Rationing: A Little Goes a Long Way! To ensure there was a large enough supply to meet both military and civilian needs, certain staple goods were rationed. Rationed Items Included: Gas, Sugar, Meat, Butter, Tea, Coffee, Gasoline, Tires (rubber), Clothing Fabric and Silk Examples: - Limited to 545 litres of gas - Silk stockings hard to find as it was needed for parachutes
Financing the War: Taxes and Victory Bonds The Canadian Government did raise taxes during the Second World War to help offset the cost of financing the war. The increased revenue from higher taxes accounted for about one-half of all war-related expenses. To help pay for the rest, the Canadian government turned to an old idea: Victory Loans drives. In exchange for lending the government money, individuals and corporations were given the government s written promise to repay the money with interest. The government conducted nine Victory Loan drives between June 1941 and October 1945. These campaigns raised nearly $12 billion by the end of the war.
The federal government borrowed heavily by selling VICTORY BONDS to citizens. By buying bonds, Canadians helped to finance the war effort.
4. SUPPLIES AND WARTIME Major supplier for England PRODUCTION Second largest producer of wheeled vehicles (800 000. more than all Axis powers combined) Half of Commonwealth army transportation units were Canadian. The British Official History referred to these vehicles as Canada's most important contribution to Allied victory. Approximately 16,000 aircrafts were built in Canada. Perhaps no Canadian contribution to the Allied war effort was so vital as that made by the metals industries: half of Allied aluminum and ninety percent of Allied nickel was supplied by Canadian sources during the war. Industry increase by 47% between 1940-1942
Canadian Production 1939-1945 Aircraft 16 000 Rifles 900 000 Military Vehicles 815 000 Merchant Ships 410 Landing Craft 3 302 Navy Tugs 254 Tanks 6 500 Escort Ships 487 Machine Guns 244 000
5. Canada/USA Relations Even before the USA entered the war, Canada and the USA had a strong bond. F.D. Roosevelt declared in 1938, The United States would not stand idly by if domination of Canadian soil was threatened by another empire. Canada and the USA began pooling military supplies and began sharing military secrets Roosevelt, King, and Churchill (Aug. 1943)
6. General Lifestyles German POW s were imprisoned in Canada Air raid drills and practices in B.C regularly Some B.C. area students sometimes put on gas masks to prepare for an attack National Film Board created in 1939. Largely as a propaganda tool News coverage of the war made up 20% of CBC radio Canadian and British loyalty encouraged in the classrooms People were encouraged to plant victory gardens Once again Canada was faced with the issue of Conscription