Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King did not want to conscript men during the Second World War. 

Who was opposed to conscription and why?

Almost all French Canadians opposed conscription; they felt that they had no particular loyalty to either Britain or France. Led by Henri Bourassa, they felt their only loyalty was to Canada. English Canadians supported the war effort as they felt stronger ties to the British Empire.

Why did Prime Minister Mackenzie King initially promise not to invoke conscription in WWII?

For his part, the Prime Minister remembered the riots and chaos that erupted in World War I after the government introduced conscription. King was determined to avoid a repeat of the crisis.

Who opposed conscription in ww1 Canada?

The 1917 conscription debate was one of the fiercest and most divisive in Canadian political history. French-Canadians, as well as many farmers, unionized workers, non-British immigrants, and other Canadians, generally opposed the measure.

Who opposed conscription in ww2?

Two decades later, as the threat of a new war in Europe became serious, the question of military conscription again caused lively political debate. However, in March 1939, both the Liberal Party and Conservative Party accepted a program rejecting conscription for possible overseas service.
 

What were arguments for conscription?

Those supporting conscription argued that:

• military service should not be an individual choice.
• the supreme duty a citizen owed to their country was to fight for it.
• the burden of the war must be shared equitably.

Who opposed conscription in Australia?

An Anti-Conscription League was formed and the Women’s Peace Army, a movement driven by the indomitable Vida Goldstein, mounted a fierce campaign against the war and conscription. Outspoken Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne, Daniel Mannix, was also vehement in his opposition to the war and to conscription.
 

Why did Australia not have conscription?

Many people thought positively of conscription as a sign of loyalty to Britain and thought that it would also support those men who were already fighting. However, trade unions feared that their members might be replaced by cheaper foreign or female labour and so opposed conscription.

Why should conscription not be allowed?

Conscription merely serves to have convenient cannon fodder for imminent war. Governments should instead work on cutting military spending and provide their citizens with basic necessities such as healthcare, housing and food. Such is the benefit of the so-called ‘peace dividend. ‘

Why was conscription opposed in Australia?

They argued that conscription was the ultimate form of state tyranny. It would introduce the same kind of militarist oppression Australians were supposedly fighting against in France.

Who went to Canada to avoid the draft?

Deserters. An estimated one thousand deserters fled to Canada to avoid more service in the Vietnam War.

Who was against conscription in Canada?

Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the Liberal leader, opposed it. Henri Bourassa, an important Quebec nationalist, was also against it. Borden’s government passed the Military Service Act on 20 September 1917. All male citizens between ages 20 and 45 could be conscripted.
 

Who was exempt from conscription in ww1?

Conscription introduced



In January 1916 the Military Service Act was passed. This imposed conscription on all single men aged between 18 and 41, but exempted the medically unfit, clergymen, teachers and certain classes of industrial worker.

Why did farmers oppose conscription?

The farmers believed that conscription would aggravate the problem caused by the pressure recruiting officers were putting on rural areas by depriving the countryside of the strong men needed for farm labour.

Who avoids conscription?

Draft avoidance



Claiming conscientious objector status on the basis of sincerely held religious or ethical beliefs. Claiming a student deferment, when one is in school primarily in order to study and learn. Claiming a medical or psychological problem, if the purported health issue is genuine and serious.

Who was against conscription in Canada?

Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the Liberal leader, opposed it. Henri Bourassa, an important Quebec nationalist, was also against it. Borden’s government passed the Military Service Act on 20 September 1917. All male citizens between ages 20 and 45 could be conscripted.
 

Who opposed the draft?

The earliest resisters were primarily from religious groups, including the Quakers, who arrived in the 1650s; the Mennonites, including the Amish and Hutterites (1683); and the Brethren (1719).

Who Cannot be drafted?

The Vice-President of the United States, the Judges of the various Courts of the Untied States, the heads of the various executive departments of the Government, and the Governors of the several States. 2.

Who dodged the Vietnam draft?

The large cohort of Baby Boomers allowed for a steep increase in the number of exemptions and deferments, especially for college and graduate students. More than half of the 27 million men eligible for the draft during the Vietnam War were deferred, exempted or disqualified.