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Deqa Y.
Vancouver, British Columbia
Vancouver Heritage Fair
Forced to War
My project is about the conscription crisis in Canada of 1917. Conscription was introduced in 1917 by former Prime Minister Robert Borden and the Canadian government.
What was the most interesting thing you learned about your topic?
The most interesting but horrible thing I learned about conscription was that it was bigoted and unfair. Conscription discriminated against French Canadians. The French Canadians were the first ones to be drafted and forced to war not the British Canadians.
What important lessons have you learned that you want to share with other Canadians?
The lessons I've learned are that conscription was necessary but not far. Also surprisingly conscription only lasted for one year. I've also learned that conscription isn't a great part of Canadian history and its difficult to research.
How would you compare your life today to the lives of those studied in your project?
Thousands of families and soldiers were affected by conscription, and conscription was horrible. My life compared to people who were living in World War 1 is great. I don't have to worry about if I'm ever going to see my family again so really my life is a breeze.