Please Note! This particular section of Mapleleafweb is outdated and is in the process of being updated and migrated to the new version of Maple Leaf Web. Maple Leaf Web makes no guarantee that the information below is up to date and or correct.
Please update your bookmarks and thank you for your patience. Please contact us if you have any questions or comments
|
|
|
Historical SignificanceThe 1917 was remarkable because of the extreme French-English divide. The Conservative/Union popular vote in Quebec fell below 40% for the first time since Confederation. Laurier’s Liberal government of 1896-1908 had proven that a moderate approach to politics could bring unity to Canada. However, the conscription crisis of 1917 blew open the French-English debate once again. There were several aspects that made 1917 one of Canada’s most important elections: Women get the voteThe Military Voters Act enfranchised all those who were members of the military service. That meant that Canada’s military nurses overseas, called The Bluebirds, became the first women to vote in a Canadian federal election. The Wartime Elections Act also enfranchised close female relatives of persons in active service overseas, which meant that some women back in Canada also got to vote. Women’s Suffragist organizations had been lobbying for the vote since 1915. They felt that women’s substantial contributions to the war effort should allow them to vote. By 1919, the franchise for women in federal elections was extended to all non-native Canadian women who were over age 21 and British subjects. The Military Voters Act and Vote DistributionBorden explained the motivation behind the Military Voters Act (as well as the Wartime Elections Act) as an attempt to let military servicemen and women vote on an issue that was of great importance to them. However, one aspect of the Military Voters Act was that overseas voters could simply vote for a party, rather than a candidate in a specific riding. The party could then distribute that vote to whichever riding is felt was in its best interests. This allowed the Unionists to distribute their votes into closely contested ridings. This vote distribution was the direct cause of Unionist victories in 14 ridings. The Unionists were accused of gerrymandering and corrupt politics. The Party System in CanadaParty politics in Canada had evolved into a complex system that had connections across racial, religious, and linguistic lines. Both the Liberals and Conservatives had support in both French and English Canada. The 1917 election broke that down. It was clear that the Liberals and French Canadians were opposing the Unionists and English Canadians. Although Liberal support elsewhere in Canada would recover, the Conservatives would only occasionally regain their support in Quebec, and then only for brief periods of time. This election put Quebec in the Liberal camp, giving them a huge advantage over the next several decades of Canadian politics. Next>>
|
|
© 2001-2006 Maple
Leaf Web. |
