Canada’s Homefront
The Second World War was a time of great upheaval, not just for the soldiers who were fighting in Europe but also for those at home. Hundreds of thousands of Canadians took part in the war without ever leaving Canada, supporting war industries and the defence of Canada. In Canada’s Homefront we explore what these Canadians were doing.
When war started in 1939, Canada was unprepared. Bases had to be quickly established across Canada to train the influx of new recruits. As the war grew, so did the dangers at home. Canada had vast resources of food and raw materials that were badly for the war ravaged British people. To get to the United Kingdom, great convoys of ships would leave from Atlantic Canada. But this brought the feared German Uboats to the east coast who sunk many ships within sight of the shoreline.
In cities across Canada hundreds of thousands of people were now employed in war factories, producing supplies for the Allied forces. With so many men away at war, women were also allowed into the workforce in a way they had never been before. But while some Canadians gained new freedoms, others were denied them. Thousands of Japanese-Canadians were forced into internment camps after the surprise attack at Pearl Harbour. These Canadians had their homes and possessions seized by the government and were forced to live in cramped and uncomfortable conditions. The Second World War was a time of great change, both for those who fought in it and for those who stayed at home.
