Race and Recruitment in World War I: Enlistment of Visible Minorities in the Canadian Expeditionary Force

Abstract

CONTEMPORARIES CALLED IT 'the war to end all wars' and 'the war to make the world safe for democracy.' During it, women throughout the North Atlantic world stepped forcefully into public affairs; subject populations in central Europe emerged into national self-determination; the proletariat triumphed beyond the Eastern front. But if World War • has thus been deemed 'progressive,' whatever its horrible cost, it was not intended as a liberal social instrument. For example, the relations between categories of people termed 'races' were regarded as immutable, and therefore expected to emerge from the war intact. Science and public opinion accepted that certain identifiable groups lacked the valour, discipline, and intelligence to fight a modern war. Since those same groups were also the subjects of the European overseas empires, prudence warned that a taste of killing white men might serve as appetizer should they be enlisted against a European enemy. The obvious conclusion was that this must be 'a white man's war.' This decision was reached by virtually all the protagonists, but it was modified by an admission that since the subject races would clearly benefit from the victory of their own masters, they might be allowed to do their bit for the cause as appropriate to their own perceived abilities. Early in the war, when they constituted the empire's largest reserve of trained men, British Indian troops from the 'martial races' of the

The Influence of Religion on Philanthropy in Canada

“…While this diversity adds immeasurably to the richness of Canadian culture, it also challenges Canadians to continually examine the accessibility, inclusiveness, and equity of their institutions and processes. As a nation Canadians point regularly to their unique ability to integrate but still support diversity; yet, there is evidence of social barriers faced by ethnic, religious, and visible minorities from as far back as the First World War (Walker, 1989). In the voluntary domain, discrimination may take the form of social barriers that result in some groups not being actively solicited, not being made aware of philanthropic opportunities or benefits, or not being approached or treated in a culturally sensitive manner.…”

Ethnicity, Voluntary Behaviour and Social Integration

“…Liberal immigration policies have resulted in a large proportion of citizens with ancestries other than our founding peoples (First Nations, English Protestants, and French Catholics). While we point regularly to our unique ability to integrate but still support diversity; there is evidence of social barriers faced by ethnic, religious, and visible minorities from as far back as World War I (Walker, 1989). Recent analyses also indicate that systematic segregation, discrimination, and marginalization based on sub-group identity exist in employment, housing, social services, and political participation.…”

Visible minority status and philanthropy

“…We point regularly to our unique ability to integrate but still support diversity, yet, there is evidence of discrimination against visible minorities from as far back as World War I. For instance, despite local experience to the contrary, Canadians adopted British and U.S. negative stereotypes and summarily rejected non-white military volunteers (Walker, 1989). Recent analyses also indicate that systematic segregation, discrimination and marginalization based on visible minority status exist in employment, housing, social services and political participation.…”