Canada at war

Overview

Students will learn how Canada’s government and people provided funding and matériel to support our armed forces during the First World War, 1914 to 1918, and the Second World War, 1939 to 1945. Students will research and write reports focusing on wartime funding and production in Canada during the two world wars. These will be written as possible feature articles for the editors of a history magazine, such as The Beaver.

Objectives

• To use historical sources to demonstrate the research skills of locating, classifying, analysing and interpreting.
• To read a variety of graphs, charts, tables and text for specific purposes.
• To formulate questions, opinions, inferences and conclusions from their analyses.
• To understand and use terminology and definitions relevant to wartime finance.
• To appreciate the complexities and challenges of the government's budgetary and production processes during wartime.
• To communicate information and ideas in writing with a high degree of clarity.

Suggested grade level and subject areas

Secondary
Economics, History, Business, Accounting

Duration

15 to 20 minutes for the introduction (steps 1 to 5)
100 minutes to complete the worksheets (steps 6 to 9)

Vocabulary (as used in the context of this lesson)

Appropriation – the process by which the government collects and spends money for specific purposes, such as fighting a war.
Bonds – interest-bearing financial certificates by which governments promise to pay back borrowed money.
Capital gain (or loss) – the difference between the purchase price and the price received when an item such as real estate or stock is sold.
Income tax – progressive tax introduced as a temporary measure in the First World War.
Interest – percentage return on capital from loans, bonds and investments in general.
Matériel – supplies and equipment for military use.
Maturity of bond – reaching face value at the end of the term, e.g., at the end of the fifth year on a five-year bond.
National debt – total debt owed by the federal government. Each year’s surplus or deficit is applied to the previous year’s national debt to give the current amount.
National deficit – the excess of government spending over government revenues in a given year.
Price of bond – price at which a bond is bought, which may be lower than the face value.
Profit or loss – positive or negative amount left over after all costs have been met.
Progressive tax – a tax that is charged at a higher rate for higher incomes.
Servicing the debt – payments applied to the principal and interest on the debt.
Yield – return on investment.

Materials

• copies of student worksheets 1 to 3 and the evaluation rubric
  • Student worksheet 1 (printer-friendly format)
  • Student worksheet 2 (printer-friendly format)
  • Student worksheet 3 (printer-friendly format)
  • Evaluation rubric (printer-friendly format)
• an outline of the lesson for the class

Canada Year Book Resources

Please see complete list of resources after the Enrichment section.

Classroom instructions

1. Present the following outline to the class:
   We will be researchers for a major Canadian history magazine. Working in teams, our job will be to research and write a series of articles on the theme of financing and production of goods and services during the two world wars, and how these activities influenced industrial and social change in post-war Canada.
2. Have students brainstorm what might have been needed in terms of funding and matériel for Canadians to carry on a lengthy war such as the First World War or the Second World War.
3. Have students work with you to develop a mind map on a whiteboard, chalkboard or chart paper, or in electronic format.
4. Review the vocabulary and remind students to use the proper terms in their worksheets and reports.
5. Have the class divide into pairs or groups to research different themes. Instruct them that each of them will individually provide an article for the history magazine, whether they do their initial research in a smaller or larger group.
   The themes to be researched:
   1. Government revenue during the war years, 1914 to 1918 and 1939 to 1945
   2. Government expenditures, 1914 to 1918 and 1939 to 1945
   3. Government borrowing, 1914 to 1918 and 1939 to 1945
   4. Wartime production, 1914 to 1918 and 1939 to 1945.
6. Give each student a copy of student worksheets 1, 2 and 3. Have the students search the editions of the Canada Year Book for the years of the war they have been assigned. They will find Canada Year Book page references for each war on Student worksheet 2 (printer-friendly format).
7. Remind students to analyse and interpret statistics that they find and to use the statistical tables and text information to help them draw conclusions for their reports. They need to record appropriate information on their research organizers and to clarify the trends and conclusions with other group members.
8. Have students share their findings and discuss the key issues that seem to be emerging for each theme. Clarify important points for their reports.
9. Have each student prepare an article of 300 to 400 words, using the evaluation rubric for guidance. Review the rubric before they begin writing.

Enrichment

Students may wish to research and write about local aspects of financing the war effort from 1914 to 1918 or from 1939 to 1945. Some possible topics:

• Provincial and municipal participation in the war effort
• Corporate contribution to the war effort
• Government regulation of private industry to discourage profiteering.

Students may want to take the activity to the next step and compile their articles into a magazine format.

The teacher could present this assignment as the production of a magazine article in two steps: first doing the research to create an outline, then writing the actual article.

Canada Year Book Resources

1916/1917 (PDF)

• Table 1: Aggregate external trade of Canada, by fiscal year, 1868 to 1917, imports of merchandise entered for home consumption and exports of merchandise, page 297.
• Table 2: Movement of coin and bullion, by year, 1868 to 1917, page 298.
• Table 3: Duties collected, by year and type, on exports, 1868 to 1892, and on imports for home consumption, 1868 to 1917, page 299.
• Table 4: Ratio of exports to imports and value per capita of exports, imports and total trade, by year, 1868 to 1917, page 300.
• Table 5: Exports to the United Kingdom, the United States and other countries, by fiscal year, 1868 to 1917, page 301.
• Table 6: Imports for home consumption from the United Kingdom, the United States and other countries, by fiscal year, 1868 to 1917, page 302.
• Table 7: Values of exports from Canada to the United Kingdom, the United States, other countries and all countries, by class of merchandise, in five-year averages from 1868 to 1910 and for the years 1911 to 1917, pages 303 to 305.
• Table 8: Value of exports of Canadian merchandise, to the United Kingdom, the United States and all countries, with percentage ratios of totals, by class, 1913 to 1916, page 306.
• Table 9: Value of imports from the United Kingdom, the United States and all countries, of merchandise entered for home consumption, by class, 1913 to 1916, page 307.
• Table 1: Receipts and expenditures on consolidated fund account, 1914 to 1917, page 506.
• Table 2: Receipts on consolidated fund account, 1868 to 1917, pages 506 and 507.
• Table 23: Expenditure and revenue of militia, by category, for the fiscal years 1912 to 1916, pages 640 to 641.

1947 (PDF)

• Table 3: Summary statistics of manufactures, by industrial groups, significant years, 1917 to 1945, pages 513 to 514.
• Text: Consumption of manufactured products, page 515.
• Table 4: Summary statistics of manufactures, significant years, 1917 to 1945, page 516.
• Table 5: Consumption of manufactured products, 1928 to 1945, page 517.
• Text: Value and volume of manufactured products, pages 517 to 518.
• Table 6: Indexes for the volume or manufacturing production, according to component material and purpose classifications, 1923 to 1944, by component material classification groups, page 519.
• Table 7: Indexes of the volume of manufacturing production for the groups of the purpose classification, significant years, 1923 to 1944, page 520.
• Text: Production by industrial groups and individual industries, pages 520 to 527.
• Table 8: Percentage variation in employment, salaries and wages, and gross value of products in the main industrial groups compared for significant years, 1829 to 1944.
• Table 9: Statistics of the establishments, employees, salaries and wages, power, fuel, materials, and values of products of Canadian manufacturing industries, 1944, pages 528 to 533.
• Table 10: Principal statistics of the manufacturing industries of Canada, classified by main groups, by significant years 1922 to 1944 and classified in detail, 1944, pages 534 to 536.
• Chart: Gross and net values of production in industries with over $50,000,000 net, 1944, page 537.
• Chart: Net value of manufacturing production by economic areas, 1917 to 1944, page 537.
• Table 11: Quantities and values of the principal commodities produced by the manufacturing industries of Canada, grouped by purpose, 1944, pages 538 to 539.
• Table 12: Principal statistics of the manufacturing industries of Canada, classified according to the origin of material used, by main groups, significant years, 1929 to 1944, pages 540 to 542.
• Table 13: Principal statistics of the forty leading industries of Canada, ranked according to gross value of products, 1944, page 543.
• Table 14: Principal statistics of the forty leading industries of Canada, ranked according to gross value of products, 1945, page 544.
• Table 15: Employees in manufacturing industries, with volume of manufacturing production and comparative efficiency of production, 1931 to 1944, page 545.
• Table 16: Wage-earners employed in the manufacturing industries of Canada, by months and sex, significant years, 1922 to 1944, page 546.
• Table 17: Wage to earners in manufacturing, working specified numbers of hours per week in the month of highest employment, 1938 to 1944, page 547.
• Table 18: Wage-earners working specified weekly hours in month of highest employment, by sex, province and industrial group, 1944, pages 548 to 549.
• Table 19: Male wage-earners in the 40 leading industries working specified weekly hours in month of highest employment, 1944, page 550.
• Table 20: Female wage-earners in the 40 leading industries working specified weekly hours in month of highest employment, 1944, page 551.
• Table 21: Salaries and wages paid in manufacturing industries, by province and industrial group, 1944, with totals for significant years, 1917 to 1943, pages 552 to 553.
• Table 14: Applications for employment, positions offered and placements effected by employment offices, 1933 to 1945, and by province, 1944 and 1945, page 628.
• Table 15: Dominion allotments for vocational training for the year ended March 31, 1946 and claims paid to April 30, 1946, by province, page 629.
• Text: The vocational training program of the Department of Labour, pages 629 to 630.
• Table 16: Veterans receiving vocational allowances during each month, 1942 to 1947, page 632.
• Table 17: Membership of trade unions in Canada, 1913 to 1945, page 635.
• Text: Prices, page 916.
• Table 1: Annual index numbers of wholesale price groups, selected years, 1913 to 1946, and monthly index numbers, 1946 and 1947, page 926.
• Text: Cost of living, pages 926 to 929.
• Chart: Variations in the cost of living index, 1913 to 1946, page 928.
• Table 3: Annual index numbers of living costs, 1935 to 1946, and monthly index numbers, 1946 and 1947, page 929.
• Table 4: Index numbers of living costs in eight cities of Canada, alternate months, 1940, 1942, 1944, 1945, 1946 and 1947, page 930.
• Table 1: Estimated British and foreign capital invested in Canada, by type of investment, as at December 31, 1926, 1930, 1933, 1939 and 1945, page 937.
• Table 2: Estimated British and foreign capital invested in Canada, by type of investment, classified by estimated distribution of ownership, as at December 31, 1945, page 938.
• Table 3: Canadian assets abroad, 1930, 1939 and 1945, page 939.
• Table 4: Estimated Canadian investments abroad, as at December 31, 1945, page 939.
• Text: National accounts, pages 939 to 944.
• Table 1: Net national income at factor cost and gross national product at market prices, 1939 to 1946, page 944.
• Table 2: Gross national expenditure at market prices, 1938 to 1946, page 945.
• Table 3: Salaries, wages and supplementary labour income, by provinces, 1939 to 1944, page 945.
• Table 4: Net income of unincorporated business, by province, 1939 to 1944, page 946.
• Table 5: Personal income payments, 1939 to 1946, page 946.
• Chart: Total revenues of all governments, federal, provincial and municipal, 1933, 1937, 1939, 1941 to 1944, page 950.
• Chart: Main sources of revenue of the federal government, fiscal years 1933, 1937, 1939, 1941 to 1944, page 950.
• Chart: Main sources of revenue of the provincial governments, 1933, 1937, 1939, 1941 to 1944, page 951.
• Chart: Main sources of revenue for municipalities in Canada, 1933, 1937, 1939, 1941 to 1944, page 951.
• Table 4: Combined expenditures of all governments in Canada, 1944, page 952.
• Table 5: Balance sheets of the Dominion of Canada, as at March 31, 1942 to 1946, pages 953 to 954.
• Table 6: Details of revenues, years ended March 31, 1942 to 1946, page 955.
• Table 7: Details of expenditures, years ended March 31, 1942 to 1946, pages 955 to 957.
• Table 8: Principal items of revenue, years ended March 31, 1930 to 1946, page 958.
• Table 9: Principal items of expenditure, years ended March 31, 1930 to 1946, page 959.
• Table 10: Analysis of “other charges”, years ended March 31, 1930 to 1946, page 960.
• Table 11: Per capita revenues and expenditures, years ended March 31, 1930 to 1946, page 960.
• Table 12: Per capita revenues and expenditures, by principal items, years ended March 31, 1942 to 1946, pages 961 and 962.
• Table 13: Total expenditures and the percentages thereof raised by taxation and all revenue, years ended March 31, 1936 to 1946, page 962.
• Table: 6: Sales of Canadian bonds, by class of bond and by country of sale, 1937 to 1946, page 1054.
• Text: Operating profits of corporations and net income stockholders, pages 1054 to 1056.
• Chart: Profit statistics for 709 companies, 1936 to 1945, page 1055.
• Table 7: Financial statistics showing source and use of funds for 709 industrial companies, 1936 to 1945, page 1056.
• Table 8: Summary of profit statistics for 709 industrial companies, 1936 to 1945, page 1057.
• Table 9: Net income of 709 industrial companies, by industries, 1936 to 1945, page 1058.
• Table 10: Profits of 709 industrial companies before deduction of income and excess profits taxes, by industries, 1936 to 1945, page 1059.
• Text: Discharge gratuities and re-establishment credits, pages 1135 to 1137.
• Table 1: Applications for gratuities and amounts paid under the War Service Grants Act, years ended March 31, 1945 to 1947, page 1135.
• Table 2: Re-establishment credits paid, by purpose for which required, years ended March 31, 1945 to 1947, page 1136.
• Text: Post-discharge treatment, pages 1137 to 1139.