What was the war measures act of 1914

Any utterance might be construed as supporting an unlawful organization, which the order-in-council defined as among other things any comment that was profane, scurrilous, or abusive towards the government. People who rented or provided space to the unlawful organization were equally guilty. The accused were presumed guilty, and guilt was retroactive: if they had supported the organization in any way at the beginning of the war they were guilty even if there was no proof of affiliation for years.

These were only the most blatant examples of restrictions on civil liberties during the war. Such power inevitably led to abuses, such as an absurd order-in-council that criminalized loafers and a policy that banned dog shows. Following a conscription riot in Quebec City in , the government passed an order-in-council allowing the military to prosecute individuals by court martial, a policy that was disturbingly reminiscent of the post-rebellion Lawless Aggression Act.

Another order-in-council made it a crime for women with a venereal disease to have sexual intercourse or to solicit with any member of the armed forces. Any woman who violated this order could be forcibly detained for at minimum one week for a medical examination. At least thirty-three men would be interned following the Winnipeg General Strike in , and the internment camps remained open until It turns out that the use of emergency powers between and was only a dress rehearsal.

The federal government reimposed the War Measures Act in and, under its authority, passed the Defence of Canada Regulations. These powers were quickly put to use. The government censored newspapers and periodicals compared to during the First World War , banned more than thirty religious, social, ethnic, and political organizations, interned 2, Canadians compared to 1, in England , arrested and summarily tried hundreds of people for speaking out against the war or distributing literature on behalf of banned organizations, and granted police the authority to arrest and detain individuals without charge or trial.

Most internees were recent immigrants from the Austro-Hungarian, German and Ottoman empires. Some were Canadian-born or naturalized British subjects. See Internment in Canada. Another 80, people, mostly Ukrainian Canadians , were forced to register as enemy aliens, to carry identity papers and to report regularly to the police.

Over the course of the war, the federal government interned 8, enemy aliens in 24 receiving stations and internment camps across the country. Of the total number interned, 5, were of Austro-Hungarian origin, including Croats , Ruthenians, Slovaks , Czechs and Ukrainians ; 2, were German ; were Turks and 99 were Bulgarians.

According to Sir William Dillon Otter , who was in charge of internment operations, 3, detainees were actual prisoners of war — meaning they had been captured or were enemy reserves. The rest were civilians. The term enemy alien referred to people from countries, or with roots in countries, that were at war with Canada.

Internees also had their property confiscated, much of which was not returned after the war. During their internment, they were often required to work on large labour projects — such as building a portion of the golf course at Banff National Park — as well as building roads , clearing bush, cutting trails and working on logging and mining operations.

They were paid less than half the daily wage offered to other labourers. The debate over conscription mandatory war service divided the country at the end of the First World War. See Military Service Act.

Eventually, riots over the issue broke out in Quebec , where support for the war had been weak. Martial law was proclaimed and more than 6, soldiers were deployed. Rioters attacked the troops with gunfire, ice and bricks. The Easter Riots grew increasingly violent and resulted in as many as casualties.

Four civilians were killed when soldiers returned fired. It was brought into effect on 25 August was replaced by similar legislation on 31 December Both measures would have significant impact on Canadian lives.

Many of these main events are introduced by an audiovisual overview, enlivened by narration, sound effects and music. This was the first digital, multimedia history of Canada. It started out as a laserdisc in and the CD-ROM version has been used in schools across the country.

It has been approved as a curriculum-supporting resource by provincial and territorial ministries of education. It received Royal Assent on 21 July This legislation, based in part on the British Defence of the Realm Act , was adopted to protect national security and to prepare for the conditions of war. The Act, which is no longer in force:.

The amendment provided that anything done under the War Measures Act was to be deemed not to be an infringement, abrogation or abridgement of any right or freedom recognized in the Canadian Bill of Rights.

It also provided for the laying of a War Measures Act proclamation before Parliament after its issue and for the consideration of its abrogation by both the Senate and the House of Commons. The Act was in force between 4 August and 10 January , the date of the end of the war with Germany, as declared by Imperial Order-in-Council. The occasion of the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia in was the cause of the passage of a number of regulations and orders under which membership in certain organizations was proscribed and individuals were interned.

In , the Constitution of Transitional Measures Act was enacted, maintaining certain wartime orders and regulations, and stayed in place until 30 April It was replaced on 1 December by the Public Order Temporary Measures Act , containing many of the same measures adopted earlier under the War Measures Act , which expired on 30 April In May , the Governor in Council adopted an Emergency Planning Order which assigned responsibilities for planning to meet the exigencies of different types of emergencies to various Ministers, and departments and agencies of government.

The Emergencies Act and its companion legislative measure, Bill C, the Emergency Preparedness Act , were intended to create a new legal framework to deal with emergencies. The War Measures Act , criticized for the virtually unlimited powers it conferred on the government, was repealed by Bill C, as it would no longer be needed.

The Emergencies Act contains a preamble setting out the broad context within which it is to be applied and interpreted. The Act:. Although not set out in the Preamble, these rights are:. If the Governor in Council believes, on reasonable grounds, that a public welfare emergency exists in Canada and necessitates the taking of special temporary measures, he or she can, after consulting the Lieutenant Governor in Council of the province or provinces where it is found, so declare by proclamation ss.

A public welfare emergency is defined as one that is caused by real or imminent:. A declaration of public welfare emergency would have to specify:. While a declaration of public welfare emergency is in effect, the Governor in Council would be empowered to make orders and regulations concerning:.

Where the Governor in Council believes that a public order emergency exists in Canada, he or she could, on reasonable grounds, after consultation with the Lieutenant Governor in Council of the province or provinces in question, issue a proclamation declaring this to be the case.