Mackenzie King and the Conscription Crisis
1991
31 min
Coming soon
From the beginning of the Second World War in 1939, Mackenzie King tried to avoid conscription. Most English Canadians thought young men should be sent to fight, while most French Canadians vehemently disagreed. This same division had nearly torn the country apart during the First World War. King had to make a decision in the final year of the war. This docudrama combines archival footage with excerpts from The King Chronicles, a dramatic series written and directed by Donald Brittain. Some scenes contain graphic language.
This work deals with mature subject matter. Viewer discretion is advised.
Details
From the beginning of the Second World War in 1939, Mackenzie King tried to avoid conscription. Most English Canadians thought young men should be sent to fight, while most French Canadians vehemently disagreed. This same division had nearly torn the country apart during the First World War. King had to make a decision in the final year of the war. This docudrama combines archival footage with excerpts from The King Chronicles, a dramatic series written and directed by Donald Brittain.
Some scenes contain graphic language.
This work deals with mature subject matter. Viewer discretion is advised.
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directorErna Buffie
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scriptErna Buffie
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producerAdam SymanskyDavid Wilson
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executive producerColin Neale
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editingDavid WilsonDenise Beaudoin
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sound editingLes Halman
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re-recordingJean-Pierre JoutelShelley Craig
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narratorTerre Nash
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musicLouis Babin
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castSean McCannDamir AndreiMark BrennanJean ChevalierJason DeanYves DubreuilJohn FriesenDavid GardnerDean HagopianGordon Jocelyn
Education
Ages 14 to 17
Study Guide - Guide 1
Civics/Citizenship - Human Rights
History - World War II
History and Citizenship Education - Modernization of Quebec Society (1929-1980)
Social Studies - Canadian Politics and Government
Research conscription and explain what it entails during wartime. Explain the stance on conscription taken by the French Canadians in Quebec and by Prime Minister Mackenzie King. Identify the position taken by English Canadians. Discuss Canada’s role in the Allied victory in Sicily and the invasion of Normandy with its disastrous results for King. How does King eventually solve the conscription question?
