Embattled Nation

Embattled Nation explores Canadas tumultuous wartime election of 1917 and the people and issues that made it a pivotal moment in Canadian history. Embattled Nation explores the drama of Canadas tumultuous election of 1917. In the context of the bloody battles of Vimy Ridge, Hill 70, Passchendaele, and of the Halifax explosion, Sir Robert Bordens Conservative government introduced conscription and called for a wartime election. Most Liberals, led by Sir Wilfrid Laurier, opposed compulsory military service, while in Quebec a new movement emerged to contest the Canadian governments attitude and policy. To survive and win the election, Prime Minister Borden resorted to unprecedented measures that tested the fabric of Canadian democracy.