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Canadian conscientious objectors

Under the terms of the Canadian Military Service Act of 1917, a man ordinarily subject to conscription for military service could obtain a certificate of exemption if he objected conscientiously to combatant service and was prohibited from engaging in warfare by the organized religious denomination to which he belonged. Conscientious objectors, particularly of non-traditional pacifist church backgrounds, were, however, victims of discrimination during the First World War. The War-time Elections Act of 1917 disenfranchised them, and some were imprisoned for refusing to be conscripted.

Related Biographies

DIXON, FREDERICK JOHN
FLETT, WINONA MARGARET (Dixon)
NORRIS, TOBIAS CRAWFORD
ROGERS, ROBERT
VERIGIN, PETER VASIL’EVICH
WELLS, DAVID

Other Resources

Conscience Canada | History
Conscientious objector - Wikipedia
Manitoba History: Review: Witness Against War: Pacifism in Canada 1900-1945
Pacifism - The Canadian Encyclopedia. Content archived on 9 Dec. 2024
Voices for Peace - Conscientious Objectors | Canada and the First World War
Voices for Peace - Peace Activists | Canada and the First World War

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