Conscription had both support and opposition among Canadians. The pro-conscription side of the debate flung accusations of cowardice and disloyalty, while the anti-conscription side flung accusations of being oppressive and controlling. Many people believed that it was the duty of Canadians to fight the war and support the soldiers at the frontlines.
However, there were many opposing views. Non-British immigrants would not have felt the same loyalty to the war cause, and this is shown by the fact that 70% of English Canadian volunteers were recent immigrants from Britain. The idea of conscription was unpopular among farmers since they needed to run their farms and could not afford to have themselves or their workers taken away for the war. Just two weeks before the election, the government responded to this by granting exemptions from conscription to the sons of farmers.
It also put strains on Anglo-French relations in Canada since voluntary enlistment was low in Quebec. Out of the 400,000 Canadians who volunteered for service, fewer than 1 in 20 were French and many English-speaking Canadians expected more participation, causing a rift between French Canadians and the rest of Canada.
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