Canadian referendum on conscription during the Second World War
1942 Canadian conscription plebiscite
April 27, 1942 (1942-04-27)
Are you in favour of releasing the Government from any obligations arising out of any past commitments restricting the methods of raising men for military service?
Advertisement appearing in The Canadian Champion (
Milton, Ontario, April 23, 1942) soliciting votes for the 1942 Canadian conscription plebiscite.
A plebiscite on
conscription was held in
Canada on 27 April 1942.[1] It was held in response to the
Conservative Party lobbying Prime Minister
William Lyon Mackenzie King (
Liberal leader) to introduce compulsory overseas military service, the government having previously promised not to introduce same in 1940.[2] The result was 66% voting in favour,[2] with
Quebec being the only province to have a majority voting against.
Quebec's strong majority against the comitment's release prompted the prime minister not to pursue the issue until
later events prompted a change in position.
Are you in favour of releasing the Government from any obligations arising out of any past commitments restricting the methods of raising men for military service?
Consentez-vous à libérer le gouvernement de toute obligation résultant d'engagements antérieurs restreignant les méthodes de mobilisation pour le service militaire?
The referendum was held in all 245 electoral districts, which covered all nine provinces and one of the two territories. Residents in the Northwest Territories did not have a vote, as their area was not organized as an electoral district.
References
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abNohlen, D (2005) Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I, p127
ISBN978-0-19-928357-6