What was Robert Bordens role in world war 1?
Prime Minister – Canada’s eighth – throughout the war, Borden (who was knighted in 1914) practised a policy of complete support for the British war effort. He determinedly (and controversially) pushed conscription through parliament in 1917, leading to riots in French-speaking Quebec. His government encountered further controversy through its support for the faulty Ross rifle (which tended to jam in battle and ultimately led to the dismissal of its chief sponsor Sam Hughes, the Minister of Militia and Defence) and there were accusations of war profiteering over the awarding of British munitions contracts. Borden’s government also introduced the first federal income tax and nationalised Canadian railways. Re-elected on 17 December 1917 Borden formed a Union coalition government comprised of Conservatives and pro-conscription Liberals. Despite his full support for the war Borden was nevertheless insistent that Britain’s self-governing dominions should be represented within Lloyd George’s
