Sir Robert Borden’s government proposed conscription (obligatory enlistment), an unpopular measure that immediately divided the country. French-speaking Canadians were mostly against it, while English-speakers were mainly in favour. 68% of opponents (18,827 out of 27,631 for all of Canada) were from Quebec. Newfoundland and Labrador was also split on the matter: majority-Catholic coastal areas were against, while the majority-Protestant capital city, St. John’s, supported it. Recruitment figures illustrated the gap: one out of every 36 people in St. John’s had enlisted, while in Bay de Verde on the coast, only one person out of 329 had enlisted
