d a few of the small Provinces the suffrage was
still withheld from women it now so largely prevailed that their
national enfranchisement by the Dominion Parliament seemed the next
inevitable step. During 1917 Sir Robert Borden made a visit to England
and the war front. Although it was estimated that in some of the
Provinces one man in every fourteen had enlisted, he returned fully
convinced that "conscription" would be necessary and this would
require a referendum to the voters. Quebec would vote solidly against
it, as would certain elements in the other Provinces. A Fusion party
was formed in the Parliament and under tremendous pressure a War Time
Election Act was passed in September. It disfranchised during the war
Doukhobors and Mennonites, conscientious objectors, those born in
enemy countries not naturalized before 1902 and some others. It
enfranchised certain women in all the Provinces and Yukon and the
Northwest Territories, which send a member to the Parliament, in the
following words: "Every female who, being a British subject and
qualified as to age, race and residence as required of a male, is the
wife, widow, mother, sister or daughter of any person, male or female,
living or dead, who is serving or has served without Canada in any of
the military forces, or within or without in any of the naval forces
of Canada or Great Britain in the present war...."

It was estimated that this Act would enable about 600,000 women to
vote when the question of "conscription" was submitted and leave about
1,000,000 unable to do so although having the Provincial franchise. It
raised a storm of protest from those who were not included and who
doubted that this arbitrary action would result in securing
conscription. Sir Robert Borden had no doubts but based his faith on
the belief that those women having relatives in the war would vote to
compel other men to go and he said at the time: "We are now verging on
the point at which women must be entitled to the same voice in
directing the affairs of this country as men, and as far as I am
concerned I commit myself absolutely to that proposition, but in
working it out it is necessary to take into account certain
considerations." With this concession the women had to be satisfied.
The general campaign came on in November 1917, with "conscription" the
issue on which the Government appealed for return to power. The
election took place in December and the Union Government carried the
f