When World War I became a truly globabl conflict and dragged on for more than two years, Britain looked to her Empire for troops for the battlefield. Most had sent volunteers, but soon the demand for soldiers far outstripped the voluntary totals. The Canadian parliament debated adopting conscription, and the pro-Empire sentiment in English Canada was strong and in support of conscription. Not so in Quebec. Henri Bourassa became a spokesman of a generation with his book, What Do We Owe England? which advocated neutrality and no conscription for Canada.

Quand le Premi�re Guerre Mondiale est devenu un conflit vraiment global, et a dur� plus que deux ann�es, l'angleterre a demand� les soldats de sa empire. La plupart a envoy� les soldats volontaires, mais bient�t le besoin de soldats a exced� le num�ro des voluntaires. Le parlement canadien a debat� l'adoption d'une loi de conscripton. Dans le Canada anglais, les sentiments imp�riales �taient fortes, et le public �tait en faveur de la conscription. C'est n'�tait pas le cas au Qu�bec. Henri Bourassa est devenu un porte-parole de sa g�n�ration avec son livre, Que devon-nous a l'angleterre? qui a plaid� le cas de neutralit� et la d�faite de la loi de conscription au Canada.

Botha or Bourassa? The Globe, Toronto, editorial, March 30, 1916

Botha ou Bourassa? le Globe, Toronto, �ditorial, 30 mars 1916

La neutrailt� du Canada p. 27-28 de Que devon-nous a l'angleterre?, par Henri Bourassa, 1915

Choosing neutrality for Canada pp. 27-28 from What do we owe England? by Henri Bourassa, 1915

Peaceweb presents the three sides of the question: federalist, sovereignist, and First Nations.