Idéalistes, pragmatiques et les autres : Profil des volontaires du Régiment de la Chaudière, 1939-1945

Abstract

Quebec’s response to the Second World War is often reduced to its weak voluntary enlistment and its massive rejection of conscription. However, studying the service records of volunteers in the Régiment de la Chaudière killed during the conflict leads us to revisit this perception. Analyzing the characteristics of the volunteers shows that unemployment and conscription were not the only factors that led Francophones to enlist in the Canadian Army. As was the case for Anglophones from across Canada, environmental, event-related and economic factors played a role in motivating French Canadians from Quebec to volunteer.