The ''Militia Act of 1855'' was an Act passed by the

Parliament of the Province of Canada The Parliament of the Province of Canada was the legislature for the Province of Canada, made up of the two regions of Canada West (formerly Upper Canada, later Ontario) and Canada East (formerly Lower Canada, later Quebec). Creation of the Parl ...

that permitted the formation of an "Active

Militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

", which was later subdivided into the

Permanent Active Militia Permanent Active Militia (PAM), also known as Permanent Force (PF), was the proper name of Canada's full-time professional land forces from 1855 to 1940, when it was reorganized into the Canadian Army. PAM was in effect Canada's standing army, con ...

and the

Non-Permanent Active Militia The Non-Permanent Active Militia (NPAM) was the name of Canada's part-time volunteer military force from 1855 to 1940. The NPAM (also called "the Militia" though that term could also encompass the full-time standing army known as the Permanent ...

, and divided the province into 18 military districts.

History

Assisted by volunteer staff officers, each district was commanded by a colonel, while the entire operation was led by Colonel

Étienne-Paschal Taché Sir Étienne-Paschal Taché (5 September 1795 – 30 July 1865) was a Canadian doctor, politician, and Father of Confederation. Life Born in St. Thomas, Lower Canada, in 1795, the third son of Charles Taché and Geneviève Michon, Tach� ...

. Trained at the expense of taxpayers, the volunteers were armed, equipped and paid 5 shillings a day for 10 days of training a year (20 days for those in the artillery), with Captains being paid 10 shillings 6 pence a day, however, the men had to provide their own uniforms. Initially set at 5,000 men, the Act's popularity forced the government to double its size to 10,000 men by 1856. By 1858, enthusiasm waned when economic depression occupied the minds of Canadians. In 1860, military spirit was revived by the royal visit of the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

. Canadians, Nova Scotians, and New Brunswickers launched their own volunteer units. These companies began to form into

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions a ...

s that gradually eclipsed the Sedentary Militia. In 1864, the Sedentary Militia was re-styled as the "Non-Service Militia", and in 1869, its battalions were reduced to the "Reserve Militia" of each county. The Reserve Militia was last enrolled in 1873 (but never called out), deferred thereafter, and the theory that every able-bodied man was liable for service was finally abolished in 1950. Exemption from military service: "Every person bearing a certificate from the Society of Quakers,

Mennonites Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations. The name is derived from the founder of the movement, Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings about Reformed Christianity during the Radic ...

or Tunkers, or any inhabitant of Canada, of any religious denomination, otherwise subject to military duty, but who, from the doctrine of religion, is averse to bearing arms and refuses personal military service, shall be exempt from such service when balloted in time of peace, or war, upon such conditions and under such regulations as the Governor in Council, may, from time to time, prescribe." From 1869 to

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, several orders in council were issued providing "entire exemption" for religious groups that the Canadian government was encouraging to immigrate to Canada. These were

from Russia (1873),

Doukhobors The Doukhobours or Dukhobors (russian: духоборы / духоборцы, dukhobory / dukhobortsy; ) are a Spiritual Christian ethnoreligious group of Russian origin. They are one of many non-Orthodox ethno-confessional faiths in Russia a ...

(1898) and

Hutterites Hutterites (german: link=no, Hutterer), also called Hutterian Brethren (German: ), are a communal ethnoreligious branch of Anabaptists, who, like the Amish and Mennonites, trace their roots to the Radical Reformation of the early 16th century ...

(1899).

Ministers responsible

Minister of Militia and Defence The Minister of Militia and Defence was the federal government minister in charge of the volunteer army units in Canada, the Canadian Militia. From 1855 to 1906, the minister was responsible for Canadian militia units only, as the British Army wa ...

(non

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

units up to 1906) for the

Province of Canada The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report on th ...

1855 to 1867 * Minister of Militia and Defence 1867 to 1923 * Minister of National Defence 1923 to 1940 After 1940 the Militia became the

Canadian Army The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also res ...

with Active or Regular Forces and Reserve.

References

Citations

General references

* * {{cite news, last=Keleher , first=John W. , title=Civilian soldiers resisted rebels and raiders , date=2 November 2001 , publisher=

Guelph Mercury The ''Guelph Mercury'' was an English language daily newspaper published in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It published a mix of community, national and international news and is owned by the Torstar Corporation. The newspaper, in many incarnations, ...

, url=http://www.guelphmercury.com/news/special/175_anniversary/news_special_011102144740.html , url-status=dead , archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20040623110912/http://www.guelphmercury.com/news/special/175_anniversary/news_special_011102144740.html , archivedate=June 23, 2004 Canadian Militia Military history of Canada Province of Canada legislation 1855 in law 1855 in Canada 1855 in British law

History

Ministers responsible

See also

References

Citations

General references