In that era , there was social unrest in the country . Not only was the women 's suffrage movement gaining momentum in Canada and calls were coming out of the prairies for socialist changes to the governmental system , but war continued to rage around the world . Canada was providing troops and supplies , and shortly after his installation , acting on the advice of Borden , Devonshire introduced conscription , a decision that was particularly divisive between French and English Canadians and sparked the Conscription Crisis of 1917 . In the same year , the Governor General also travelled to Nova Scotia to survey the damage caused by the Halifax Explosion on 6 December ; there he met with survivors and addressed the women of the Voluntary Aid Detachment
Halifax Explosion
Halifax Explosion
Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire