The 620,000 men in service were most notable for combat in the trenches of the Western Front ; there were 67,000 war dead and 173,000 wounded . This total does not include the 2,000 deaths and 9,000 injuries in December 1917 when a munitions ship exploded in Halifax . Volunteering provided enough soldiers at first , but high casualties soon required conscription , which was strongly opposed by Francophones . The Conscription Crisis of 1917 saw the Liberal Party ripped apart , to the advantage of the Conservatives Prime Minister Robert Borden , who led a Unionist coalition to a landslide victory in 1917
a munitions ship exploded in Halifax .
Halifax Explosion
Home front during World War I