- Department of Munitions and Supply
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The Department of Munitions and Supply was the federal government ministry responsible for co-ordinating domestic Canadian industry during World War II. It was created by the Munitions and Supply Act in September 1939 and began operations on April 9, 1940 with C.D. Howe as Minister of Munitions and Supply.[1]
The Department produced armaments for the war effort and regulated the use of gasoline, silk and other strategic commodities in Canada order to prioritize their use for the war production.[1]
By the end of the war, Canada's war production ranked fourth among the Allies, 70% of Canada's war production by 1945 went to supply the Allies and only 30% was needed for Canada's own military.[2] Included among the production was 815,729 military vehicles, including 45,710 armoured vehicles many of which went to the British Eighth Army in North Africa and Italy.[2]
The Department established 28 crown corporations[3] including Polymer Corporation that developed and produced synthetic rubber, Victory Aircraft for the production of bombers and Research Enterprises.[1] It coordinated all purchases made in Canada by British and other Allied governments for materials including military transport vehicles, tanks, cargo and military ships, aircraft, guns and small arms, ammunition as well as uniforms, minesweeping equipment, parachutes, firefighting equipment, and hospital supplies.[3]
The Department was dissolved at the conclusion of World War II and most of its crown corporations sold off.[1] The remaining duties of the department were merged with those of the Department of Reconstruction to create the Department of Reconstruction and Supply. In 1951, a new Department of Defence Production was created, with Howe as its minister until 1957 – the department itself existed until 1969 when it was abolished and replaced by the Department of Supply and Services.[4]
References
- ^ a b c d Munitions and Supply, Department of, The Canadian Encyclopedia
- ^ a b The War Economy and Controls: Munitions, WarMuseum.ca, accessed February 3, 2008
- ^ a b Canada's Industries Gear up for War, Veterans Affairs Canada, accessed February 3, 2008
- ^ Guide to Canadian Ministries since Confederation Privy Council Office, accessed February 4, 2008
See also
External links
- Munitions and Supply, Department of, The Canadian Encyclopedia
- The War Economy and Controls: Munitions, WarMuseum.ca, accessed February 3, 2008
Categories:- Military history of Canada during World War II
- Military of Canada
- Former Canadian federal departments and agencies
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