so appealed their case to the Federal Government. The issue was finally settled in 1896 by the Laurier-Greenway compromise. In it, schools now had to give instruction in French if there were enough students requiring it (10 in rural schools, 40 in a town). This wasn't just happening in Manitoba unfortunately, in other provinces such as Ontario, Saskatchewan and Alberta, protection and the rights of the French speaking minority were slowly taken away. This just reinforced the attitude that the English were trying to phase out the French culture and language by assimilating them.
             Another issue of bitter contention among French and English Canada was the conscription issue. This was the forcing of people into military service near the end of WWI and WWII. The French opposed conscription and the English supported it. The French saw the wars as English wars that shouldn't involve Canada at all. Pointing out that Canada was no longer a British colony during debates of that time period. The conscription issue, maybe more then others highlighted for Quebec that in a parliamentary system, their desires would be sacrificed for those of the majority if they weren't in total agreement. This reinforced what a growing number of people in Quebec believed, regarding the future of what they saw as a unique culture. Many saw separation as the only solution, the only way for La Survivance (survival). The period from 1917 to 1960 was marked politically by the withdrawal of French Canadians from participation in national affairs and by the development of a suspicious, defensive policy of protecting
             Not everyone however was willing to see Canada divided. One of these people was Henri Bourassa who wrote these words following the Riel crisis, quote: "For us the fatherland is all Canada. The nation we wish to see develop is the Canadian nation, composed of English-Canadians and French-Canadians, that is, of two elements separated by language and religion, ...