At a time when women rarely sought, or held, public office, Agnes Macphail was an exception. Representing the United Farmers of Ontario Party, she was a member of parliament from 1921-1940. She was an ardent pacifist, convinced that force was unacceptable as a method of resolving disputes. For Macphail, the pursuit of international peace began at home. She was a consistent critic of Canadian defence expenditures arguing that world peace would only be secured when nations disarmed and turned their attention to pressing social and economic problems. One of her prime targets, and indeed one of the prime targets of Canadian pacifist and peace movements, was cadet training in the public school system. "To my mind," Macphail asserted, "cadet training is the most vicious part of our national defence scheme." Such training encouraged young men to keep fit, it was true, but it also involved workmanship and military drills and manoeuvres, thus stifling initiative and individuality while stressing regimentation and the use of force. Macphail railed against "imposing on our boys our own ideas instead of letting them think for themselves. Fear is one cause of war and fear can be largely eliminated by early training. Military training in the schools thrives on fear and produces it, creates a bombastic military spirit of toy soldierism. I wish the people would say to the Department of National Defence and the government: take your hands off the schoolboys of Canada, Macphail's stern countenance is shown here in a caricature by Ivan Glassco.
