The war was a profoundly transformative experience for soldiers who fought overseas, women who provided labour for the war effort, ethnic minorities such as Ukrainian- and German-Canadians who were interned and experience much discrimination, and for the country as a whole.

Many soldiers eagerly joined the armed forces after Canada declared war, anticipating a brief adventure in Europe. Of course, this was not to be, and World War I featured truly horrific battles with incredible death tolls from both the fighting and from disease. For many soldiers, this would have been their first time traveling outside of Canada.

The war brought some important changes for women too. For one, they increasingly entered the industrial workforce to help war production (much of the male workforce was of course enlisted). Additionally, women first received the vote in a federal election during the war, in 1917. The granting of women's suffrage is often seen as a strategic move on behalf of the federal government in order to secure more votes for Borden's Union government, which was proposing the introduction of conscription (a draft of soldiers).

There was certainly much discrimination against ethnic minorities. Ukrainians, Germans, and others with ties to enemy countries were often interned or socially ostracized. Many German-language place names were changed, most famously Berlin, Ontario, which became Kitchener.

This is of course only the tip of the iceberg. I can recommend a couple sources that you might be interested in. The history department at York University created an excellent video series on the war that includes videos on Canada's involvement in the war.

If you are particularly interested in the experiences of soldiers, I would recommend Desmond Morton's When Your Number's Up: The Canadian Soldier in the First World War, which also talks about the home front.