"Hairy paws" was the nickname given to members of the 163rd Battalion, recruited by Olivar Asselin, a noted journalist, adventurer, and French-Canadian nationalist. The soldier is in a French, not a Canadian, uniform.

Translation:

All real "Hairy Paws" enlist in the 163rd (French Canadians) commanded by Henri DesRosiers formerly of the 14th Battalion, C.E.F. Second-in-Command: Olivar Asselin. The drum beats and the buggle sounds: who will stay behind...no one! A people defend themselves. Forward!