Temperance had begun as a movement for individual self-improvement. But with the growth of cities and the belief that alcohol was a cause of crime, poverty, and economic depression, many felt that the decision whether or not to drink was too important to be left to the individual. Alcohol affected everyone, not just the drinker. Therefore, those who would not stop drinking on their own would have to be prohibited from drinking by the government. Though the word temperance remained in general use, most of the temperance movement was, in fact, a prohibition movement at least as early as Confederation.
Incidentally, the illustration is of an American poster, though it was re-published in Canada. The movements in Canada and the United States were always in close cooperation, and each frequently borrowed from the other's printed materials and speakers. For some years, the Toronto W.C.T.U. even had responsibility for the W.C.T.U. groups in parts of New York State. Many temperance societies had links to similar groups around the world.
