The Canadian Rugby Union arranged the series after it refused to allow the WIFU winners, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to compete in the final. The reason for the refusal was based on the WIFU season being played under rules that varied from IRFU rules.
The Ontario Rugby Football Union had three of its teams disband due to the war. The league managed to continue by quickly cobbling together three more teams, centered on military communities (as many players had joined the armed forces.)
The British Columbia Rugby Football Union operated for the final time. As winners of the BCRFU, the Victoria Revellers had the right to challenge the WIFU champions for the western championship. As was normal for the BCRFU champions, no challenge was issued.
Winnipeg won the total-point series by 30–2. Winnipeg would have advanced to the Grey Cup game, but were refused by the Canadian Rugby Union. They instead went to the United States at the beginning of the 1941 season to play the Columbus Bullies, the champions of the American Football League, in a three-game series. The Bullies defeated the Blue Bombers 2 games to 1, with scores of 12–19, 6–0, and 31–1.
