[lachrymose]

I've a recent project on the events of WWII. Being delegated the battle/evacuation of Dunkirk and D-Day, I was also given the task of relating how those two events have affected our country today (ie. Canada). Has it developed any global connections, etc?

The only ones I've been able to think of are: global relations - fighting overseas (from a Canadian POV) with European countries has given us some connections to work off of; isolation - as a country, we can't simply subsist on only ourselves, we need to expand (which is where the global relations comes in); unity - in times of war, the whole country unites together in order to accomplish a cause and even now, we work together internationally; co-operation - Canada, America, and Britain worked together during these two events, now we continue to partner in international projects; and open - immigration policies were changed after WWII, and even now, it's important to be a country which accepts people of different ethnic backgrounds during times of need.

I'm not sure whether these are entirely plausible, so I was wondering if there are any suggestions? Or sites which I look into? Thanks ahead of time.

- lachrymose

[Mrs Faithorn]

If you are considering the long term effects of Canada's participation in WWII then I doubt whether it would be right to say that one can attribute the feeling that a greater sense of involvement in world affairs stems just from the two events you mention. Surely that's more a consequence of participation in the War as a whole?

However, there's no doubt that Canada's involvement in world organisations such as the United Nations - and NATO in particular - stemmed from involvement in the war. Also ... a greater sense of awareness of the world outside North America, as you rightly say.

I don't really see an openess to accepting immigrants of different ethnic backgrounds as a direct consequence of WWII. After all, the British and the French are not of differing ethnic backgrounds from the Candians who fought during WWII, but I suppose you might say that it has a vague connection .... a willingness to help 'those in need'?

If you are going to focus directly on the long term consequences of the two particular events you mention (as you suggest you are supposed to be doing) .... then don't you need to concentrate specifically on the impact that Dunkirk and D Day have had?? I do actually think that that is pretty difficult to do (ie distinguish between the WWII as a whole and just those two events).

All I can think of is that (some) Canadians may have had a greater awareness of their 'connections' with their two former colonial rulers (ie France and Britain) and maybe the people of Quebec felt that quite strongly? I suppose the Quebec separatist movement in the 1960s/'70s might have been in part a consequence of WWII - but I'm really not too sure about that.

I'm afraid a quick web search hasn't turned up anything that looks very helpful. Sorry.

[lachrymose]

Thank you very much. I would have replied earlier, but some things popped up. I'll be sure to include the 'colonial awareness' part.

-lachrymose