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Nurses in World War I (+2)
Nurses helped soldiers significantly as they saved and aided many. As all nurses were women (from what I know), it helped give women the image that they were capable of more work than just the chores that would go on in the house, a mindset that many had back then. Women were able to prove that they could do a lot more than what people have originally thought and this impacted a large group of people (women) as it helped them gain many rights, such as voting, when they arrived back in Canada. -
First Nation Children (-2)
First Nation children were removed from their homes and put into concentration camps where they were forced to abandon their heritage and culture. Children were also abused sexually, mentally, and physically and the poor conditions also caused many deaths in these schools. In this photo, it shows the impact which these schools had, they were forced to dress and act similar to white Christians. Children were also forced the mindset that (cultural) First Nations were savages. -
French-Canadian Soldiers (-1)
For some French-Canadian soldiers, they were very proud to be fighting for their country and believed that the people back home would be proud of their heroism, however, for others, they were infuriated that they had to fight for a country which they felt was against them after Regulation 17 was passed. French-Canadian soldiers caused a few more negative than positives; it created a lot of tension in Canada between French & others and it also caused fury in French against Conservative/Unionist. -
Chinese Head Tax (-2)
I ranked this a -2 as it proves discrimination against a group of people. Chinese were ultimately taken advantage of as they were used to help build the Pacific Railway and then ultimately kicked out. The prices of the head tax were constantly increasing to make it more difficult for Chinese. This image attached shows a certificate of a Chinese man who had paid the head tax of $500, equivalent to around $13 000 in 2020; forced to pay just to enter a country where others could enter freely. -
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Francis Pegamagabow’s (Peggy) and First Nation soldiers (+1)
Peggy was able to create a reputation of a very skilled and feared marksman, this helped build a respectable image for First Nations as warriors in the eyes of many. Peggy was decorated for his respectable skills by receiving: Military Medal, with two bars, the 1914-1915 Star, the British War Medal 1914-1920, and the Victory Medal 1914-1919. However, I would not give this a +2 as First Nations were still discriminated against even after they 'proved themselves' and helped Canada, -
Women in the Workforce (+1)
When men had to leave for the war, this left the workplaces without workers, this meant that women would have to take over and work in the labour force. This allowed women to show that they were capable of more than what people assumed. However, women were being paid wages way less compared to men and aside from the work, even after proving themselves ‘worthy’, they were still missing many deserved rights. This impacted a large group of people (women) as it later helped women access more rights. -
Jeremiah Jones and Black Soldiers (+1)
Jeremiah Jones was a African(Black)-Canadian soldier who saved his crew during the Battle of Vimy Ridge, and as many people were racist to blacks then, this opened their eyes regarding capability and race. I did not give this a 2 however as he was not given the medal that he deserved for winning Canada’s, arguably, best victory of World War I. Also, even after the war and the beneficial impact that blacks had, many blacks were still treated unfairly. -
Military Act Passed - Conscription (-1)
This caused a lot of tension in Canada, especially between English-Canadians and French-Canadians, this tension ultimately lead to riots and protests to break out which caused many deaths, injuries, and thousands of dollars worth in property damage. Also, it affected many lives as plenty of people who were forced to join the army were either injured or killed and this would also impact the families which for the dead, they would never recover, and for injured, it would take long to recover. -
Discovery of Insulin (+2)
I gave this a +2 because it is a very beneficial and impactful innovation that is still used until this day worldwide. Insulin remains the only treatment that can effectively aid people with Type 1 diabetes. In 1922, insulin was able to save many people who laid in their death beds (in comas), insulin then became famous as a great medical discovery. Insulin was founded in University of Toronto by Frederick Banting, Charles Best, and JJR Macleod, this benefited Canada’s medical experience image. -
Coal Miners (-1)
The reason I gave this a -1 is because the conditions in the workplaces for coal miners were very poor and unsafe and even then they were being paid less than worth it. They were ultimately being taken advantage of and constantly under the threat of their wages being reduced when it had already been very low. In 1925 Nova Scotia, after a wage decrease, a protest broke out, and this lead to deaths and riots which involved burning and looting businesses.
