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Canada was one of Britain’s many colonies and dominions at the time, so they were obligated by law to fight alongside the British. Canada sent over 25,000 soldiers to support the British Empire. The British Empire was very large since they owned about 25% of the colonies in the world. Because of the agreements they made with the several colonies, they were able to get many troops to support them.
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The War Measures Act to provide the British and Canadian governments with new powers to aid them in the war. The act allowed for the government to take land for military use and to detain and arrest Canadians and take away their civil liberties. This was an event of decline in my opinion because it was mainly used on first nations land an unethical act.
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The Second Battle of Ypres was Canada’s first major battle. The Canadian troops were said to be unprepared for the war. The battle was known to be one of the first time chlorine bombs were used against the Canadians and Canada still managed to win the battle on May 25,1915. This is what made the battle so memorable for Canadians
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The Battle of Somme is known to be one of the most fatal battles. It is known that most of the Canadian troops in the battle were from Newfoundland & Labrador. Casualties in the battle on both sides amounted to 1 million including over 300,00 deaths. British troops suffered over 420,000 casualties.There were 200,000 French troop casualties and about 500,000 German casualties.The large death toll is linked to the failure of British troops to take out enemy machine guns and trip wires.
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The battle of Vimy Ridge is one of Canada’s most celebrated battles in WWI. Canadian troops were able to attack and defeat the German soldiers under the order of General Arthur Currie. Unfortunately, Canada lost around 10,000 troops during the battle. The battle is seen as very important and memorable because of its significance in the ending of the war and the pride it brought to Canadians.
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Through the Wartime Elections Act, women that were relatives of soldiers were given the right to vote. Since most of the men in Canada were helping with the war in some way, they were unable to vote. Therefore, the act was passed to make up for that shortcoming. Unfortunately, the bill also revoked many Canadian’s rights to vote.
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The Treaty of Versailles was signed in the Palace of Versailles, France. Germany and their allies surrendered, and the armistice was signed. This was a very progressive and significant event for Canada as they did not have to send troops for the war, their soldiers could come back home, and they no longer had to fund the war. This is a day that has been now honoured for decades and recognized as Remembrance Day.
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On January 21, 1920, residential schools were made mandatory all over Canada. This is known to be one of the darkest decisions mad by the Canadian government that has lasting effects up until recently. The Residential Schools where made to force Indigenous children to conform to European lifestyles. Residential schools were known to physically and sexually abuse the children and was a very harsh experience for Indigenous peoples. Residential Schools were finally fully ended in 1996.
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As a result of King George V’s proclamation of Arms, Red and White was declared as Canada’s official colors
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The Great Depression was a very dark time for Canada. One of the most prominent causes of the great depression was unemployment. 1 in 5 Canadians were unemployed which meant that the unemployment rate was around 20-30% This lasted for almost a decade. Canada was extremely dependent on raw materials and farm exports. The widespread loss of jobs changed the economy of the country and was one of the main triggers for the need of social welfare and political movements.
