Friday 22 March 2013

Canada's Identity After Unit 1



 What I’ve learned about the Canadian identity up to this point is that Canada is not only a country, but a nation. I believe that a nation is independent, and goes through triumph alone and suffers losses alone. A nation is able to pick itself up after it is staggered, and a nation supports its own efforts. Canada started defining its independence during World War One, as a fighting force in the fierce trench battles. After the war, Mackenzie King worked towards forging Canada into even more of a sovereign nation through events such as the Imperial Conferences and the Halibut Treaty, to name a few. Canada further proved its nationality when the economy suffered a staggering blow in the early 20s, when such things as labour unrest, lack of employment for soldiers and prohibition emerged. However, the nation was able to recover. Using its natural resources and the resourcefulness of its people to its advantage, Canada used things like the manufacturing of automobiles, the discovery of insulin, the export of newsprint, and mining to start the economy on a path to great success. Furthermore, after the stock market crash, Canada was rocked by the great depression. The unemployed workers fought to feed their families and found income in relief camps set by the government. Later on, Canada would use the Second World War to restore itself to a working nation. These examples provide proof of Canada’s identity as a nation.       

5 comments:

  1. Good points Josh. I agree that Mackenzie King did work towards forging Canada and that Canada used World War 2 to restore itself to a working nation.
    Well we were affected by the stock market crash in American, only because we mostly traded with them, we weren't as bad as America.

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    1. Why do you think we weren't as bad as the United States in the Depression? What differences can you think of?

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  2. Interesting discussion of a nation vs. a country. What, in your opinion, is a country? What triumphs and losses to you view Canada as dealing with alone?

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    1. I believe a country is a piece of land, a location with borders, possibly a part of an empire. A nation works on its own, it is the system that fills the land that is a country. One example of Canada's individual triumph is in the trenches at Vimy Ridge where it was fought and won alone by Canadians. One loss Canada had to endure alone was the Great Depression.

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