Does Canada Deserve Its Reputation Essay

Canada has obtained some pretty desirable stereotypes over its short lifetime. Canada has earned a great reputation through its many desirable actions. In both wars Canada proved herself a tough and worthy opponent, as well as supplying a great deal for the Second World War effort, but also made some ethically questionable decisions that cost the lives of thousands. Canada is also known as a country that is accepting of all cultures and groups, but this was not always so. Does Canada deserve its reputation for acceptance? Even so, Canada accepts hundreds of thousands of immigrants every year, but almost every year a policy is changed and it is made harder for people to start a new life in Canada. Canada has earned its great reputation through many great actions, but every history has flaws. One of the most notable events in which Canada earned a great name was the World Wars. During the world wars Canada made a great name for herself, but also made some decisions that are still questioned today. In the Great War, Canadians performed the first coordinated attack in the war, capturing a vital German stronghold, Vimy Ridge. Only 15,00 Canadians succeeded where 100,000 British soldiers had previously failed. This fierce reputation was reinforced in the Second World War, where Canadians fought in the vital Italian campaign to recapture Italy. More than 93,000 Canadians fought against fierce opposition. The most notable of the many battles is the battle for Ortona, where after a week of fierce fighting and high casualties against snipers and traps, Canadians successfully captured the town. The Canadian victories could not have happened without vital war supplies. Throughout the War Canada supplied the allied forces with supplies. This was particularly vital as all European countries where on the front lines and where either occupied by Germany or suffering from bombings. Over the course of the war Canada supplied “11 billion dollars of munitions, 1.7 million small arms, 43,000 heavy guns, 16,000 aircraft, 2 million tonnes of explosives, 815,000 military vehicles, 50,000 tanks and armored gun carriers, 9,000 boats and ships”. But Canada has also made some very poor decisions that are still questioned today. The first action Canadians saw was at the battle of Hong Kong. The inexperienced Canadians had no previous combat experience. They fought without air or naval support, outnumbered and under prepared. The actual fighting led to 750 casualties, 250 more of the 1,900 died while in captivity. The decision to send those Canadians is still questioned today. Canada also actively participated in the fire and carpet bombing of German cities by Supplying 16,000 aircraft and 2 million tonnes of explosives. This is also extremely controversial as it resulted in hundreds of thousands of civilian casualties. These decisions, particularly the ill-fated battle for Hong Kong had great effect on Canadian life. Acceptance of all cultures and groups has long been a strong virtue in Canadian culture, but how accurate is this perception? After Japanese forces captured or killed most of the Canadians forces at Hong Kong, the last straw for Canadians in British Columbia was the Pearl Harbor attack. This ignited long-standing hatred towards Japanese Canadians living in British Columbia. After being forced to move and all possession sold during the war, the British Columbia government continued the discrimination. All Japanese Canadians living in British Columbia where given the choice to either move east or return to a war-ravaged japan. This law was enforced until 1949, when all Japanese Canadians regained their right to live anywhere in Canada. Japanese Canadians where not the only group to be discriminated in postwar Canada. Jewish Peoples living in Canada where faced with prejudice that soon became discrimination. Post …show more content…
Until the racial discrimination act of 1944, which prevented the posting of hateful signs against a certain group, there was no restriction to discrimination. Further steps were taken to prevent discrimination in 48’ when restrictive covenants were banned. “Racially restrictive covenants refer to contractual agreements that prohibit the purchase, lease, or occupation of a piece of property by a particular group of people”. These covenants restricted who could live in a certain area; usually neighbourhoods would agree to not let a certain group live