Canadian History

• Robert Borden, Prime Minister of Canada 1911-20, promised that conscription would not be introduced in WW1 and wanted Canada to have a voice in shaping imperial policy.
• Robert Borden broke his promise of no conscription
• Billy Bishop, one of the leading “aces” of the RFC, shot down 72 enemy planes.
• Woodrow Wilson, President of the US 1913-21, was an idealist and wanted peace across nations.
• Woodrow Wilson drew up a list of 14 points to present to Germany for an armistice and proposed the league of nations.
• The Meech Lake Accord was a failed attempt to add Quebec’s consent to the Constitution, which would have declared Quebec a “distinct society”.
• Parti Quebecois launched a referendum asking voters if they wanted to negotiate sovereignty association from the rest of Canada.
• Another referendum on sovereignty association was held in October 1995, with results of 49.4% in favour and 50.6% against.
• In May 1980, 60% of voters voted against sovereignty association and 40% were in favour.
• The Oka Crisis occurred when Mohawks at Kanesatake, west of Montreal, set up a blockade that ended with the death of a policeman.
• Woodrow Wilson promised that America would not enter the Great War
• David Lloyd George, Prime Minister of Great Britain 1916-22, signed the Treaty of Versailles.
• George Clemenceau “Tiger”, President of France 1906-1909 & 1917-1920, was around for the Franco-Prussian War.
• Kaiser Wilhelm II, Emperor of Germany 1888-1918, abdicated the throne.
• Czar Nicholas II, Leader of Russia 1984-1917, abdicated the throne.
• Franz Joseph, Emperor of Austria-Hungary 1849-1916, had no sons so his throne went to his nephew and was a conservative thinker (traditionalist).
• Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of Autria-Hungary, was a liberal thinker and wanted to create a triple kingdom with a federal system.
• Gavrillo Princep, a member of the Serbian terrorist organization the “Black Hand”, shot Sophie and Ferdinand point blank when their car stalled right in front of him.
• Francis Pegahmagabow, Ojibwe soldier, politician and activist, was a highly-effective sniper and scout “deadliest sniper of ww1” with 378 confirmed kills and captured 300 German soldiers.
• Sam Hughes, Canadian Minister of Militia, refused to let the Canadians be broken up into other troops.
• Arthur Currie, led the entire Canadian army into Vimy Ridge and led the Canadian Corps in the Battle of Hill 70.
• No-Man’s-Land: Ground between the front lines or trenches of two opposing sides
• Shrapnel: Fragments of a bomb, shell or other objects thrown out by an explosion
• Artillery: Large-caliber guns
• Trench Foot/Mouth: Condition of body part caused by long immersion in cold water or mud and marked by blackening and death of surface tissue
• The Emergencies Act, replacing the War Measures Act, grants the government emergency powers in a crisis, but the Charter of Rights and Freedoms remains in effect.
• Bill 101, a law passed by the Levesque government, stated that French would be the only official language of Quebec.
• The Berlin Wall was built in 1961 to prevent East Germans from crossing into West Germany, and was stormed and torn down on live TV in November 1989, symbolizing the ending of the Cold War.
• The New Flag Debate occurred in 1965, with the goal of getting rid of the red ensign as it makes Canada seem like a dominion, resulting in a simple design which became another divisive issue.
• The Constitution of Canada was agreed upon by 9/10 provinces, but Quebec refused, leading to the April 17, 1982, proclamation of the new Constitution Act on Parliament Hill.
• The Korean War saw the Soviet-controlled North Korea invade American-supported South Korea in a civil war that lasted until 1953, with Canada eventually sending a brigade to serve with UN forces.
• The FLQ led to the War Measures Act being invoked, which led to the arrest of anyone suspicious without cause and a curfew.
• The War Measures Act was invoked by Pierre Trudeau on October 16 due to terrorist attacks by the FLQ, leading to the government being able to arrest anyone suspicious without cause and place a curfew.
• 1980 - 82

  Quebec voted against remaining in Canada
• The Vietnam War, also known as the 2nd “Indo-China” War, saw a military intervention by the USA in 1964, with American soldiers sent in the middle of the civil war, leading to the deaths of innocents.
• The Cuban Missile Crisis saw Soviet ships with bombs make their way to Cuba, which was close to the American Coastline.
• The Quebec Referendum in 1980 - 82 saw Quebec vote against remaining in Canada.
• The Suez Canal Crisis saw the withdrawal of the three invaders, Britain, France, and Israel, after political pressure from the US, SU, and the UN, which humiliated the United Kingdom and France.
• The Vietnam War, also known as the 1st “Indo-China” War, saw the end of French Colonial Rule in Vietnam, which led to a revolution, and the turn to socialist-communist learnings.
• The Avro Arrow was a predecessor to BOMARC missiles, but was scrapped due to being too expensive.