Winners of Legion Literary Contest!
Three students from King George recently placed in the Legion’s Remembrance Day Literary Contest. Their photos and written submissions will be posted over the next few days.
Congratulations to Ayden who placed second for her essay, “How the Wars Affected Our Lives Today.”
How the Wars Affected Our Lives Today
“From party politics to standard of living to national identity, the Great War transformed Canada”, J.L. Granatstein.
Each year, on November 11th we celebrate Remembrance Day. Remembrance Day is a memorial day where Canadians spend one minute of silence to remember and honor the people who served and continue to serve our country.
The first World War took place between August 1914 and November 1918, and had some amazing impacts on our country. One impact was the army; our army went from a tiny army, two-ship navy and no air force, to an army with 620,000 people in uniform, with 22,000 of those military in the air force. Another impact was the economy; financial magnate, Joseph Flavelle created 600 factories, which made artillery shells, fuses, explosives and built aircraft and naval vessels. Those 600 factories, in Ontario and Quebec alone, employed 280,000 people. The first World War affected many people and helped many find employment. In the long run, the war improved our country by not only making it a safer and happier place to live but a country with an economy that is the tenth largest economy in the world.
The second World War took place between September 1939 and September 1945. The second World War also had some amazing impacts on our country including immigration. The war devastated Europe and left many people as refugees, many of which came to Canada, bringing culture, traditions and languages. The end of the war also made people want to have babies. In fact, 412 000 babies were born between the years of 1945-1965, also known as the Baby Boom! Another thing that happened was that Canada gained a new province. Newfoundland and Labrador became the country’s 10th province. After the war, people wanted peace so the United Nations was born. The United Nations was formed as a way for different governments to talk instead of fighting and war. This didn’t always work though, so the Peacekeeping Force was put into place. This means when two countries were fighting the United Nations would send soldiers so that the fighting wouldn’t continue. This is part of the reason why we haven’t had a World War III.
In conclusion, Canada was greatly affected throughout the wars and not all of it was positive, knowing that over 106 400 Canadians died serving our country. But, Canada grew stronger as a nation and many continue to serve in military forces around the world. The wars transformed our country and it became the Canada we know today. Thanks to the people who fought and continue to fight for our country, Canada is in the top ten safest countries in the world, from economy to people, size and military. So, on November 11th pause for one minute of silence, to thank and remember our veterans who have truly helped change Canada.
References:
https://www.macleans.ca/after-fighting-nation-changed/
https://www.cbc.ca/kidscbc2/the-feed/how-canada-changed-after-wwii
https://www.travelchannel.com/interests/travel-tips/photos/the-safest-countries-in-the-world
Categories: News