Thoughts From a "Lost Canadian" About How Canada Makes the World Better for Everyone

I've been writing about how this "Lost Canadian" continues to wait for my final four documents to arrive so I and my family are able to request our official Canadian citizenship (because of Bill C-3 - which says if you have Canadian ancestors - and I have 15 ancestors who were born in Canada since 1800 - you are already a Canadian - a "Lost Canadian" - and if you are able to document your direct line to a Canadian-born ancestor, you are able to receive your Canadian citizenship!). It will be worth the wait, so I am trying to be patient!

As I wait, I have been learning more about Canada. In light of the tremendously rude and disrespectful way the massively corrupt convicted felon/sexual abuser who currently occupies the white house here in the US has been talking about and treating our dear neighbors, friends, allies, and family in Canada, I am spending this week just learning about Canada - and sharing what I learn about how Canada is an amazing place - I believe I could learn about and share about this for more than a week, but I will begin with a week, today I'm sharing how Canada is amazing because they not only make everyday life better for their citizens, but they have been there to help so many people around the world! On Canada.ca I learned . . .

Canada’s history is intertwined with that of the rest of the world. The great wars, human migration, and relations with other countries have all shaped its history. The world has influenced Canada and Canada has influenced other countries.

• Canada brought liberty and life to the Netherlands at the end of the Second World War. Between October 1944 and May 1945, with fierce fighting and heavy loss of life, the Canadian military opened the Scheldt estuary and the port of Antwerp to Allied supplies, cleared much of the country of the enemy, and fed a Dutch people left starving by the Nazi occupier. On May 5, 1945 in Wageningen, the Germans surrendered to Canadian Lieutenant-General Charles Foulkes and H.R.H. Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, commander of the Dutch armed forces. The bonds of friendship forged between Canada and the Netherlands stand strong to this day.
• During the Great War, Indigenous people from across the country served throughout the Canadian military. It was the first time the Canadian forces integrated a substantial number of Indigenous men into their ranks as individual soldiers. They were among the first to enlist and volunteered in significant numbers, even though for many this meant fighting and dying for a country in which they were denied the right to vote. They served side by side with other Canadians, their abilities gaining them acceptance and respect that contradicted racist sentiments back home. As veterans, they worked to improve the position of Aboriginal peoples, and were an active force behind the League of Indians of Canada, the first organization to give a national voice to their communities.
• In the 1970s, a highly sophisticated and maneuverable robotic arm was developed and built, and its first voyage into space in 1981 launched the beginning of a new era in Canadian space exploration. The development and construction of a highly sophisticated and manoeuvrable robotic arm called the Shuttle Remote Manipulator System (SRMS) in the 1970s, known as “Canadarm,” was the culmination of decades of space-age scientific research and cooperation between the Canadian scientific establishment, government, and industry. On its first voyage into space in 1981 aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia, and in the decades that followed, Canadarm, emblazoned with the word “Canada” and the national flag, served as an inspiration to Canadians. It made a signature contribution to the space programs of Canada, the United States, and the international community by deploying, capturing, and repairing satellites, assisting astronauts with scientific experiments, and moving cargoes in space.
• For Canadians the taking of Vimy Ridge stands as a great feat of arms, an exceptional example of courage and sacrifice, and an important milestone in the development of their nation. Vimy has also become a place of remembrance dedicated to those soldiers who died in France and who have no known grave. After two unsuccessful Allied attempts to dislodge the Germans from this heavily fortified height, the four Canadian divisions, fighting together for the first time, seized the ridge on 12 April 1917 after four days of intense fighting. Meticulous preparation, the use of advanced technology, teamwork, and the sacrifice of thousands of Canadian lives produced this remarkable result. It was an important turning point for Canada in the war. A site of victory but also of death, Vimy is a place of remembrance marked by the towering work of Canadian sculptor Walter S. Allward. His distinctively modernistic design poses grieving figures against two pylons of limestone quarried at Trau. Inscribed on the monument are the names and ranks of the 11,285 missing Canadians who died in France during the Great War. This memorial park, the legacy of an agreement between France and Canada, honours those soldiers and ensures that their sacrifice will never be forgotten.

You will find more information about how Canada has and continues to make a difference and help people around the world at this link. Clearly Canada is a place which doesn't think only about themselves - they make the world a better place.