“Just watch me.” That’s what Pierre Trudeau said when asked by a reporter if he
was willing to bring in the military, under the War Measures Act, to calm the FLQ
separatist terrorist group, and quell their acts of terror on the citizens of Quebec.
Canada had a unique and exciting history that has many defining moments. Three such
defining moments are Vimy Ridge in World War One, Canada’s participating in D-Day
in World War Two, and the Avro Arrow Jet Program.
To begin, Canada’s victory at Vimy Ridge is important for the war and is a
defining moment because of the use of the creeping barrage, the fact that the Canadians
could capture the ridge when both the French and English could not, and the fact that
maps were issued to soldiers for the first time. Firstly, Canada utilized the method of
infantry advancement in the battlefield through the technique called the “Creeping
Barrage”. The Creeping Barrage is a method used to create a smokescreen to protect
advancing infantry to the enemy trench. In front of the approaching infantry, artillery is
fired so that the smoke created shields the infantry from view, preventing the enemy from
accurately pinpointing the size of the force, and the distance of the force. The use of the
Creeping Barrage at Vimy Ridge is important for Canadians because it shows how they
are willing to try out new techniques on the battlefield, that may not be orthodox, it also
The Essay on World War I -Did Canada benefit from the war?
World War I was one of the worst battles in the world’s history. It was fought from 1914 to 1918 which involved several allied forces trying to stop Germany and its allies from trying to dominate all of Europe. On August 4, 1914, Britain declared war on Germany and its allies because of the infringement they made on The Treaty of London of 1839. Legally being a member of the British Empire, ...
shows how they can take an inferior force, in an inferior tactical position and utilize a
method of attack to achieve success. Furthermore, both the British and the French both
attempted to capture the ridge, but failed, miserably, and sustaining extremely heavy
casualties. While, Canada, with an inferior force, and far less military, tactical, and
planning experience attacked the Ridge and captured it will less soldiers, and less
casualties. This is important to the Canadian military because it shows how they can
succeed were others fail. It also shows how they are a force to be reckoned with, that they
will not sit down and take a defeat easily, even if they are at the disadvantage. They will
fight until they succeed. In conclusion, while the attack on the ridge was being planned,
each soldier was issued a map. Each soldier being issued a map, detailing the battlefield,
the routes, and the objectives was a first. No other soldier, in any other battle, had been
given a map that displayed the battlefield, and the objectives that needed to be made. This
again shows the innovation and ingenuity of the Canadian military during the First World
War. It shows that Canada is not happy just following the normal accepted military
tactics. They are willing to go above and beyond, to do whatever it takes to achieve,
absolute, and total victory.
Secondly, Canada’s participation in D-Day was an important defining moment in
our history by the Canadians involvement in D-Day, and their accomplishments on D-
Day. To begin, Canada’s participation in D-Day is a defining moment because it is an
honor for the United States, Britain, and France to allow Canada to participate in such a
massive, and important operation. Also, the Allied powers, gave Canadian forces their
own beachhead, Juno Beach. Lieutenant John Madden describes the importance and
complexity of Operation Overlord after he has been paradropped into enemy territory:
…as Operation Overlord was very definitely proceeding and the next twenty-four hours would prove the most decisive in the war…No previous military operation has been more carefully planned, more meticulously scripted in the form of timetables and deployments, more intensely trained for, and more methodically launched (Zuehlke, 19).
The Essay on Avro Arrow – Canadian Legacy
The push to create the Avro Arrow arose due to the perceived threat of faster and more efficient planes being created in the Soviet Union. At this time in history the Soviet Union was in a Cold War with Western Nations including Canada. Canada’s goal was to create a plane that was more maneuverable and faster in order to beat the Soviets at their own game. This goal was accomplished with the ...
Lieutenant John Madden’s words prove how important D-Day (Operation Overlord) is to
the success of the war against the Fascist Nazi Germany Reich. Madden goes on to
describe the “meticulously” planned invasion and describes how much thought, and
planning went into the operation. As history has shown, the Invasion helped stop the
atrocities the Nazi’s committed on any country they invaded, and even their own citizens.
Furthermore, Canada, on their Juno Beachhead, were the first country to achieve
their objectives on D-Day. Canada being the only country to achieve even some of their
objectives proves how determined Canadian soldiers can be in the heat of battle. It also
shows how resourceful the soldiers are in the heat of battle, and how they didn’t break
down under the pressure and persevered to achieve their set goals.
Lastly, Canada’s development of the Avro Arrow Jet Program is an important
part of aviation history, and a defining moment in our history because of the Avro’s
advanced technologies, and the amount of Avro Arrow scientists that left Canada to
work at N.A.S.A. To begin, the Avro Arrow had a unique, and advanced design. This
unique and advanced flight design, put the Avro Arrow approximately two decades ahead
of any other fighter or interception aircraft in production or development. The Avro
Arrow was designed to intercept any nuclear missiles fired from the Soviet Union to
North America. The Avro Arrow was the first jet aircraft to use the Delta wing configuration, and this configuration is still used on aircrafts today. The Avro
Arrow is the first aircraft to use fly by wire technology, and had a computer on board.
The Term Paper on Termination of the Avro Arrow Project
1.Lesson Plan 1. Lesson Plan Information | Subject/course: Canada: History, Identity, & culture | Grade level: 12 University | Topic: Termination of the Avro Arrow Project | Length of Period: 3x75 min. | 2. Expectations | Expectations:Students will be expected to involve themselves in a group discussion about their previous knowledge of The Avro Arrow ProjectStudents will then take both ...
It also was completely Canadian manufactured. The air frame and engine which was
called “The Iroquois” was Canadian designed and built. The Avro Arrow plans were
supposedly destroyed (but it is rumored an Avro Arrow Test Aircraft survived), so it’s
unclear of the exact design, but the design of the Avro Arrow was unique, revolutionary,
and ahead of it’s time. If the design of a modern day jet fighters is compared to design of
the Avro Arrow you will see some amazing similarities. Also, many of the scientists left
Canada and went to work for N.A.S.A. in the U.S. when Prime Minister Diefenbaker
ordered the cancellation of the Avro Arrow Project in favor of American missiles.
Immediately after the termination of the Avro Arrow, thousands of employees of the
Avro Arrow program were laid off. Some started work on a small turbo engine. Others
went to the U.S. and worked for N.A.S.A. Many Canadian scientists went on to
participate in the Apollo Program at N.A.S.A. Even though the “Canadian Brain Drain”
may not be a necessarily good thing, it is still a defining moment. With the cancellation
of the Avro Arrow Jet Program, and the destruction of all Avro Arrow plans, models, and
all materials related to their design, leaving no hope for the program to be reinstated.
Canadian scientists had no where to work except in the U.S. The Canadian scientists that
migrated to the U.S. for work, naturally we drawn to N.A.S.A. where their skills and
talents could be put to the challenge.
In conclusion, Canada has a very unique and interesting history, from the French
and English cultures, to the rich Aboriginal history. Among this long, and unique history,
there are many points that help define Canada has a nation, three such events are the
battle, and victory at Vimy Ridge, Canada’s participating in the successful Operation
Overlord, and the production and inevitable cancellation of the Avro Arrow Jet Program.
Canada’s military success that Vimy Ridge and the revolutionary methods used at the
The Essay on French Canadian Canada Quebec People
Should Quebec (or other provinces) Separate From Canada In Order To Best Protect Its Constitutional Rights? In my opinion, all provinces in Canada, including Quebec should not separate. Quebec has been one of the provinces of Canada for a long period of time. Most people in the world view that it is one of the component in Canada. French-Canadian and English-Canadian seem to live together ...
Ridge is something that all Canadians should be proud of and can truly be called a
defining moment and, can live in Canadian history books forever. Canada’s assault on
Juno Beach is a defining moment due to Canada just being allowed to participate in such
a critical operation, but also, Canadian soldiers were the first to achieve the objectives set to them. The Avro Arrow, and its development is important to the development of
Canada on the world stage because the Avro Arrow was the most advanced aircraft of its
time, and some of the design aspects were either decades ahead or still in use today. The
success at Vimy Ridge, the success of Juno Beach and D-Day, and the Avro Arrow, are
all critical moments in history that helped define Canada, define who we are as a nation,
not just to ourselves, but to the world stage.