Canadian War Museum, Ottawa, ON
The year 2014 marked the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War, a war that defined Canada as a modern nation. Over 600,000 Canadian men and women participated in the war: 67,000 died and 170,000 of them were wounded. In 2010, the last living Canadian veteran of the war passed on, with the First World War transitioning from a moment in living memory to one of historic legacy.
How can teachers and community groups seize upon this important centennial anniversary to renew interest in, and understanding about, Canada’s role during the Great War and its historic influence in shaping our country? How can we make the distant past more relevant for Canadians?
These are some of the questions that we tackled in the Fifth Canada’s History Forum.
Watch The Presentations
In this presentation, Kristine Alexander discusses her research into wartime correspondence between soldiers and their families.
In this presentation, Tim Winegard discusses the participation of Indigenous peoples in Canada’s war effort.
In this presentation, Blake Seward shares how his Lest We Forget project engages students in the history of the First World War.
In this presentation, Melanie Martin shares how Newfoundland and Labrador plan to commemorate their role in the Great War.
In this presentation, Michel Litalien discusses the challenges of presenting the voice of French-Canadian soldiers.
In this presentation, Jonathan Vance speaks about the ways Canadians have memorialized the Great War over the past 100 years and provides suggestions for how to commemorate the war moving forward.
In this presentation, Barry Gough discusses the Victoria High School Great War project.
In this presentation, Georgiana Stanciu speaks about current educational activities and practices within museums.