Canada’s National Identity: History and a Poem

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Prior to World War I, Canada as a nation had an identity crisis. A key factor in Canada’s pursuit of an identity are the countries that have influenced it.Through the influences that other countries have had upon the nation of Canada, Canada has been able to create a unique identity. The nation was created without one, but it was able to create a unique nation that in turn, went on to influence those who’s influences it drew from originally. Canada’s national identity is attributed to our role in World War I. Due to our British and French Heritage, there was a conflict of interest concerning the nation’s expectations. In the 1920’s, Canada achieved independence from Britain, as seen in the Statute of Westminster in 1931. Even though Canada remains part of the Commonwealth, its independence was starting to be recognized globally, through foreign and economic relations with non-commonwealth countries. When Britain declared war on Germany in 1914, Canada was automatically enlisted in the war as well. Within three week, 45,000 Canadians had been enlisted, and John McCrae was one of them.1 McCrae was a Canadian physician and soldier. On Sunday May 2nd, 1915, Lieutenant John McCrae scribbled a rough poem on the battlefield of Flanders, France. The day before, his closest friend, Alexis Herlmer of Ottawa had been killed by a shell. McCrae performed the ceremony for his friend the night of his death. As the battle of Flanders continued on, wild poppies began blooming between the marked crosses that marked the various makeshift graves.2

As a physician and a solider, John McCrae insisted in sleeping in tents like the regular soldiers did, rather than in officers’ huts. His health began to decline to pneumonia. Through living through the...

... middle of paper ...

... http://www.jstor.org.proxy.library.carleton.ca/stable/302458

"Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae." Veterans Affairs Canada. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2014.

Neilson, Shane. "John McCrae on death." CMAJ: Canadian Medical Association Journal 10 Nov. 2009: 717+. Academic OneFile. Web. 14 Mar. 2014.

http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA212326975&v=2.1&u=ocul_carleton&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w&asid=160ffb0368fbe2911c33fc89e8e2ffbd

Philip Mortimer BMJ: British Medical Journal , Vol. 321, No. 7269 (Nov. 4, 2000) , p. 1123

http://www.jstor.org.proxy.library.carleton.ca/stable/25226097

Teresa Iacobelli "A Participant’s History?": The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and the Manipulation of Oral History Oral History Review 2011 38: 331-348.

http://ohr.oxfordjournals.org.proxy.library.carleton.ca/content/38/2/331.full.pdf+html

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