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A Nation Assured: Canada's Coming of Age in the Second World War
HMCS Haida: https://valourcanada.ca/military-history-library/hmcs-haida/ If the First World War was Canada's baptism by fire, the Second World War was its confirmation as a nation. The hard-won identity forged at Vimy Ridge was tested a generation later, not by an automatic obligation to Empire, but by a sovereign choice. When Great Britain declared war on Germany in September 1939, Canada, for one crucial week, remained at peace. It was a profound symbol of the autonomy won

Timothy Knight
Nov 254 min read


Forged in Fire: The Canadian Expeditionary Force and the Birth of a Nation
The inheritance of freedom, as we understand it in Canada, was not a gentle transition. It was a baptism by fire, a sudden and violent coming-of-age in the mud and chalk of the Western Front. When Great Britain declared war on Germany in August 1914, Canada, as a dominion, was automatically at war. There was no debate in Parliament, no question of obligation. Yet the response was not one of mere duty; it was an explosion of patriotic fervour. From a nation of fewer than eight

Timothy Knight
Nov 184 min read


The Unwavering Watch: Canada's Spirit of Service in the Age of Peacekeeping
When the guns of the Second World War fell silent, Canada stood as a proven and formidable nation, its identity confirmed in the fires of the Atlantic, Italy, and Northwest Europe. The world that emerged from those ashes, however, was not one of lasting peace, but of fractured alliances, ideological divides, and a new, chilling "Cold War." The era of total war was over; the era of complex, ambiguous, and often thankless conflict had begun. In this new world, Canada would have

Timothy Knight
Nov 114 min read


The Inheritance of Freedom
We often speak of Canadian freedom as if it were the soil under our feet—a given, a natural inheritance, something that has always been and always will be. We live our lives upon it, building our homes, raising our families, debating our futures with a candour and safety that many in the world can only dream of. We are free to speak our minds, to worship as we choose, to vote in and out our governments, and to sleep soundly in our beds. But this soil is not bedrock. It is top

Timothy Knight
Nov 44 min read


Thanksgiving Day in Canada: A Harvest of Gratitude and British Columbia's Spirit
Thanksgiving Day in Canada, celebrated annually on the second Monday of October, is a cherished national holiday dedicated to expressing...

Timothy Knight
Oct 133 min read


Labour Day in Canada: A Celebration of Workers and British Columbia's Spirit
Labour Day, observed annually on the first Monday of September, stands as a significant national holiday in Canada, dedicated to...

Timothy Knight
Sep 13 min read
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