Walter Cuthbert Blythe (walterblythe) wrote in thedoorway, @ 2014-08-05 12:29:00 |
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Entry tags: | !network post, walter blythe |
Yesterday, August 4th 2014 marked a hundred years since the day that the United Kingdom declared war on Germany. While the British declaration of war automatically brought Canada into the fight, because our foreign policy was still governed by UK parliament, we, as Canadians had the freedom to determine our own level of involvement and we decided the nest day, August 5th, to declare a war between Canada and Germany.
For the first, Canadian forces fought along side each other as their own, distinct unit, and under a Canadian-born commander. Our casualties stood at the end of the war at 67,000 killed and 250,000 wounded, out of 620,000 people mobilized.
"It is our duty to let Great Britain know and to let the friends and foes of Great Britain know that there is in Canada but one mind and one heart and that all Canadians are behind the Mother Country."
Canada's birthday is marked as July 1, 1867 when we became a new federation with its own constitution by signing the Constitution Act. But I think that our real birthday, the day that we became truly our own, was on that 5th of August in 1914. A day that would lead us towards international recognition, honour and especially towards our identity as a nation and as a people who believe in doing what is right not only for our citizens, but for the world.
So Happy Birthday, Canada.