Canadian Citizenship Study Guide - The First World War PDF

22 Your Canadian Citizenship Study Guide (From Left to Right) Canadian soldiers observe Remembrance Day Remembrance Day poppy Canadian war veteran Scouts with Remembrance Day wreath Canadians remember the sacrifices of our veterans and brave fallen in all wars up to the present day in which Canadian...

22 Your Canadian Citizenship Study Guide (From Left to Right) Canadian soldiers observe Remembrance Day Remembrance Day poppy Canadian war veteran Scouts with Remembrance Day wreath Canadians remember the sacrifices of our veterans and brave fallen in all wars up to the present day in which Canadians took part, each year on November 11: Remembrance Day. Canadians wear the red poppy and observe a moment of silence at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month to honour the sacrifices of over a million brave men and women who have served, and the 110,000 who have given their lives. Canadian medical officer Lt. Col. John McCrae composed the poem “In Flanders Fields” in 1915; it is often recited on Remembrance Day: In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved, and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields. Between the wars After the First World War, the British Empire evolved into a free association of states known as the British Commonwealth of Nations. Canada remains a leading member of the Commonwealth to this day, together with other successor states of the Empire such as India, Australia, New Zealand, and several African and Caribbean countries. The “Roaring Twenties” were boom times, with prosperity for businesses and low unemployment. The stock market crash of 1929, however, led to the Great Depression or the “Dirty Thirties.” Unemployment reached 27% in 1933 and many businesses were wiped out. Farmers in Western Canada were hit hardest by low grain prices and a terrible drought. There was growing demand for the government to create a social safety net with minimum wages, a standard work week and programs such as unemployment insurance. The Bank of Canada, a central bank to manage the money supply and bring stability to the financial system, was created in 1934. Immigration dropped and many refugees were turned away, including Jews trying to flee Nazi Germany in 1939. Phil Edwards was a Canadian track and field champion. Born in British Guiana, he won bronze medals for Canada in the 1928, 1932 and 1936 Olympics, then graduated from McGill University Medical School. He served as a captain in the Canadian Army during the Second World War and, as a Montreal doctor, became an expert in tropical diseases