Reflective Essay: The Man Who Shaped Canada

Pierre Trudeau is the greatest Canadian of the twentieth century due to the fact that he declared Canada’s independence from Great Britain, he abolished the death penalty, and he created the Official Languages Act, making our nation entirely bilingual.

Throughout Canadian history, a plenty of figures appeared to be significant for the time being. However, out from this great number of candidates that may qualify for the most important Canadian in history, William Lyon Mackenzie King prevails. First elected in 1921 after the Borden's Unionist government failed, Mackenzie King served as the longest serving Canadian head of government ever, holding the office of prime minister for 22 years. During his premiership, Canada developed from an attacked British colony to a major international player, building cornerstones for the golden age of Canadian diplomacy. His war policy made Canada an important contributor in the Allied forces during the World War II, giving supports for British and other

Pierre Elliot Trudeau was arguably one of the most vivacious and charismatic Prime Ministers Canada has ever seen. He wore capes, dated celebrities and always wore a red rose boutonniere. He looked like a superhero, and often acted like one too. Some of the landmark occurrences in Canadian history all happened during the Trudeau era, such as patriating the constitution, creating the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the 1980 Quebec Referendum. However, it is Trudeau’s 1969 “white paper” and the Calder legal challenge which many consider to be one of his most influential contributions to Canadian history.

Canada’s identity comes in many shapes and forms. Multiculturalism has been adopted and is at the forefront of Canadian identity. Following the Second World War, Canada’s multiculturalism policies became more acceptable and even successful in, not only accepting, but inviting multiple ethnic cultures in. In contrast to other countries, multiculturalism adaptation works for the Canadian culture. Canadian policies on multiculturalism have shifted over the past few decades; policies are now implemented for integration, not discrimination.

The Canadian North, a rugged landscape often glamorized as a land of adventure and promise, hides a dark history. From the early day’s of the gold rush, when the land was first colonised, to the attempted cultural assimilation of the indigenous peoples through residential schools, the people native to the area are still in a struggle of identity and culture, and the resulting effects such as high suicide rates, poverty and drug abuse,. It is through this lens that I will examine the work of Ted Harrison, a prolific English artist who spent the majority of his life living in the Yukon and painting the contemporary society that he saw around him. There is no doubt that his work was highly intertwined with the indigenous culture, and as such his identity brings up questions regarding the appropriation of native american culture. To that end, this essay will look at the context of his biography, the subject matter of his work, and compare it to contemporary Native American artists in order to clarify the nature of his art.

In the year of 1867 the nation we know as Canada came into being. The Confederation in this year only came about after things had been overcome. Many political and economic pressures were exerted on the colonies and a federal union of the colonies seemed to be the most practical method of dealing with these pressures and conflicts. While Confederation was a solution to many of the problems, it was not a popular one for all the colonies involved. In the Maritime colonies views differed widely on the topic. Some were doubtful, some were pleased, others were annoyed and many were hopeful for a prosperous future.1

Canadian Foreign Policy Introduction As the 20th century comes to an end, Canada is a transcontinental nation whose interests and representatives span the face of the globe and extend into every sphere of human behaviour. However this was not always the case. When the four colonies of British North America united to create Canada on July 1, 1867, the new country's future was by no means secure. Canada was a small country, with unsettled borders, vast empty spaces, and a large powerful neighbour, the United States. Confronting these challenges was difficult for the young country. Though Canada was independent in domestic matters, Britain retained control over its foreign policy. Over the next fifty or so years, Canada's leaders and its

Canada is a standout amongst the most comprehensively coordinated nations on the planet, with an exceedingly propelled arrangement of interchanges and data innovation, an administration that is dynamic in worldwide associations, an economy that is subject to exchange, a populace that voyages abroad every now and again, and a general public made out of people from a heap of social foundations.

Former prime minister, Sir Wilfrid Laurier, believed greatly in what he thought Canada was to become. “The nineteenth century was the century of the United States. I think that we can claim that is it Canada that shall fill the twentieth century. “ was said by Laurier and his words passed almost without notice at the time. However, it did not take long before his words had somehow been transformed into the most famous phrase in Canadian history, “The twentieth century belongs to Canada.” His words showed great confidence and pride in the actions that Canada was supposedly to take to fulfill his vision. He believed that Canada would fill the century, not in size or military might but in progress, growth, and quality of life. Ultimately, he

I figured it was appropriate that the author did not place the blame on one party. Instead, he addressed the various individuals in Canada that were not providing a fair education in its national and political history as well as for the reasons why this is such a big deal. This book was educational as it gave readers brief and sometimes precise examples, like how Canadians lack national and political conscience within the academic curriculum. The Country’s educational system needs to do a better job training its educators and ultimately restructuring curriculums to deal with our current problems. The book's exterior appearance is bright red, and often red, is associated with power. I believe that this book has the authority to make readers think about their experience concerning Canadian history - but unfortunately, a majority of the population does not know enough of its history to learn from the mistakes and successes of our predecessors. Along with the strengths of this book (argumentative perspective, educational, and exterior appearance), there were a few weaknesses as well. To elaborate on Granasteins effort, I believe he wrote from an androcentric perspective. There were times when he sounded like a grumpy old historian man. I think his little rants reduced the effectiveness of the book. He made many prejudice remarks concerning multiculturalism and social history (gender studies, urban, economics, demographics, etc.). Since history is an accumulation of time periods and each period varies in length, and the intensity of the events, it might be tough to establish the nation's needs for clear, measurable standards for history. There is only so much information that an individual’s brain can retain for a period before they start losing

Over the years, plenty of great Canadians have achieved and shaped Canada to what is it today. One individual by the name of Lester Bowles Pearson changed Canada in a way very few have. Pearson was born in 1897 in a small town just outside of Toronto (www.nobelprize.org). His parents Edwin Pearson and Annie Sarah raised him. Little did they know their son would be one of the greatest Canadians of all time. Pearson was known as a diplomat, professor, historian and the Prime Minister of Canada from 1963-1968(www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca). Lester B. Pearson was a remarkable man with a dream to put Canada on the map and he did so not only in a domestic way, but also in an international way. In particular, his idea to give Canada a new flag,

I am currently residing in Central Alberta as a high school student. Having looked through my school announcements page, I came across this opportunity to immerse myself in a historical based journey. As an individual, I have decided to apply for this once in a lifetime opportunity because it would strongly enrich my passion for history and expand my horizons on my path to an imminent career. Moreover I consider this opportunity to establish a stronger sense of Canada’s history during the First World War. Last but not least, I feel it is important to further understand the importance of Canadian involvement in the First World War.

Canada’s parliamentary system is designed to preclude the formation of absolute power. Critics and followers of Canadian politics argue that the Prime Minister of Canada stands alone from the rest of the government. The powers vested in the prime minister, along with the persistent media attention given to the position,

To begin with, John Diefenbaker proves his position of being the most influential man in Canada as he revealed the importance of equality to Canadians by contributing to two momentous political issues. Firstly, John Diefenbaker established the Bill of Rights which positively changed Canadian perspectives and established Canadian identity. During

Graeme Garrad, author of the article and a senior lecturer in history at Cardiff University evokes the event of War of 1812. He writes a beautiful article entitled “The saviour of Canada” which was printed in the journal History today in October 2012. This article is about how Canada defended Britain from United States in the War of 1812. He tells about the consequences of the war and describes how Canada helped Britain. I am going to review his article on the basis of language, images, content, facts, His style of writing, how he concluded the argument, what title lead us to expect from the article, bias or not.