What Impact Did Second World War Have On Canadian Society Essay

What Impact Did Second World War Have On Canadian Society - Essay Example It was due to the war that the country realized the importance of a strong naval background accompanied by a good number of officers and sailors. There were only 35,000 officers and sailors serving the navy at the time of the war. Even with this handful of officers the navy did not hesitated in serving the country and the Canadian warships continued providing support to all the soldiers landing on the beaches and seas. They also used to escort groups and provide protection to them from enemy submarines flowing in the Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas. (http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/Exhibitions/Militaris/index.html) At the beginning of the war the Canadian army on land comprised of very few permanent soldiers and a large number of part time workers. The soldiers were also not equipped with latest war weapons and had very poor and outdated rifles and guns. When the war broke out in 1939 the Canadian soldiers were sent to Europe for training purposes. These handful of soldiers were also very eager to fight for the defence of their country and as the number slightly reached half million, Canada decided to send some of its troops to France. But they were soon called back due to the fall of France to German forces. Other Canadian troops were sent to Iceland and south East Asia with the intention of helping the British forces and protecting Hong Kong. It also took part with British and American troops in a deadly operation that took place in 1942, which took away lives of majority of the soldiers and wounded quite a big number of them. Canadian Air Force was a small department at the beginning of the war that participated with only limited number of bombs, aerial combats, hunting submarines and air fighters. The Canadian fighters and bombers used to guide European flyers throw missiles and bombs on enemy troops on the ground and fight with German aircrafts. Keeping in view such heroic acts of the air force, the bombers formed a vital part of the 2nd Tactical Air Force. (http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/Exhibitions/Militaris/index.html) Relations with United States improved after the war as Britain started to turn away. A declaration was signed with the US in the 1940 known as the Ogdensburg Declaration, which made the two countries allies as trade partners and work towards common goals. Both the countries collaborated in military matters after the Hyde Park agreement. Their common enemy was the German dictator, Hitler. France had just collapsed and its security was dear to both Canada and US. (Anthony 47) Canada gained equally for the sacrifices it made in the war. Around 50,000 men laid their lives and close to 1 million families served voluntarily. Those at home did not suffer too much. Their routine life might have been disturbed by restricted travel laws and rationing of food for a brief period of time during the war. The buying power was influenced and heavy taxes were applied but there was very less unemployment and the average salary was adequate. The industrialization provided jobs and sparked economic growth. (Anthony 55) After the war, Canadian citizens achieved their separate identity by the establishment of Canadian Citizenship Act initiated by Mackenzie King in 1945. The act came into effect in 1946. Although, technically they were still part of the British Empire but as a citizen of Canada