The "True" Origin of Canada

‘Though the designation of the Battle of Vimy Ridge as the “true” origin of Canada has been perpetuated over the years, its significance to the nation in its entirety is questionable. To start, it must be asserted that the true value of a nation cannot originate from the battlefield of any war front. This holds true for the war that was not fought for the country itself. As Michael D.Wallace points out in his online article for The Toronto Star: “...Canadians did not fight in ‘the Great War’ for anyone’s ‘freedom’. We fought because we were part of the British Empire...” Michael D. Wallace is a professor of political sciences and senior advisor to the Rideau Institute on International Affairs. He points out, as aforementioned, that the Canadian soldiers at Vimy Ridge were not fighting the war for their own cause- rather; they were fighting for Great Britain. In addition, the background of the Canadian soldiers must be taken into consideration in order to determine where their loyalties lay. As Mike Bechtold, Andrew Iarocci, and Geoffrey Hayes (military historians from WWI) suggest “Individuals born in the British Isles probably outnumbered people born in Canada at the battle”.  This was the reality of the CEF, in which the excessive number of British immigrants overshadowed other minorities. Consequently, the disproportionate numbers would have led to an inaccurate representation of the Canadian soldiers during the battle of Vimy Ridge as most of them would have fought for Britain in any case. Furthermore, although the Battle of Vimy Ridge was a victory for the Canadians and strengthened their morale, the battles that were fought after it were far more historically significant. As Jean Martin, a historian of the Directorate of History and National Defence Headquarters stated: ‘‘The importance of the military contribution in defining national feeling was underlined, but the emphasis was placed on the final push to victory in 1918, not on the April 1917 victory at Vimy.”  It can be inferred that Martin was alluding to “The Last Hundred Days” of WWI when Canadian soldiers triumphantly forced the Germans to retreat with the help of Britain; consequently ending the war. Therefore, the victory of the “Canadian” soldiers on the soils of Vimy Ridge, though significant, was not accomplished for their own country which detracts from its importance.’