Lessons from the Past: WWII, the Holocaust, and the Transformation of Canada’s Identity

In our latest Humanities project, we took a deep dive into the impact of World War II on Canada’s identity, exploring how the conflict reshaped the nation’s values, culture, and politics. We started off by taking a step back and looking at the significant battles and events that took place during the war. I already knew quite a bit about World War Two, but it was very interesting to take a closer look at the details of the many historical events. A large part of this learning process was practicing the writing method “Smart Brevity”. We experimented with different topics and took the time to incorporate this method within our own notes. The final product of this project was to create an essay that covers an aspect of World War II, and how it has shaped Canadas Identity. Ultimately, this project not only deepened our understanding of Canada’s role in World War II but also highlighted the lasting influence the war had in shaping the nation’s identity.

“The profound impact of the Holocaust on a global scale led Canada to reevaluate its immigration policies, resulting in gradual reforms that opened the door to greater acceptance of refugees in the years that followed.” As stated, my thesis statement touches on the idea of Canadas immigration policies and the Holocausts impact on its growth and reform over time. I knew immediately after learning about this project that I wanted to focus my topic on something that is closely related to the Holocaust. The Holocaust is a very horrible historical event and it is important to me that I am educated on this topic and I understand the effect it had on the people and countries around the world. Though Canada and Germany are on the other side of the world from each other, Canadas impact on Jewish immigration was profound. Or should I say not Profound, Between 1933 and 1948, less than 5000 Jewish refugees were allowed into Canada – the smallest number of any Allied nation.

Check out my essay below 👇🏼

The Holocausts impact on Canadas Identity

Through this project I learned about Canadas immigration system, and government during World War II. Every country has its flaws, and this project gave me the opportunity to look at those flaws and find out how we have improved these systems over many years. This taught me about the reform of the Canadian government, and how we have shifted and changed our policies to become more welcoming and the Canada we know today. 

                          

The final part of this project was creating a zine. I thought that this task was fairly challenging in terms of the formatting, but turned out well overall. I took my essay and turned it into zine format, as well as adding photos and different quotes to elevate its design. I am quite happy with how it turned out, and now I know how to format text into this kind of layout. 

My zine 👇🏼

In conclusion, this project not only deepened my understanding of Canada’s role during World War II but also highlighted how the war reshaped the nation’s policies and identity. By focusing on the Holocaust’s impact on Canadian immigration, I gained knowledge about the complex history of Canada’s immigration system. The small number of Jewish refugees allowed into the country during and after the war stands as a reminder of the limitations of Canada’s initial approach. However, over time, Canada’s evolving immigration policies reflect a bigger commitment to human rights, ultimately transforming the country into a more welcoming society. This project allowed me to explore the importance of learning from history, recognizing past, and striving toward a more welcoming and inclusive future.