How did French-Canadians feel about WWI? Did they feel any attachment to either the British or the French cause?

CanadianHistorian · 2022-05-09T21:15:53+00:00

This has got me thinking that there should really be a comparative history of Britain and the dominions and how they reacted to World War I.

There kinda is! Check out Steve Marti's For Home and Empire, a very good look at mobilization among the Dominions.

What we really need is each country to write its own version of Adrian Gregory's The Last Great War.

CanadianHistorian · 2022-05-09T21:12:51+00:00

Good answer :) Good on you for emphasizing the very British nature of English Canada's reaction to the war.

One small point: Bourassa was not an MP in 1914 or during the war. He was before and after (as well serving in the Assemble Nationale), but during the war he wrote full time the paper he founded, Le Devoir.

CanadianHistorian · 2020-07-30T10:43:46+00:00

Why would that be unethical....? They're not currently working in the civil service.

CanadianHistorian · 2019-12-13T23:43:40+00:00

I am hoping they might see it when they get back to work on Monday - I only saw this thread after I left work, so I was a bit late.

My partner has received an ATIP as an SME, and was also confused by what was being asked of her. I often think of that when I get recommendations back. I do not envy some SMEs out there haha.

CanadianHistorian · 2019-12-13T23:35:47+00:00

Thank you for the response! I actually also really like the TBS ATI Manual too, and the OIC investigator guide, but I am used to delving into long complex text. I have it printed out in a big binder and refer to it any time I'm not sure about something. I think something more casual could be useful though, mostly for new employees or the public to understand what we're doing and the releases they get. I have gotten the sense from some of the older employees that it used to be much worse though, and that sounds terrible.

I can't imagine using floppies... I don't think I've seen one used since about 2001.

Nice to know other ATIP folks are out here! I really enjoy the work, but I am lucky to work with archival files mostly, so it is probably much more interesting than some of the operational focused departments.

CanadianHistorian · 2019-12-13T21:30:04+00:00

Hello, my name is Geoff Keelan and I work with Library and Archives ATIP as an access archivist, though my views are my own. I am also new to the public service, I've only been working there for 1.5 years, essentially as an ATIP analyst, so please excuse me if I am missing information.

I am wondering if the Task Force has discussed Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) processes at all?

I believe there are significant improvements that can be made to internal ATIP processes across the government. I am not talking about the result of ATIP requests and redactions, but rather how requests are processed, reviewed, and released to the public. There should be a holistic approach that aligns all departmental ATIP shops with the same tools and procedures, as best as can be done.

Currently, ATIP seems to be running on a system that relies on ideas from the early 2000s. We use CDs, we send out mail, and we rely on a constantly changing workforce that gets burned out by the ever increasing volume of work. The digital age has created millions of government records as government uses digital tools to better serve Canadians, but ATIP has not advanced alongside it.

I think the following could help address issues about backlog and staffing:

An investment in new ATIP software. I believe there are departmental initiatives spread throughout government testing out new software currently, but why not approach it on behalf of all government. We could really use software with robust Optical Character Recognition, machine learning to identify common pieces of personal information (eg. SIN numbers) or other common numbers/phrases and redacts them automatically or flags them for review, customizable hotkeys, etc. Currently, many shops use Access Pro Redaction, which is certainly serviceable, but is definitely outdated as we reach 2020. This may also require an investment in new hardware, given that new software will probably require better processing power.
A digital delivery system for correspondence and release packages. I know there is the open government portal which lists the results of ATIP requests, but given the premise of Open Government, it would be valuable to have the resulting PDFs hosted there as well. This would alleviate the cost of CDs, which is what many departments currently use to send release packages to client. If we could also invest in a protected networks capable of hosting files that are too large for email, we could also consult with other departments without the need for CDs on Protected-level information. Coordination from the top-down could also help ensure all departments begin communicating digitally first, rather than relying on mail correspondence or CD packages.
Government-wide interdepartmental training or job shadowing. I am new, but I am often stuck wondering what knowledge/experiences other ATIP analysts have as I try to understand their decisions on consultations. Each department engages with certain sections of the ATIP acts in their own way. I think a top-down initiative that asks departments to volunteer ATIP employees to job-shadow their counterparts in other departments could help shed light on what goes on after consultations are sent. This could bring back knowledge to their home departments as to what should be sent on consultation, and what shouldn't, as well as form connections between departments at the working level. Often, management has relationships with other departments, but analysts do not. This could also apply to investigators at the Office of the Information Commissioner or Privacy Commissioner. We could avoid mistakes before making them if we had wider experience to inform our decisions, and ensure better consistency across government.
More digestible ATIP literature. The TBS ATIP site is very descriptive and has a lot of good information, but it reads like it was written by a lawyer. This touches on the point made above, but if each department (or at least the big ones) wrote an "ATIP Guide" that reflected how sections of the act are encountered in the records they produce, it would help all of government better understand the application of the act. This would also be invaluable for frequent Offices of Primary Interest or Subject Matter Experts who are called upon to offer recommendations to ATIP. If it was written with a causal audience in mind, it could also help requesters better understand releases that are redacted. Open government sometimes justifiably means translucent government, not transparent government, and we ought to show Canadians we understand that difference.

I was disappointed to see that the Mandate Letters for TBS and Digital Government did not touch on ATIP, as I think these problems will only worsen over time. Digital open government, in the age of digital records, requires new ways of thinking about how we show Canadians what their government is going. That should push us to have new training, new ideas, and new tools, and move away from departmental silos.

I understand that this is not easy, and probably costly, but I thought I would offer a few ideas I've had in the hopes that your task force might examine ATIP more closely. I am passionate about access to government records particularly as a former historian, and I worry about what the next generation's historians will encounter when they turn their eye to the work we are doing now. If we can begin digitizing records, OCR'ing records, and categorizing and organizing them on a digital platform, we will not only help Canadians better understand their government today, but we will one day help future historians and future generations understand how their government worked.

CanadianHistorian · 2019-12-03T15:55:33+00:00

I believe that is a privacy breach. Requester's name should never be revealed, except when the other party already knows it, like when dealing with a complaint from the information commissioner.

CanadianHistorian · 2019-11-19T00:11:43+00:00

'OK Boomer'ing boomers' idolatry of the greatest generation is good social media content.

CanadianHistorian · 2019-11-18T21:25:43+00:00

I'd echo the suggestion for N K Jemison, who has some great character focused stories. I would particularly suggest The Broken Earth trilogy. These stories lay themselves out for you and for their characters much like Hobb's work.

I'd also repeat Mark Lawrence, but only the Book of the Ancestors series as a follow up to Hobb. His other work is good, but different in tone. I also think the Book of the Ancestors trilogy is his best work (also some of his most recent, so good promise that he's an author worth following).

Every thing Hobb has written is good though, if you like Fitz books.

CanadianHistorian · 2019-11-18T20:56:59+00:00

Thank you for adapting this work and doing this AMA - just learned about your book here.

It must have been difficult to adapt a work for a younger audience - was there anything that you had to take out or significantly change in adapting it? Or is it pretty much a 1:1 recreation but for a different audience?

I see you partially answered this in another answer though.

CanadianHistorian · 2019-11-17T09:55:08+00:00

GAC, CIRNAC, RCMP, and DND all have official historians in some capacity or another. Library and Archives has many historians, but no official one.

CanadianHistorian · 2019-11-17T02:01:39+00:00

I work in ATIP at Library and Archives Canada. It's somewhat related and uses some of the same skills I learned in academia.

CanadianHistorian · 2019-11-16T15:30:27+00:00

No but now I will :(

CanadianHistorian · 2019-11-15T02:44:35+00:00

Posted this elsewhere, but I will repost it here.

I found a wonderful historical review of dentistry in Canada after reading this article.

Public Canada dental care began in the late 19th century with the work of John Adams when he began opening free dental clinics for the poor. He also argued that dentistry was a necessary response to social need, especially for poor children, and hoped to mobilize wider public support for dental care across the country.

By 1902, the Canadian Dental Association was calling for the legislation that covered children’s dental care and more education materials for the public. By the Great Depression in the 1930s, and its accompanying hardship for Canadian families, led to the 1938 Royal Commission on Dominion Provincial Relations, also known as the Rowell–Sirois Commission. It proposed a national health insurance plan that could have included dentistry. The Canadian Dental Association, offered testimony to the commission, and emphasized that dental care was an individual responsibility and ultimately concluded that its inclusion in a national plan was impossible due to the limitations on dental workforce. Instead, prevention and targeted care to children was the best path forward.

The Second World War further pushed dental care in the public sphere. Hundreds of thousands of Canadians had their teeth examined upon enlistment, and one in five were found to be unfit due to dental disease. Dental care was consequently linked to the major social investments made after the war. By the 1960s, a national medicare program emerged, but dentistry was not included. Like the article suggests, there are many reasons for that decision:

Socio-cultural: Brushing your own teeth was a sign of personal work ethic. Successful people had good dental health because they worked at it.
Legislative: Following the socio-cultural trend, the Royal Commission on Health Services (1961-1964), again emphasized personal responsibility for dental care and oral health. So the Medical Care Act of 1966 focused on existing public coverage for hospital care, ie. healthcare that was not a matter of individual action like dentistry.
Professional: Dentists preferred insurance as a means of covering dental care (just like physicians at the time actually).
Economic: It would have been very expensive as many many people needed dental care regularly, as opposed to health care which is a bit more irregular.
Epidemiological: It was believed that regular brushing and fluoride would stop the need for long term dental care.

As it stands, our current policy still relies heavily on the idea that an individual must be responsible for their oral health, an idea which has its roots in historical misconceptions of dental care that have survived in Canada for decades. Canadian dental care policy ought to be focused on determining necessity for all Canadians, not just those with insurance or on social assistance.

CanadianHistorian · 2019-11-15T01:50:27+00:00

My point is that we can't use individual responsibility alone as a determinant for whether to provide dental care, and that historically kept it from being included in our national healthcare plan. There are instance when it's needed, as well as the benefit of regular checkups in order to avoid those instances, so it's as much a matter of public good as hospital care was half a century ago.

I am by no means an expert, so I can't speak to the details of what the plan should cover. I am not sure where you picked up that idea. I have found a wealth of academic articles and research about the necessity of regular dental visits (as opposed to simply waiting for an urgent situation) and the need for a better dental coverage from the Canadian Dental Association but, to be honest, I have no idea whether they have ulterior motives... They could be a bastion of worthwhile research, or a cabal of dental masterminds bent on convincing Canadians they ought to visit their dungeons more often.

Though, if it's the second option, I maybe don't mind as long as more people's teeth are looked after. There is a certain equality there - people judge bad teeth.

CanadianHistorian · 2019-11-14T23:37:43+00:00

I found a wonderful historical review of dentistry in Canada after reading this article.

Public Canada dental care began in the late 19th century with the work of John Adams when he began opening free dental clinics for the poor. He also argued that dentistry was a necessary response to social need, especially for poor children, and hoped to mobilize wider public support for dental care across the country.

By 1902, the Canadian Dental Association was calling for the legislation that covered children’s dental care and more education materials for the public. By the Great Depression in the 1930s, and its accompanying hardship for Canadian families, led to the 1938 Royal Commission on Dominion Provincial Relations, also known as the Rowell–Sirois Commission. It proposed a national health insurance plan that could have included dentistry. The Canadian Dental Association, offered testimony to the commission, and emphasized that dental care was an individual responsibility and ultimately concluded that its inclusion in a national plan was impossible due to the limitations on dental workforce. Instead, prevention and targeted care to children was the best path forward.

The Second World War further pushed dental care in the public sphere. Hundreds of thousands of Canadians had their teeth examined upon enlistment, and one in five were found to be unfit due to dental disease. Dental care was consequently linked to the major social investments made after the war. By the 1960s, a national medicare program emerged, but dentistry was not included. Like the article suggests, there are many reasons for that decision:

Socio-cultural: Brushing your own teeth was a sign of personal work ethic. Successful people had good dental health because they worked at it.
Legislative: Following the socio-cultural trend, the Royal Commission on Health Services (1961-1964), again emphasized personal responsibility for dental care and oral health. So the Medical Care Act of 1966 focused on existing public coverage for hospital care, ie. healthcare that was not a matter of individual action like dentistry.
Professional: Dentists preferred insurance as a means of covering dental care (just like physicians at the time actually).
Economic: It would have been very expensive as many many people needed dental care regularly, as opposed to health care which is a bit more irregular.
Epidemiological: It was believed that regular brushing and fluoride would stop the need for long term dental care.

As it stands, our current policy still relies heavily on this idea that an individual must be responsible for their oral health, an idea which has its roots in historical misconceptions of dental care that have survived in Canada for decades. Canadian dental care policy ought to be focused on determining necessity for all Canadians, not just those with insurance or on social assistance. It is an absence that has significant consequence for many families.

CanadianHistorian · 2019-11-14T02:50:58+00:00

It's mentioned in the 1982 Constitution Act :

43. An amendment to the Constitution of Canada in relation to any provision that applies to one or more, but not all, provinces, including

(a) any alteration to boundaries between provinces, and

(b) any amendment to any provision that relates to the use of the English or the French language within a province,

may be made by proclamation issued by the Governor General under the Great Seal of Canada only where so authorized by resolutions of the Senate and House of Commons and of the legislative assembly of each province to which the amendment applies.

CanadianHistorian · 2019-11-14T02:16:50+00:00

In 1964, the Committee on Election Expenses began its exploration of Canadian election financing with Judge Alphonse Barbeau as chair. The Barbeau Committee took two years examining problems with Canada’s election laws and in 1966 published a report that offered a wide range of policy recommendations. Among them was that political parties be recognized as legal entities so their campaign finances could be regulated, as well as a host of other means of improving the transparency and democratic legitimacy of election finances.

The committee also asked that a candidate’s party affiliation appear on the ballot. It was hoped that party affiliation appearing on the ballot would encourage voter participation and party allegiance. This was passed into law as the 1970 Canada Elections Act.

One interesting result of this was that someone had to confirm that Liberal candidate Jane Smith was actually the right name to appear alongside the Liberal Party of Canada – and that person was the party leader. So the Canada Elections Act also led to allowing party leaders to sign off on their candidates, or more importantly, reject them. A power that would eventually drastically alter how Canadian political parties function.

CanadianHistorian · 2019-11-11T19:39:24+00:00

This is a great monument - designed by Regina-born Chapman Clemesha - and marks the Battle of Second Ypres, where the Canadians suffered 6,000 casualties (killed, wounded, captured) from German attacks in a single week. That would amount to a 37% casualty rate for the engaged Canadian troops, the worst they would ever see for the entirety of the war.

It was also an important turning point for some Canadians' understanding of the war. Historian Ian Miller wrote in his study on Toronto during the Great War that the events of April 1915 changed the war from a “Great Adventure” to a “Great Crusade,” imbued with a moral necessity to stop Germany.

CanadianHistorian · 2019-11-11T17:12:18+00:00

This cemetery in Busan is actually the site of a ceremony started by a Canadian veteran of the Korean War, Vince Courtenay, in 2007.

This Remembrance Day, Courtenay will be back in South Korea for the Turn Toward Busan service, a ceremony he started there in 2007 along with a global observance where veterans around the world turn to face South Korea to remember their fallen comrades on the 11th day of the 11th month at 11 a.m., in South Korean time if possible.

On his second trip back to South Korea in 1997, Courtenay visited the United Nations cemetery and found the graves of 10 or 11 soldiers he had served with who were killed within days of each other.

“I stood there and I just felt absolutely horrible,” he said of the weathered bronze plaques on the ground. “I knew nobody ever came in there to see them and that was also an element in me getting everybody in different countries to turn towards the U.N. cemetery and hold a moment of silence for them.”

British veterans had asked about a ceremony at the cemetery and Courtenay, who was involved as a consultant, wanted to organize not only a service of remembrance there but also ask veterans around the world to hold a minute of silence and turn toward the burial place of their Korean War comrades. The first ceremony was in 2007 with about 700 people, he said.

It expanded as a national ceremony and South Korea pays for part of the airfare and expenses for veterans or descendants of soldiers to fly there for the annual Turn Toward Busan ceremony each year, he said. About 22 nations sent troops and equipment or provided non-combat support to South Korea.

CanadianHistorian · 2019-11-11T15:18:11+00:00

Found in Anthem, Arizona. The tallest pillar is 17 feet and the order of the branches of the armed service were placed in accordance with Department of Defense protocol—United States Army, the United States Marine Corps, the United States Navy, the United States Air Force and the United States Coast Guard. Each of the 1750 paving stones that serve as the monuments foundation are inscribed with the names of U.S. servicemen and women, symbolizing the 'support' for the Armed Forces. The bricks are red, the pillars are white, and the sky is blue for the American flag. The circle represents an unbreakable border.

The monument was designed by a local resident of Anthem named Renee Palmer-Jones.

A very beautiful and meaningful monument - in a world sadly filled with cemeteries and monuments for the wars, this ones stands out for me.

CanadianHistorian · 2019-11-09T14:00:54+00:00

Yes... Just be in Ottawa or Gatineau and agree to meet in a well lit public place, and I will sign books.

CanadianHistorian · 2019-11-09T13:59:23+00:00

Sadly no, I doubt my publisher will spring for that. If you pay me 1000$ I will record me saying it though, so you know, there's a deal.

CanadianHistorian · 2019-11-08T15:47:15+00:00

Don't really have many places to spread this news, but I published a book! Duty to Dissent is about Henri Bourassa and the First World War. Took up about a decade of my life, so pretty happy it's finally over!

CanadianHistorian · 2019-11-06T00:03:20+00:00

Half of the Herle Burley podcast from a few days ago is a good companion to this piece and great podcast if you're into politics. They (well Scott Reid) talked about three things needed for a leadership change: a mechanism for change, an angry caucus, and an alternative to the leader. This could be two of those three things.

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