Modern Canada

• Postwar Canada enjoyed record prosperity and material progress.
• Restrictive trading policies from the Depression era were opened up by agreements such as GATT, now the World Trade Organization (WTO).
• The discovery of oil in Alberta in 1947 began Canada's modern energy industry.
• In 1951, a majority of Canadians could afford adequate food, shelter and clothing for the first time.
• Between 1945 and 1970, Canada had one of the strongest economies among industrialized nations.
• Canada's high standard of living is supported by Canadians' work and international trade, especially with the United States.

• Canada gradually developed greater autonomy and an ability to make significant international contributions.
• During the Cold War, Canada joined democratic Western countries in NATO, a military alliance.
• Canada also joined the United States in NORAD.
• Canada joined international organizations including the United Nations (UN).
• Canada participated in the UN operation defending South Korea during the Korean War (1950-53).
• The guide records approximately 500 Canadians killed and 1,000 wounded in the Korean War.
• Canada participated in UN peacekeeping missions in places including Egypt, Cyprus and Haiti.
• Canada also participated in international security operations in the former Yugoslavia and Afghanistan.

The Quiet Revolution

Quebec experienced rapid social and political change in the 1960s, known as the Quiet Revolution. Many Quebecers sought greater autonomy or separation from Canada.

• Over more than 50 years, social values changed and Canada became a more flexible and open society.
• Secondary and postsecondary education opportunities expanded.
• A growing number of women entered the professional workforce.
• Most Canadians of Asian descent had historically been denied the right to vote in federal and provincial elections.
• In 1948, Japanese Canadians, the last of these groups mentioned in the guide, gained the right to vote.
• Aboriginal people were granted the vote in 1960.
• Today, every citizen over age 18 may vote.

Refugees & Immigration

• Canada welcomed thousands of refugees from Communist oppression.
• About 37,000 Hungarians escaped Soviet tyranny and sought refuge in Canada in 1956.
• After the Communist victory in Vietnam in 1975, more than 50,000 Vietnamese sought refuge in Canada.

Literature & Music

Canadian writers and musicians have made major contributions in both English and French. The guide highlights Stephen Leacock, Louis Hemon, Sir Charles G.D. Roberts, Pauline Johnson, Emile Nelligan, Robertson Davies, Margaret Laurence, Mordecai Richler, Joy Kogawa, Michael Ondaatje and Rohinton Mistry.

Musicians highlighted include Sir Ernest MacMillan and Healey Willan.

Visual Arts

• Group of Seven - founded in 1920; known for rugged Canadian wilderness landscapes.
• Emily Carr - painted forests and Aboriginal artifacts of the West Coast.
• Les Automatistes - pioneers of modern abstract art in Quebec in the 1950s.
• Jean-Paul Riopelle - most notable member associated with Les Automatistes.
• Louis-Philippe Hebert - celebrated Quebec sculptor of historical figures.
• Kenojuak Ashevak - pioneer of modern Inuit art using etchings, prints and soapstone sculptures.

Film & Performing Arts

• Canada has a long-performing-arts tradition, with regional theatres and internationally recognized companies.
• Denys Arcand, Norman Jewison and Atom Egoyan are notable Canadian filmmakers.

Terry Fox & Rick Hansen

• Terry Fox, a British Columbian who lost his right leg to cancer at age 18, began the Marathon of Hope in 1980 to raise money for cancer research.
• Although Terry Fox did not finish the run, his legacy continues through annual fundraising events.
• In 1985, fellow British Columbian Rick Hansen circled the globe in a wheelchair to raise funds for spinal cord research.

Other Sports Facts

• In 1972, Paul Henderson scored Canada's winning goal in the Canada-Soviet Summit Series, remembered as "the goal heard around the world."
• Canadian football differs from American football and is played professionally in the Canadian Football League (CFL).
• The CFL championship is the Grey Cup, donated by Governor General Lord Grey in 1909.

• Marshall McLuhan and Harold Innis were pioneer thinkers.
• Canadian research has received international recognition in medicine, telecommunications and other fields.
• Since 1989, the Canadian Space Agency and Canadian astronauts have participated in space exploration.
• Canadarm was designed and built in Canada and has been used in outer space.

Nobel Prize-Winning Scientists Mentioned in the Guide

Gerhard Herzberg, John Polanyi, Sidney Altman, Richard E. Taylor, Michael Smith and Bertram Brockhouse.