Canada and the First World War

In Europe, Germany attacked Belgium and France in 1914 and Britain declared war. As part of the British Empire, the Canadian Expeditionary Force (later the Canadian Corps) was created and more than 600,000 Canadians were sent to serve in the war, out of a total population of 8 million.

Canadian soldiers arrived in Europe to fight on the Western Front, later capturing Vimy Ridge in April 1917, with 10,000 killed or wounded. April 9 is commemorated as Vimy Day.

However, there was rising nationalistic and xenophobic hate against the Austro-Hungarian people within Canada's predominantly Anglo-French population. It led to the imprisonment of over 8,000 former Austro-Hungarian people from 1914 to 1920, mainly Ukrainian men, as "enemy aliens" in 24 labour camps across Canada.

Meanwhile on the front-lines, the Canadian soldiers continued to fight alongside the French and British Empire troops.

With Germany and Austria's surrender, the war ended in the Armistice on November 11, 1918.