Canada and the Vietnam War
- The mid-20th Century was a defining era of shaping Canada's identity in regards to foreign affairs.
- Canada's foreign policy objectives shifted towards peacekeeping efforts rather than participating in conflicts, which was emphasized by Canada's adoption of a strict non-proliferation and disarmament policies.
- One very distinct policy decision was when former Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson's government decided that Canada would not support the United States in their military involvement in Vietnam.
- While Canada never officially sent troops to Vietnam, over 40,000 Canadian soldiers enlisted in the US army during that time.
- This article in the Canadian Military Journal outlines Canada's unique role in the Vietnam War, the Canadian veterans from this war, and the controversies around the lack of official commemoration for Canadian veterans who served in the war.
Citation
Goldsworthy, Ryan. "The Canadian Way: The Case of Canadian Vietnam War Veterans." Canadian Military Journal 15, no. 3 (Summer 2015). http://www.journal.forces.gc.ca/vol15/no3/eng/PDF/CMJ153Ep48.pdf
Further Readings
For more information on Canada's involvement in the Vietnam War: https://www.jstor.org/stable/24914431
& https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/vietnam-war
& https://journals.openedition.org/eccs/1479
Overlapping Topics
Military, Defence, and Peacekeeping
Policy Sub-Topic
Policy Type
Editorial