Canada did not fight in the Vietnam War, and diplomatically it was officially "non-belligerent". Nevertheless, the war had considerable effects on Canada, while Canada and Canadians affected the war, in return. Combatants Republic of Vietnam United States Republic of Korea Thailand Australia New Zealand The Philippines National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam Democratic Republic of Vietnam People’s Republic of China Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea Strength US 1,000,000 South Korea 300,000 Australia 48,000... A non-belligerent is a person or country who does not take part in aggression. ...

Beginnings

Prime Minister Pearson and President Johnson meeting in Texas, 1965.

During the Cold War, Canada was firmly among with the Western democracies, as against being a non-aligned state. For instance, Canada was a founding member of NATO, and was intrumental the forming of that military alliance against the Soviet Union and its satellites. Canada's foreign policy, though, was also committed to multilateralism and the United Nations, perhaps most noticeably under Lester B. Pearson from 1963 to 1968. Canada thus found itself in a difficult position, caught between these two foreign policy objectives. Canadians were hesitant to adopt the Truman or Eisenhower Doctrines, which held that communism itself must be actively opposed through foreign intervention. Instead, Canada's policy was that illegal acts of international aggression must be opposed, as in the Korean War, during which Canada was among the many countries that sent troops to fight in support of South Korea, under a United Nations resolution. Image File history File links Pearson_and_Johnson. ... Image File history File links Pearson_and_Johnson. ... For other uses, see Cold War (disambiguation). ... NATO 2002 Summit in Prague The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation[2] (NATO; French: ; also called the North Atlantic Alliance, the Atlantic Alliance, or the Western Alliance) is a military alliance established by the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty on 4 April 1949. ... Multilateralism is an international relations term that refers to multiple countries working in concert. ... The foundation of the U.N. The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues. ... Lester Bowles Mike Pearson, PC, OM, CC, OBE, MA, LL.D. (April 23, 1897 – December 27, 1972) was a Canadian statesman, diplomat and politician who was made a Nobel Laureate in 1957. ... 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday. ... Truman delivering the Truman Doctrine on March 12, 1947. ... The Eisenhower Doctrine, given in a message to Congress on January 5, 1957 stated the United States would use armed forces upon request in response to imminent or actual aggression to the United States. ... Combatants United Nations:  Republic of Korea  Australia  Belgium  Luxembourg  Canada  Colombia  Ethiopia  France  Greece  Luxembourg  Netherlands  New Zealand  Philippines  South Africa  Thailand  Turkey  United Kingdom  United States Medical staff:  Denmark  Australia  Italy  Norway  Sweden Communist states:  Democratic People’s Republic of Korea  Peoples Republic of China  Soviet Union Commanders...

During the First Indochina War between France and the Indo-Chinese nationalist and communist parties, Canada remained militarily uninvolved but provided modest diplomatic and economic support to the French. Canada was, however, part of the multinational committee that oversaw the 1954 Geneva Agreements that divided Vietnam and provided for French withdrawal. Behind the scenes, Canadian diplomats tried to discourage both France and the United States from escalating the conflict in a part of the world Canadians had decided was not strategically vital.^{[citation needed]} Combatants French Colonialists Việt Minh Strength 500,000  ? Casualties 94,581 dead 78,127 wounded 40,000 captured 300,000+ dead 500,000+ wounded 100,000 captured The First Indochina War (also called the French Indochina War, the French War or the Franco-Vietnamese War) was fought in Indochina... The Geneva Conference (April 26 - July 21, 1954) was a conference between many countries that agreed to end hostilities and restore peace in French Indochina and Korea. ...

Canada laid out six prerequisites to joining a war effort or Asian alliance like SEATO: External links kamouflage. ...

1. It had to involve cultural and trade ties in addition to a military alliance.
2. It had to demonstrably meet the will of the people in the countries involved.
3. Other free Asian states had to support it directly or in principle.
4. France had to refer the conflict to United Nations.
5. Any multilateral action must conform to the UN charter.
6. Any action had to be divorced from all elements of colonialism.^{[citation needed]}

These criteria effectively guaranteed Canada would not participate in the Vietnam War. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Pith helmet of the Second French Empire. ...

Additionally, at the start of the Vietnam War, Canada was a member of the UN truce commissions overseeing the implementation of the Geneva Agreements, and thus was obliged to stay officially neutral. The Canadian negotiators were strongly on the side of the Americans, however.^{[citation needed]} Some delegates even engaged in espionage on behalf of the Americans, with the approval of the Canadian government.^{[citation needed]} Canada also sent foreign aid to South Vietnam, which, while humanitarian, was directed by the Americans.^{[citation needed]} Espionage (spying) is a practice of obtaining information about an organization or a society that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. ...

Canada tried to mediate between the warring countries, aiming for a conclusion that could allow the U.S. to leave the conflict honourably, but also publicly (if mildly) criticised American war methods, occasionally.^{[citation needed]} Meanwhile, Canadian industry exported military supplies and raw materials useful in their manufacture, including ammunition, napalm and Agent Orange,^[1] to the United States, as trade between the two countries carried on unhindered by considerations of the purposes to which these exports were being put. Although these exports were sales by Canadian companies, not gifts from the Canadian government, they benefitted the American war effort, none the less. A simulated Napalm explosion during a 2003 air show. ... Vietnam. ...

As the war escalated, relations between Canada and the United States deteriorated. On April 2, 1965 when Pearson gave a speech at Temple University in the United States which, in the context of firm support for U.S. policy, called for a pause in the bombing of North Vietnam.^{[citation needed]} Meeting with Pearson the next day, a furious President Lyndon B. Johnson grabbed the much smaller Canadian by his lapels and talked angrily with him for an hour.^{[citation needed]} April 2 is the 92nd day of the year (93rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 273 days remaining. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... Temple University is a university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ... The presidential seal was first used by President Hayes in 1880 and last modified in 1959 by adding the 50th star for Hawaii. ... “LBJ” redirects here. ...

Draft dodgers

Main article: Draft dodgers

A large number of draft dodgers, young American men facing conscription for the Vietnam War, decided to flee to Canada rather than serve in the American armed forces. These young men became concentrated in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. They were at first assisted by the Student Union for Peace Action, a campus-based Canadian anti-war group with connections to Students for a Democratic Society in the United States. Canadian immigration policy at the time made it easy for immigrants from all countries to obtain legal status in Canada. By late 1967, dodgers were being assisted primarily by several locally based anti-draft groups (over twenty of them), such as the Toronto Anti-Draft Programme. As a counselor for the Programme, Mark Satin wrote the Manual for Draft-Age Immigrants to Canada, in 1968. It sold over 100,000 copies in eight editions.^[2] Their actions were criminal offences and once they had left the country draft dodgers could not return or they would be arrested. ... Their actions were criminal offences and once they had left the country draft dodgers could not return or they would be arrested. ... SDS Button Logo The Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) was, historically, a student activist movement in the United States that was one of the main iconic representations of the countrys New Left. ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... Mark Satin fielding a question at the Fall for the Book Literary Festival, Fairfax, VA, USA, September 21, 2004 – photo by Richard Mallory Allnutt Mark Satin (born November 16, 1946) is a U.S. lawyer and editor of the online political periodical Radical Middle Newsletter. ...

Following the draft-dodgers, deserters from the American forces also made their way to Canada. There was pressure from the United States and Canada to have them arrested, or at least stopped at the border. In May 1969 the Canadian government ceased its active discrimination against deserters, after facing extensive criticism. Desertion is the act of abandoning or withdrawing support from someone or something to which you owe allegiance, responsibility or loyalty. ... For the Stargate SG-1 episode, see 1969 (Stargate SG-1). ...

The influx of these young men, who in many cases were well educated and politically leftist, affected Canada's academic and cultural institutions, and Canadian society at large. These new arrivals tended to balance the "brain drain" that Canada had experienced. While some draft dodgers returned to the United States after they were pardoned by Jimmy Carter in 1977, roughly half of them stayed in Canada. The deserters have not been pardoned and may still face pro forma arrest and release, as the case of Allen Abney demonstrated in March 2006.^[3] Estimates of how many Americans settled in Canada to avoid service vary greatly. Canadian immigration statistics show that 20,000 to 30,000 draft-eligible American men came to Canada as immigrants during the Vietnam era; estimates of the total number of American citizens who moved to Canada due to their opposition to the war range from 50,000 to 125,000^[4] This group may have helped to shift Canadian politics farther to the left of those in the United States.^{[citation needed]} A brain drain or human capital flight is an emigration of trained and talented individuals (human capital) to other nations or jurisdictions, due to conflicts, lack of opportunity, or health hazards where they are living. ... James Earl Jimmy Carter, Jr. ...

Prominent draft dodgers who stayed in Canada permanently, or for a significant amount of time include:

• Jim Green- Vancouver city cousellor and mayoral candidate
• Dan Murphy- political cartoonist
• Andy Barrie- Host of CBC Radio's Metro Morning
• the father of Svend Robinson, Member of Parliament
• Jack Todd - award-winning sports columnist for the Montreal Gazette
• Eric Nagler - Children's entertainer on The Elephant Show.
• Mike Fisher - A founding member of Heart - a popular rock/pop band^[5]
• Jesse Winchester Singer-songwriter.

Jim Green MA, BA is a university professor of anthropology. ... Vancouver (pronounced: ) is a city in south-western British Columbia, Canada. ... Andy Barrie is the host of Metro Morning, on CBL, the Toronto station of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. ... Svend Robinson Svend Johannes Robinson (born March 4, 1952) is a Canadian politician and prominent activist for gay rights. ... Jack Todd is a controversial sports writer for the Montreal Gazette. ... The Gazette is a major English-language daily newspaper produced out of Montreal, Quebec. ... The Elephant Show (from the second season onward, Sharon, Lois & Brams Elephant Show) was a Canadian childrens television show from 1984 until 1988. ... Heart is an American rock band which came out of Newport High School in Bellevue, Washington. ... American guitarist, keyboardist, vocalist Jesse (James Ridout) Winchester was born in Shreveport, Louisiana on May 17, 1944 and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. ...

Anti-war activism

Anti-War activities were nearly as widespread in Canada as they were in the United States, with demonstrations on most Canadian college and university campuses. In English Canada, the movement was fuelled by the draft dodgers. In Quebec, the anti-war movement was also strong, and even violent: The FLQ, a terrorist Quebec-separatist group, was also stridently anti-American and against the war. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The Front de Libération du Québec (Quebec Liberation Front), commonly known as the FLQ, was a separatist group founded in the 1960s and based primarily in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. ...

One of the most visible expressions of this was at Expo '67. President Johnson was visiting for the opening of the American pavilion, which would involve a large American flag being unfurled. The FLQ secretly informed the government that anyone who tried to raise the flag would be shot. The original government plan was to use a Boy Scout to raise it, under the assumption the FLQ would not assassinate a child, but this idea was rejected and an extremely nervous Scout leader wearing a bulletproof vest did so. Although he was not shot, it was discovered upon the unfurling of the flag that the canton with the stars had been cut out by a protester.^{[citation needed]} The 1967 International and Universal Exposition, or simply Expo 67 was a Worlds Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in 1967 to coincide with the Canadian Centennial that year. ... Scouts Canada is a Scout association and member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, in affiliation with the French-language Association des Scouts du Canada. ...

Canadians in the U.S. military

In counter-current to the movement American draft-dodgers and deserters to Canada, several thousand Canadians voluntarily joined the U.S. military and fought in Vietnam on the American side; estimates range from 3,500 to 10,000. Several thousand more Canadians joined and served with the U.S. military, but did not fight in Vietnam. One-hundred-and-ten Canadians died in Vietnam, and seven remain listed as Missing in Action. Many of these were Canadians who had long lived in the United States, Canadians with US citizenship who were drafted or had previously served in the U.S., and out-of-work Canadian ex-soldiers who had been the victims of recent government cutbacks. Still other Canadians volunteered because of ideological or moral support of the American war effort.^[6] (This cross-border enlistment was not unprecedented: In both the First and the Second World War, tens of thousands of Americans had joined the Canadian forces while their homeland was still neutral. Canadian Peter C. Lemon won the U.S. Medal of Honor for his valour in the conflict.) MIA is a three-letter acronym that is most commonly used to designate a combatant who is Missing In Action, and has not yet returned or otherwise been accounted for as either dead (KIA) or a prisoner of war (POW). ... Combatants Allied Powers: Russian Empire France British Empire Italy United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary German Empire Ottoman Empire Bulgaria Commanders Nikolay II Aleksey Brusilov Georges Clemenceau Joseph Joffre Ferdinand Foch Robert Nivelle Herbert H. Asquith D. Lloyd George Sir Douglas Haig Sir John Jellicoe Victor Emmanuel III Luigi Cadorna... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... Peter C. Lemon is one of the youngest surviving recipients of the Medal of Honor. ... The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States. ...

In Windsor, Ontario, there is a small, privately funded monument to the Canadians killed in the Vietnam War. However, many Canadian veterans returned to a society that was strongly anti-war. Unlike in the United States, there were no veterans organizations nor any help from the government. Many of them moved permanently to the United States. There has been ongoing pressure from Canadian Vietnam veterans to have their comrades' deaths to formally acknowledged by the government, especially in times of remembrance such as Remembrance Day. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Wreaths of artificial poppies used as a symbol of remembrance Remembrance Day (Australia, Canada, United Kingdom), also known as Poppy Day (South Africa and Malta), and Armistice Day (United Kingdom, New Zealand and many other Commonwealth countries; and the original name of the holiday internationally) is a day to commemorate...

Assistance to the Americans

The neutrality and factual accuracy of this section are disputed. Please see the relevant discussion on the talk page. This article has been tagged since January 2007.

Canada's official diplomatic position in relation to the Vietnam War was that of a non-belligerent, but the country was not altogether neutral in the conflict: It professed explicit support for the United States. Canadian industry was also a major supplier of equipment and supplies to the American forces. Canada did not send these directly to South Vietnam, but sold them to the United States. Throughout the Vietnam War, Canadian manufacturers profited from the conflict. Sold goods included relatively benign items like boots, but also napalm and commercial defoliants, the use of which was fiercely opposed by anti-war protesters at the time. During the conflict, Canadian industry sold $2.47 billion in war materiel to the United States between 1965 and 1973.^[1] Canada also allowed their NATO ally to use Canadian facilities and bases for training exercises and weapons testing. Image File history File links Circle-question-red. ... Image File history File links Unbalanced_scales. ... Official language Vietnamese Capital Saigon Last President Duong Van Minh Last Prime Minister Vu Van Mau Area  - Total  - % water 173,809 km² N/A Population  - Total  - Density 19,370,000 (1973 est. ... A simulated Napalm explosion during a 2003 air show. ... A defoliant is any chemical sprayed or dusted on plants to cause its leaves to fall off. ... Materiel (from the French for material) is the equipment and supplies in Military and commercial supply chain management. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... NATO 2002 Summit in Prague The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation[2] (NATO; French: ; also called the North Atlantic Alliance, the Atlantic Alliance, or the Western Alliance) is a military alliance established by the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty on 4 April 1949. ...

Between 28 January 1973 and 31 July 1973, Canada provided 240 peacekeeping troops to Operation Gallant, the military operation associated with the International Commission of Control and Supervision (ICCS) Vietnam, along with Hungary, Indonesia, and Poland.^[7] Their role was to monitor the cease-fire in South Vietnam per the Paris Peace Accords.^[8] January 28 is the 28th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... July 31 is the 212th day (213th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 153 days remaining. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... During the Vietnam War, the International Commission of Control and Supervision (ICCS) was created to replace the International Commission for Supervision and Control (ICSC) following the signing of the Paris Peace Accords (Paris Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam) on 27 January 1973. ... Signing the peace accords. ...

Post-war

After the fall of South Vietnam in 1975, thousands of refugees, known as boat people, fled Vietnam for both political and economic reasons. Canada agreed to accept many of them, in one of the largest single influxes of immigrants in Canadian history. This created a substantial Vietnamese community in Canada, concentrated especially in Vancouver and Toronto. 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... This article is about asylum seekers travelling by boat. ... Vancouver (pronounced: ) is a city in south-western British Columbia, Canada. ...

The Vietnam War was an important cultural turning point in Canada. Coupled with Canada's centenary in 1967 and the success of Expo '67, Canada became far more independent and nationalistic. The public, if not their representatives in parliament, became more willing to oppose the United States and to move in a different direction socially and politically.^{[citation needed]}

In 1981, a government report revealed that Agent Orange, the controversial defoliant, had been tested at CFB Gagetown, New Brunswick.^[9] In June of 1966, the chemical was sprayed over nearly 600 acres of forest inside the base. There are differing opinions regarding the level of toxicity of the site, but as of 2006, the Canadian government says it is planning to compensate some of those who were exposed. Vietnam. ... Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, also referred to as CFB Gagetown, is a large Canadian Forces Base located in southwestern New Brunswick. ... Motto: Spem reduxit (Hope restored) Official languages English, French (the only officially bilingual province in the country) Capital Fredericton Largest city Saint John Lieutenant-Governor Herménégilde Chiasson Premier Shawn Graham (Liberal) Parliamentary representation  - House seats  - Senate seats 10 10 Area Total  - Land  - Water  (% of total)  Ranked 11th 72...

Notes and references

1. ^ ^{a b} Supplying the war machine - [[|Canadian Broadcasting CorporationCBC]] Archives
2. ^ Manual for Draft-Age Immigrants to Canada by Mark Satin
3. ^ Deserter says he was treated well by U.S. military, CBC News, 30/20/2006
4. ^ Draft-dodger memorial to be built in B.C., CBC News, 09/08/2004
5. ^ JAM! Music - Pop Encyclopedia
6. ^ Greetings from the President by Richard Shand June 1996
7. ^ Vietnam War Bibliography Edwin Moise. Contains numerous sources on ICCS.
8. ^ Control and Supervision Vietnam 1973 - ICCS, Veterans Affairs Canada, March 26, 2001
9. ^ CBC Archives - A 1981 news broadcast on Vietnam era "Agent Orange" testing in Base Gagetown, New Brunswick

Mark Satin fielding a question at the Fall for the Book Literary Festival, Fairfax, VA, USA, September 21, 2004 – photo by Richard Mallory Allnutt Mark Satin (born November 16, 1946) is a U.S. lawyer and editor of the online political periodical Radical Middle Newsletter. ... March 26 is the 85th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (86th in leap years). ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Further reading

Military history of Canada: Wars in the 20th & 21st centuries

Second Boer War

First World War

Russian Civil War

Spanish Civil War

Second World War

Korean War

Cold War

Vietnam War

Invasion of Afghanistan

Iraq War

• CBC - As it Happens - Canada and the Vietnam War
• CBC Archives - Canada's Secret War: Vietnam (video timeline)
• CBC Archives - Seeking Sanctuary: Draft Dodgers (video timeline)
• Vietnam War Resisters in Canada
• Manual for Draft-Age Immigrants to Canada by Mark Satin
• Vietnam Veterans With a Mission website - Information and pictures

Image File history File links Flag_of_Canada. ... Canadian soldiers advancing behind a tank at the Battle of Vimy Ridge, one of Canadas greatest military victories. ... Combatants United Kingdom Australia New Zealand Canada Cape Colony Orange Free State South African Republic Commanders Redvers Buller Frederick Roberts Herbert Kitchener Paul Kruger Martinus Steyn Louis Botha Christiaan de Wet Casualties 22,000 6,500 Civilians killed [mainly Boers]: 24,000+ The Second Boer War, commonly referred to as... Prime Minister of Canada Robert Borden at the outbreak at the Great War. ... Britain, France, Canada and the United States, along with other World War I Allied countries, conducted a military intervention into the Russian Civil War during the period of 1918 through 1920. ... The Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion or Mac-Paps were a battalion of Canadians who fought as part of the Fifteenth International Regiment for the Republican side in the Spanish Civil War. ... A recruiting poster in Canada. ... Combatants United Nations:  Republic of Korea  Australia  Belgium  Luxembourg  Canada  Colombia  Ethiopia  France  Greece  Luxembourg  Netherlands  New Zealand  Philippines  South Africa  Thailand  Turkey  United Kingdom  United States Medical staff:  Denmark  Australia  Italy  Norway  Sweden Communist states:  Democratic People’s Republic of Korea  Peoples Republic of China  Soviet Union Commanders... Canada played a middle power, and occasionally important, role in the Cold War. ... Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan. ... // In 2003, Canada chose not to join the United States Coalition of the willing during the invasion of Iraq. ... Mark Satin fielding a question at the Fall for the Book Literary Festival, Fairfax, VA, USA, September 21, 2004 – photo by Richard Mallory Allnutt Mark Satin (born November 16, 1946) is a U.S. lawyer and editor of the online political periodical Radical Middle Newsletter. ...

External links

• Canadian Vietnam Veterans Memorial Association
• Vietnam Veterans in Canada (advocacy group)
• The North Wall, Canadian Vietnam Veterans Memorial