History Browser

In 1941, for the first time in Canadian history, women were recruited for Canada's Armed Forces. This television clip features scenes from the NFB recruitment film "The Proudest Girl in the World" and interviews with two women who answered the call to enlist in World War II.

A report on the history and tradition of the Van Doos' mascot goat, Batisse.

Major Vince Buonamici, a Military Police Officer, testifies at the Somali Inquiry that he investigated two shooting deaths of Somalis by Airborne soldiers in 1993. He reports that the military chain of command deliberately delayed his work - work that could have prevented Shidane Arone's death.

Through the years, thousands of Canadian women have been faced with obstacles and challenging new experiences, whether on the home front or on the front lines. Learn about the changing roles of women and their different experiences.

In this 1972 CBC television interview, Cardinal Maurice Roy recounts his experiences and role as military chaplain during World War II.

Two days after he was found guilty of the beating death of Shidane Arone, a Somali teenager, Private Elvin Kyle Brown is sentenced to five years in jail and is dismissed with disgrace from the Canadian Armed Forces. His lawyer, Patrick McCann, reports that Brown is relieved with the outcome.

Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent hits the airwaves to solicit volunteers for a Canadian "Special Force" destined for action in Korea.

During the Second World War, rumours circulated amongst the civilian population that servicewomen were not living up to the high moral standards of their civilian counterparts. In this excerpt from the TV program "Women at War," several women who were officers in WW II recall the efforts made to enforce discipline among female recruits.

Silent film of Royal 22nd troops training in the snow before shipping out for the sunny Mediterranean.

Interview with Sergent Ronnie Smith, Corporal Patrick Couture, and Captain Hercule Gosselin of Canadian Forces Base Petawawa in which they describe their experiences as part of the Canadian Airborne Regiment in Somalia. They describe how they feel that the schools they built, the infrastructure they developed and the people they saved are all being overlooked by Canadians due to media coverage of a few isolated incidents.