This time 100 years ago, Canadian soldiers were still battling the Germans at Vimy Ridge. The Canadians eventually beat the Germans on April 12th during the four day battle. Marc Serre, the MP for Nickel Belt, has released historical facts about the battle where Canada fought as a nation for the first time in its history. The shooting over the four days killed about 3,600 Canadians and wounded another 7,000. Serre says many soldiers from diverse backgrounds took Vimy Ridge together as Canadians. The accomplishment saw Brigadier-General A.E. Ross say that he witnessed the birth of nation because of Vimy.
Carol Hughes, the MP for Algoma Manitoulin Kapuskasing is also talking about Vimy Ridge. Hughes says when the Canadians took on the Germans, Canada’s total of four divisions did so as one unit. What’s more, our allies had failed to take Vimy Ridge earlier in repeated attacks. Hughes says it’s important to tell young people about the sacrifice Canadians made 100 years ago. She says the people of today inherited a country that many Canadians helped shape and then died in war. During World War One, Canada’s population was under eight million people and the war killed more than 66,000 Canadians.