OTTAWA — The federal government, which has been promoting the bicentennial of the War of 1812, is placing even more emphasis on military history by designating a number of sites, events and groups as historic.
Parks Canada says it’s an effort to single out major moments in the country’s military history.
The program embraces specific sites, such as the Crow’s Nest officers club in St. John’s, N.L., that was a familiar watering hole for the Royal Canadian Navy during the Battle of the Atlantic in the Second World War.
It also covers events such as the 1759 siege of Quebec and the 1760 Battle of Sainte-Foy.
And it designate organizations, such as the First World War Voluntary Aid Detachments, which enlisted women as nurses, ambulance drivers and clerical staff in hospitals in Canada and abroad.
And there are designations to recall Canadian naval aviation in the Second World War and Canadian wartime detention of PoWs and enemy aliens.
“Each of these designations represents a significant contribution to the development of Canada as a nation,” said Environment Minister Peter Kent, who is responsible for Parks Canada.
“Our national historic designations connect us to the cultural forces that made Canada what it is today. By understanding and appreciating our shared history and a sense of common purpose, we become a stronger Canada.”
Other designations will go to cover Camp X, the installations near Oshawa and Whitby, Ont., where Allied spies and saboteurs trained during the Second War; and Camp Hughes, a site south of Winnipeg used to train First World War soldiers.
“These new historical designations will be included in Canada’s family of national historic sites, persons, and events on the recommendation of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada,” Parks Canada said in a news release.