Building Liberty. Canada and world peace, 1945-2005
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Introduction
In 2005 the Netherlands will commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of its liberation from German occupation. Canadian forces played a crucial role in establishing peace in the Netherlands and helping to rebuild the country in the immediate aftermath of war. The Canadian government offered a secure habitat to the Dutch Royal family during the war years. War cemeteries across the Netherlands testify to the heavy price paid by Canadians in protecting people and promoting peace. Local and individual stories testify to the impact of Canadian liberators on Dutch life and cultural memory. On a personal and a diplomatic level the ties between Canada and the Netherlands have remained strong and virtually unshaken for the past sixty years.
From 2-4 June, 2005, the Association for Canadian Studies (ACSN) organizes a three-day international conference to address and, where appropriate, reassess the role of Canada as a force for liberty and peace in the Netherlands and the world since 1945. Ko Colijn will speak on Security Issues in Canada and the Netherlands, Aritha van Herk on Is it possible to be a Dutch-Canadian?, Christl Verduyn on Resistance Photographer Krijn Taconis, Dutch-Canadian Photojournalist (1918-1979), George Elliott Clarke on Domestic Dissenters in the Peacable Kingdom, Janice Kulyk Keefer on the writings of Etty Hillesum and Naomi Klein and Frank Davey on Earle Birney´s The Road to Nijmegen in Canadian Second World Literature. For more information see the programme.