Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Canada and the 1980's


This week in class we will be returning to a lecture style format for a couple of classes (boooooooo). We will begin by talking about the 1980's and what is going on in the world and how this had an effect on Canada. Later we will also discuss how Canada's immigration policies changed and the beginnings of aboriginal land treaties.

The '80's were a crazy decade and many important and crazy things happened in Canada. Follow this LINK that gives a brief summary of the events that occured in the 1980's in Canada. After reading and researching these events comment on which event you beleive is the most improtant to Canadian history. Don't forget to tell me why.....

16 comments:

  1. Both Terry Fox beginning his run, and the adoption of O Canada as Canada's national anthem are significant in Canada's history. Both create a sense of nationality that so many would claim (particularly before the Olympics) is not apparent in Canadians. In fact many argue that many Canadians proudly identified themselves as having no real distinct nationalism. this emphasizes the importance of events such as the cross-Canada Marathon of Hope and the adoption of O Canada as Canada's National anthem. These events clearly demonstrate that there is some Canadian identity and that Canadians have been much more closely united in the past 30 years.

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  2. I agree with Han and that Terry Fox is the most important event in Canadian History in the 1980s. However the most important event in Canadian History throughout time was the 1972 Summit Series. Sports is by far the most important thing in the world and Paul Hendersons goal also has a direct relation to the cold war. However, Canada has no significant history, nothing in our country has any significant importance towards World Relations.

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  3. Expo 86 was a significant event in Canadian history, as its transportation theme symbolized Vancouver's role in connecting Canada by rail and its status as a port and transportation hub. The even attracted over 54 countries and increased tourism to the country. Expo 86 also introduced the beginning of Science World, which was known as the Expo Centre at the time.

    Steven Zheng

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  4. i agree with steven that expo 86 in the 80s was a very significant event in canadian history as it created a larger feeling of nationalism within canada, and really helped canada grow as a nation and as stated by steven bring more people into canada as tourists or residents

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  5. Expo was just in Vancouver, I dont know how that would promote Canada.

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  6. Many remarkable events were recorded in Canadian History during the 1980's, which of course impacted the lives of many. These would include the creation of the new Territory - Nunavut; controversial issues such as the implementation of GST; Expo '86, which brought worldwide recognition to British Columbia; Summit talks, which brought US and Canada even closer.However, of all the events that transpired in the 80's, I consider the Terry Fox cross-Canada Marathon of hope, to be one of the most significant. It brought Canadians together for a common, realistic , universal cause - cancer.Despite nationalities , and provincial borders, all could relate to Fox's selfless, individual endeavor. Proof of this comes with the fact that this event remains an important annual nation-wide event.

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  7. The recognition of aboriginal land rights was the most important action in Canadian history throughout the 1980s. Slowly throughout the 30-40 years prior to the 80s Canadians had come around to the idea that their country was very multicultural and that they need to respect these cultures rather than ignore them. Throughout this time all these immigrants from other countries were being acknowledged while the original inhabitants of our land were being ignored and pushed to the side. Our culture did not see them as valued members of society because we had pushed them to small reserves and forced them to abide by a way of life that they had no idea how to lead. Their entire culture was destroyed and they had no idea how to live in a modern society. The final step for Canada to become a truly equal, multicultural country was to respect the people native to our land and begin to negotiate their entitlement to the land we stole from them without a fight. In no way am I saying that what were doing now is making up for the century and a half of abuse and systemic racism that turned a self sustaining culture into a largely poor and corrupted population. This recognition of their rights is what Canada prides itself on, which is it’s accepting of all people.

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  8. I agree with the people who said that Terry Fox's run is the most important event in Canadian history. As we know, there are countless numbers of significant incidents in Canadian history; however, there are only few events that are as positive as Terry Fox's run. Terry's run unified Canada and at the same time raised awareness for an important cause. To create something that could unify such a diverse, multicultural country is truly impressive.

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  9. The national anthem is deffinatly one of the more important things because it gives us more national independence.

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  10. I think I'm gonna change it up it a bit, seeing that everyone is talking about Terry Fox. The Ben Johnson ordeal in the Seoul Summer Olympics raised a huge amount of criticism towards Canada. He set a new World Record and won a gold medal which seemed to be a huge success for Canada. However, he was stripped of his medal for his use of steroids.

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  11. Many different events happened in Canada during the 80's. Terry Fox and Expo 86 were probably the most important events. Expo 86 brought worldwide recognition to B.C and mostly Vancouver, it was also during the World cup 86 which the first time Canada took part in it. Terry Fox also brought proud to Canada and North america and the people were really impressed with his thoughts and actions.Although the Terry Fox run did not go world wide, but Canada was and still is proud of having a strong and confident man.

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  12. I believe that the signing 1989 Free Trade agreement between the U.S. and Canada was one of the more significant events in 1980 Canadian history. This treaty allowed American companies to operate in Canada almost tax free and vice versa. Many Canadians felt that this agreement would reduce Canadian sovereignty. This was, in a way, quite true. As more and more American companies began opening up in Canada, American culture seeped through and influenced many Canadians.
    ~Ruaridh

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  13. I think Ryan pointed out an important moment in Canadian history. I would like to continue the issue with Olympic Games. The 1980 Moscow Summer Games were boycotted by the United States of America, in an effort to condemn the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Canada also boycotted, demonstrating the hostility between Canada and USSR during the climax of the Cold War. Also, Canada's action also displayed Canada's induction into the American sphere of influence, as many of our decisions and actions from that point on have become significantly influenced by the Americans.
    Ironically, I believe the most important moment in Canadian history is the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Furthermore, the Soviet invasion caused the US to train highly skilled troops, the Taliban, to drive the Soviets out of Afghanistan. In 2003, Canada and other NATO members began a mission in Afghanistan to eradicate the Taliban, which has become a notorious terrorist organization. Canada isn't just sending troops, as the government was also spending large amounts of money. It is interesting that the legacies of the event is still present today, as many Canadians are still risking their lives fighting the Taliban. Also, the decision of the Canadian government to send troops to Afghanistan is also very controversial and has been debated by critics for a long time. Many experts believe the decision reflects American influence as well.

    -Alex Lin

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  14. I would say that the Expo '86 event here in Vancouver would have been one of the more important events. With Vancouver being one of the growing major cities in Canada, the 6 month Expo show focused on transportation showed the city and country at one of its finest times. Tourism numbers increased and both Vancouver and Canada were exposed to the world.
    Second to this I would say that Terry Fox's Marathon of Hope and Rick Hansen's Man in Motion Tour show true Canadian spirit and address worldwide problems by themselves.

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  15. I believe that the Vancouver Expo was one of the major contributing factors that defined Canada as a whole as multicultural, economically stable and open for foreign business. Along with proving that we are a progressive nation that prides itself on development including technological, cultural and political. We also cannot forget the advancements we as a society in Vancouver benefitted from including stronger pride in our cultural mosaic, but also materialistic innovation such as transportation in the form of the Expo Line which lead to the construction of extensive train connectivity.

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