Sign in to My VAC Account
Sign in to My VAC AccountTania Pendergast sits at a sunny desk in her artist's loft, dips the nib of her pen in an inkwell, and begins to write a quote in beautiful calligraphy.
She is surrounded by paint, pens, colourful paper and inspirational words pinned to the walls. Half-complete knitting projects sit patiently in nearby baskets.
"Find a place inside where there's joy, and the joy will burn out the pain," a quote from comparative mythology professor Joseph Campbell reads.
Growing up in Edmonton, Alberta, Shona Mitchell always had her sights set on a career in music. Although her family had some military history, she never considered joining the military herself.
One day, a small poster caught her eye while walking back from a university music class. The Canadian Armed Forces’ Band of the Ceremonial Guard was recruiting musicians. Getting paid a good wage to play music for the summer was hard to pass up.
"In 1997, $6,000 for four months was a lot of money to get paid to play music."
Students will compare and contrast representations of women in Canada's military by analyzing two videos from 1944 and 2026. They will discuss similarities and differences in the roles, opportunities and representation of women in military service over time. In a short written response, students will reflect on how the messages in the two videos reveal changing societal attitudes and expectations about women. An optional extension activity provides an opportunity to further explore and honour the topic by researching and recognizing one woman Veteran.
En Mémoire de
La Caporale - Karine - Blais
Décédée en Afghanistan
Le 13 avril 2009
Fille de Gino Blais et Josée Simard.
"Si tu pleures trop la perte de ton soleil,
tes larmes t'empêcheront de voir les étoiles"
This lesson plan is intended for teachers and students who have no previous experience with generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) or are learning to use it in a school environment. Students use generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) to summarize a historical sheet, then fact-check their creation and transform it into a new sketch note or infographic.
Through this activity, youth will:
It was a grey day when Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Athabaskan sailed back into Halifax Harbour after months in the Arabian Gulf. The Atlantic air was heavy with mist. On the jetty, a young sailor’s family stood in the anxious crowd; a wife, parents, siblings and two small boys. One of them, barely old enough to understand what war was, clutched a handmade sign that read: “Welcome Home Daddy”.
Born in Halifax in 1969, Gerald Doutre grew up in a military family in Lantz, Nova Scotia, moving between different communities throughout his childhood. His father served in the Navy, and several of his relatives had served in both the First and Second World Wars.
In high school, Doutre worked part-time at the warrant officers’ and sergeants’ mess in Ottawa, where his father served as the committee president. Seeing the military lifestyle up close inspired him to follow in his father’s footsteps and enlist.
Under the blazing Afghan sun, amid sandbags and shellfire, Corporal Matt Luloff found time to write songs.
“It was a great outlet, it helped me make sense of everything that was going on around me.”
As a member of the Task Force Kandahar battle group, Luloff did security, navigated fighting patrols on foot in the Panjwai-Zharey district and, at the end of the tour, transported troops along the world’s then most dangerous road —Highway 1 from Kandahar Airfield.
In 1885, women serve for the first time in Canadian military history as nurses in the field to provide care to the Canadian troops serving in Saskatchewan. A total of 12 nursing sisters are awarded the North West Canada Medal for their service.
When Maria Vidotto joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 1983, there was no grand strategy, family pressure or dramatic calling.
It was a Yellow Pages ad in a St. Catharines, Ontario, phone book that caught her eye.
“I was a good student,” she said matter-of-factly. “I had options.”
Her initial plan was to become a military police officer, but she started realizing her aptitude was leaning toward the Royal Canadian Air Force, into a trade few civilians ever see up close: Air Weapons Systems Technician.
