Write the following quotation on the board or chart paper:
“Canada will do as she has always done – her full duty” to help defend South Korea.
-Canada’s Liberal Foreign Affairs Minister Lester B. Pearson, 1950
Remind students that the UN was only five years old when this statement was made and that the Second World War was just recently over. Ask: What is Canada’s full duty to the UN? What is Canada’s full duty to the rest of the world? Has our duty changed over the last 50 years?
Direct students to the topic Forgotten Heroes: Canada and the Korean War on the CBC Radio and Television Archives Web site. Students will view Clips #1, 2, 3, 5, 10, and 11. As they explore the site, students will note Canada’s involvement in and contributions to the war in Korea.
After reviewing the site, students will assume the role of an editorial writer for a major Canadian newspaper in the early 1950s. Assign half the class to write an editorial supporting Canada’s efforts while the other half writes to oppose the war effort.