Acadians in Action

The Second World War forever transformed Canada. With 1.1 million in uniform and more than 3 million working in related industry, the country was engaged in a total war. Once mobilized against the fascist threat, Canadians were fighting around the world: on the seas, in land campaigns, and in the air. Even traditionally marginalized groups, such as recent Eastern European immigrants and Indigenous people, served by the thousands. Although there were domestic abuses of civil liberties, most notably with the forced relocation of Japanese Canadians from the West Coast, there was tremendous support for the effort. In Quebec, which bore deep scars from the First World War and the fierce debate over conscription that had led to attacks on French Canadians, more than 132,000 served in uniform.

With Bombs and Barbed Wire, Ronald Cormier presents the stories of eleven Acadians from New...