Building Liberty: Canada and World Peace, 1945-2005

edited by AvH and Conny Steenman-Marcusse

Many different events and projects commemorate the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. This volume of essays and poetry collects various perspectives on the 1940-1945 war years in the Netherlands and the role Canada played in its liberation. The presence of Canada and Canadian soldiers in 1944-1945 resulted in a strong and abiding connection between the two countries over the past six decades. This connection was strengthened by considerable Dutch immigration to Canada during the ten years after the war, but has also been underscored by their political and social similarities: these two countries must negotiate with powerful and sometimes intransigent neighbours. The political and historical essays represented here critically portray Canada’s role in matters of war and peace since 1945.

The sixty years between 1945 and 2005 have marked a long and flourishing friendship between Canada and the Netherlands, nations united by shared chapters in their histories, and by their dedication to freedom and to a positive future. van Herk and Steenman-Marcusse edit a collection that acknowledges that friendship, an example of the intriguing scholarship evoked by the Dutch-Canadian connection.