The Vietnam War is commonly known as an American war—a conflict started by American politicians and generals, carried out by American soldiers, and protested hotly by the American public. Thus, it might surprise some American readers of Surfacing to see that the characters of the novel are also part of the conflict—Joe, in particular, is a veteran. What was Canada’s role in this conflict, and why is it not better known?
In short, Canada never officially joined the war. The country is known for its harboring of tens of thousands of American draft dodgers and deserters, though many Canadians resented the Americans’ presence—a 1968 poll revealed that 58% of Canadians believed draft evaders should be banned.
This did not mean some Canadians did not feel compelled to participate. About 20,000-40,000 Canadians enlisted and about 12,000 actually fought in combat roles; 134 died or were missing in action, but the numbers are imprecise. Reasons for enlisting varied: the men were dual citizens living or working in the US, some wanted to fight communism, some wanted adventure.
The names of the Canadians who died in the war are listed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC. There is also a veteran-initiated memorial in Windsor, Ontario. The Canadian government has never formally acknowledged those who were killed or were MIA, but in 1994 the Royal Canadian Legion allowed Vietnam veterans to become members.
Many feel that their service was ignored. In an article in CBC, one veteran remarked, “When I came back and brought up the subject, it was always 'Who cares? We weren't there. We weren't in it’… When I went down to the Royal Canadian Legion, they wouldn't accept us, our service. So for many years they just forgot about it."
Another way Canada was involved with the war was through trade. According to the National Post, “Canadians steel and iron exports rose 54 per cent thanks entirely due to demand from U.S. war manufacturing. Canadian mines also supplied the majority of U.S. stocks of nickel; one of the most critical metals for modern, mechanized warfare… the benefits to Canada were substantial. Even in the early years of 1966, American defence contracts were estimated to be responsible for up to 15,000 direct and 110,000 indirect Canadian jobs. And it was all happening with a Liberal government that, while openly opposing the Vietnam War, was relatively sanguine about the massive amounts of Canadian material being used to wage it.”
The Canadian Encyclopedia offers more insight into the nature of Canada’s “non” involvement: “Canada's record on the truce commissions was a partisan one, rooted in the presumption of Hanoi's guilt and Saigon's innocence and designed to discredit North Vietnam while exonerating South Vietnam from its obligations to uphold the Geneva Agreements. Canadian delegates engaged in espionage for the US Central Intelligence Agency and aided the covert introduction of American arms and personnel into South Vietnam while they spotted for US bombers over North Vietnam. Canadian commissioners shielded the US chemical defoliant program from public inquiry, parlayed American threats of expanded war to Hanoi, and penned the reports legitimating both the rupture of the Geneva Agreements and the US air war over North Vietnam.”
Canada also gave South Vietnam $29 billion in aid, showing that despite their lack of official participation, they were very much involved in the Vietnam War.
