Grave Influence: The Impact of Britain and the U.S. on Canada’s War Dead Policy

Abstract

Canada is a federation, a product of British and French colonial power. However, since the mid-20th century Canada has developed an independent character, while also aligning more closely with the United States. This article will show how Canada’s policy on war dead reflect these changes. During the First World War, Canada strongly aligned with the Imperial War Graves Commission’s strict no repatriation policy. In subsequent decades, however, military losses and the ability transport and identify the dead made repatriation much more feasible. Fairly recent events have forced Canadian policy change that effectively created two policies: repatriation for military deaths occurring after 1970, which is in line with U.S. practice, and non-repatriation for military deaths that occurred prior to 1970. This double policy effectively establishes unequal treatment of the dead, which, ironically, is counter to the founding ideal of equality in the War Graves Commission’s original policy of non-repatriation.