Human Rights A Day

Canada declares war on Germany. Soon after Hitler secured a non-aggression pact with Russia, he invaded Poland. The British and French governments reacted by issuing an ultimatum to Germany to withdraw from Poland, but Hitler refused, citing other countries as provocateurs. So, on September 3, 1939, Britain, France, India, Australia and New Zealand declared war on Germany. Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon MacKenzie King, wanting to assert some independence, waited another week and declared war on Germany September 10, 1939. By the time Germany surrendered on May 7, 1945, more than one million Canadian men and almost 50,000 Canadian women had served in the military during the war. Of those, more than 42,000 Canadians died. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.