The Empire Club of Canada
Virtual Event
Friday, November 8, 2024
As Remembrance Day approaches, we remember not just battles fought, but lives forever changed. From the muddy trenches of the First World War to today’s peace-keeping missions, Canadians have always stood strong in service and sacrifice.
Canadian attitudes towards war have changed in the many decades since Canada’s involvement in 1914-1918’s First World War.
On Friday November 8th, the Empire Club Foundation will explore these changes with some of Canada’s top experts – a soldier, a war artist, a historian, and a writer. Why have attitudes changed so radically and what does this mean for Canada’s role in the world in the future.
We may not like it, but war, it seems, will always be with us.
And what, when we participate in remembrance, are we truly remembering?
Here is one moment that marked the end of the Great War (1914-1918):
The Empire Club Foundation wishes to honour the 66,000 Canadians and Newfoundlanders who perished in the 1914-1918 Great War and the 44,000 who died in the 1939-1945 Second World War – and all Canadians in all the conflicts who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their Country.
Join us on November 8, 2024, for a distinguished event hosted by the Empire Club Foundation in commemoration of Remembrance Day. This event is hosted virtually and is a must-listen for every Canadian, offering a heartfelt remembering of those who served and sacrificed for our nation. Tune-in to help commemorate the sacrifices of our fallen soldiers and their enduring legacy by exploring how changing Canadian attitudes impact Canada’s present and future role in the world.
Our panel consists of Professor Jonathan F. Vance, Western University; Gertrude Kearns, much honoured war artist; Brigadier-General Cayle Oberwarth, Commander 4th Canadian Division and Joint Task Force (Central); and Gilbert Reid, film, television, and radio producer, and author.
Gilbert Reid has written for the Globe and Mail, the Times Literary Supplement, the Literary Review of Canada, Exile Quarterly, and many other publications; His CBC IDEAS show, War Science, dealt with the development of technology in WW1. Gilbert Reid’s France and Gilbert Reid’s Italy, both five-hour series, featured on CBC radio’s IDEAS show, and television productions written by Gilbert include the two six-hour series For King and Empire: Canadians in WWI and For King and Country: Canadians in WWII, as well as many TV specials on military and engineering topics.
Gertrude Kearns was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 2019 “for her contributions to preserving and understanding Canadian war history…” She served as official war artist in Kandahar in 2006 during the Afghan War. Her series The Art of Command: portraits and posters from Canada’s Afghan Mission 2006-2018 has been exhibited nationally.
The Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, Washington D.C. acquired her portrait of General David Petraeus. Recent military subjects include Canada’s previous and current Chiefs of the Defence Staff, General Wayne Eyre and General Jennie Carignan; and University of Toronto commissions include one of The Honorable Bill Graham in 2023 for Trinity College and one of The Honorable Hugh Segal for Massey College 2024.
Currently she features in the Outside the Lines show at The Canadian War Museum, Ottawa: more than two centuries of women artists interpret Canada’s military history.
Brigadier-General Cayle Oberwarth served in the ex-Yugoslavia – site of a bitter breakup and multiple civil wars, in East Africa, and twice in Afghanistan. He spent a year in the Democratic Republic of Congo as Deputy-Chief of Staff Operations and Plans for the United Nations Peacekeeping force there and he spent two years with the United States Army as the Deputy Command General – Operations of America’s First Corps (I Corps).
He has served at Canadian Army HQ as the Business Planner and the Strategic Joint Staff as Director General Operations. He is presently Commander 4th Canadian Division and Joint Task Force (Central).
Professor Jonathan F. Vance teaches military history, Canadian history, and social memory at Western University. His current research focuses on the First World War, Canadian culture, and prisoners of war. He is the author of more than a dozen books – and multiple articles and chapters of books.