14 Dec 2024
I was very surprised by the Canadian War Museum. It's truly excellent.
And it was much bigger than I expected. It's actually a little overwhelming as I wasn't expecting as many exhibits and galleries.
If I had a complaint, I was disappointed in the limited exhibits on 18th and early 19th century conflicts. While there was an okay number of exhibits on the 1759 battle for Quebec that resulted in the French ceding present-day Canada to the British, everything from Champlain to the War of 1812 was lumped together and a little rushed. The inclusion of pre-colonial Indian/Native/First Nation history didn't fit well either.
In particular, I was a little shocked at the lack of attention to the American Revolution and the War of 1812. Those two wars were significant in the creation of Canada. I felt like there was more on Canada's role in the Boer War than the War of 1812. The museum's main focus was World War I and World War II, which I suppose is understandable because those wars are more recent.
I spent about two hours at the museum and still didn't really have enough time.