CBC Digital Archives

Thankful on Thanksgiving, 1966

Vietnam may have been America's war but Canada was heavily involved — for and against. Canada harboured American draft dodgers and helped supervise ceasefires. But at the same time, about 30,000 Canadians volunteered to fight in southeast Asia. And there was Canada's involvement in secret missions, weapons testing and arms production. CBC Archives looks at Canada's role in the Vietnam War.

What are people thankful for on Thanksgiving? In this 1966 CBC-TV clip, this question is posed to folks in "offices, hospitals, hotels, a construction site and a cocktail lounge" across Toronto. As expected, many are thankful for their good health and their families. But the political turmoil of the 1960s also permeates a few answers, with one man thankful Canada isn't involved in the Vietnam War, and one woman thankful that she's "not a man who might be called up to Vietnam."
• Thanksgiving Day in Canada takes place the second Monday of October. American Thanksgiving, on the other hand, takes place on the fourth Thursday of November.
  • The first Canadian Thanksgiving dates back to 1578. English explorer Martin Frobisher had been trying to find a northern passage to the Orient. He didn't succeed, but ended up in what is now Newfoundland. He was so thankful for just having survived the journey that he held a formal ceremony there to give thanks. This event is now considered to be the first Canadian Thanksgiving.

Medium: Television
Program: TBA
Broadcast Date: Oct. 10, 1966
Host: Warren Davis
Interviewer: Carol Tierney
Duration: 6:04

Last updated: January 3, 2013

Page consulted on March 25, 2013

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