Freedom.
The relationship between Canada and the Netherlands is a special one. As a free country, the Netherlands takes pride in its freedom from oppression. Freedom, however, has a price. A price paid for with the blood of Canadian soldiers who liberated the Netherlands from German occupation during World War II. This sacrifice bound together the chains of friendship between Canada and the Netherlands.
This bond between these two countries started not after the liberation of the Netherlands, but during it. As the Canadian army proceeded to fight for the freedom of the Netherlands, they saw the devastating effects of a country which had been under the iron fisted control of the German army. This control confiscated their food, livestock, and even their bicycles. The Canadian soldiers could not stand by and watch as the people of the Netherlands continued to starve to death. While they fought back the Nazi army, the Canadian soldiers also fought to bring food, water, and other supplies to the Dutch people. The recollections of the Canadian veterans who were there are astounding. One soldier remembers giving some warm bread to a family, and the children were confused as to why their mother was crying over it. They didn’t know what white bread was.
Other factors tie the knot of friendship between Canada and the Netherlands even tighter. During the war, the city of Ottawa provided shelter and a home to the Dutch royal family, thus protecting them while their country was being ravaged. During this time, the Dutch Queen Juliana gave birth to Princess Margriet, who was born in the maternity ward of the Ottawa Civic Hospital. Due to international law, Princess Margriet would have been born a Canadian citizen, not a Dutch one. To guarantee baby Margriet’s Dutch citizenship, the government temporarily declared the maternity ward she was born in to be foreign land, thus giving her a Dutch citizenship, instead of a Canadian one. As thanks from the royal family, thousands of Dutch tulips are sent to Ottawa each year, contributing to the annual Canadian Tulip Festival in Ottawa.
As two of the closest knit countries in the world, Canada and the Netherlands share special connections with each other. The “Man With Two Hats” is a statue of a man holding… two hats. Standing in the city of Apeldoorn in the Netherlands, the bronze statue was created by Dutch artist Henk Visch. As a tribute to Canada, a corresponding statue can also be found in Ottawa, Ontario. These statues were crafted to symbolize the liberation of the Nethelands, and its unique relationship with Canada.
Another unusual connection between the two countries is the fact that neither country requires the registered citizens of either country to obtain a visa to enter each other’s land. Canada and the Netherlands are also avid trade partners, with the Netherlands ranking eighth for Canadian exports. Both countries also work together investing and innovating for future trade possibilities.
Another unusual connection between the two countries is the fact that neither country requires the registered citizens of either country to obtain a visa to enter each other’s land. Canada and the Netherlands are also avid trade partners, with the Netherlands ranking eighth for Canadian exports. Both countries also work together investing and innovating for future trade possibilities.
The Dutch people harbour special feelings towards Canadians. Over 7,600 Canadian men and women died in the effort of liberating the Netherlands, and this sacrifice is cherished and remembered by the Dutch people. War cemeteries all over the Netherlands contain the graves of Canadians who fought and died fighting. School children are each assigned a grave, and while they attend school, the children are required to care for and clean that specific grave each year. Each child relishes in taking care of someone who granted them the freedom they enjoy to this day. Those who died are also remembered in annual Remembrance Day and Liberation Day ceremonies, and at Christmas candles are lit and placed at the graves of Canadian soldiers.
The Netherlands is a free country today, and it thanks Canada to no end every year. To quote Canadian veteran Pat Reidy, "I think the greatest love story of World War Two was the relationship between the Dutch people and the Canadian soldiers, now veterans. It's endured. It's never ended." Canadians and the Netherlands truly share a special relationship, one that will stand the test of time.
Adrian (Art) Molenkamp was born on January 6, 1932, in the village of Velsen, in the Netherlands. Growing up during the German occupation of the Netherlands during World War II, Art experienced the cruelty of the Nazi army, having his home, and many of his siblings taken away from him. He remembers the Canadian forces driving through his village soon after the last of the German army had fled, and cherishes these memories forever. His thankfulness to Canada for their efforts in the War led him to move to Canada himself, with his wife and children, in June of 1966.
Sources:
"Canada–Netherlands Relations." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 08 Jan. 2015.
Greenhous, Bereton. "Liberation of the Netherlands." The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada, 20 Dec. 2006. Web. 06 Jan. 2015.
"WWII : Canada & The Netherlands 7/7." YouTube. YouTube, 11 June 2011. Web. 08 Jan. 2015.