Michael B.
Roméo Dallaire is the Greatest Canadian
Michael B.
Durham Regional Heritage Fair
Whitby, ON
For this project, I considered many great Canadians. But the one that rose to the top was Retired L. General the Honourable Roméo Dallaire. During my research, I was struck by General Dallaire’s commitment to saving child soldiers in Rwanda and working to protect the children in conflict zones. Additionally, Roméo Dallaire recognized the need for veterans’ support and how many suffered from the effects of war. After being appointed to the Senate of Canada by Prime Minister Paul Martin, he reformed the assistance program for the new generation of Canadian veterans affected by PTSD. Retired L. General the Honourable Roméo Dallaire was appointed as the Special Advisor to the Canadian International Development Agency again focusing his work on war-affected children. He later became a fellow at Harvard University where he worked at the Carr Center and researched the effects of war on Child soldiers.
During my research, I remembered how my great grandfathers both fought in WWII. Before this project, I had little connection to that part of their lives. But having researched Retired L. General the Honourable Roméo Dallaire, I recognized how they, and all soldiers in fact, fought for better lives for Canadians and all people around the world. Given all that he did to help protect child soldiers, Canadian veterans, and Canada as a whole, I was convinced that indeed Retired L. General the Honourable Roméo Dallaire was the greatest Canadian and in fact a great hero.
What sources and evidence did you consult for your project? What different perspectives did they provide on your topic?
As a primary resource, I went straight to the book he wrote about his experiences in Rwanda “Shake Hands with the Devil”. I felt that it was important to get information directly from his feelings and how he felt about his experiences in Rwanda. His emotion jumps out of the pages at you. I then used the Canadian Encyclopaedia and Brittanica as secondary resources, to provide more objective information. I also wrote to the Chief of the Defence Staff, MAJ Carignan, who was able to pass on my letter to Retired L. General the Honourable Roméo Dallaire. While Retired L. General the Honourable Roméo Dallaire was not able to attend the History fair at my school, four current members of our Canadian Armed Forces were able to attend, including Brigadier-General Tod Strickland (current Commandant of the Canadian Forces College in Toronto). I was able to discuss the impact of the changes that Retired L. General the Honourable Roméo Dallaire made to support the Canadian Armed Forces directly with active members. As well, Brigadier-General Strickland presented me with a signed letter from Retired L. General the Honourable Roméo Dallaire, which showed how much he truly appreciated me selecting him as the Greatest Canadian.
What is the historical significance of your topic?
Retired L. General the Honourable Roméo Dallaire was able to bring light to the effects of PTSD on members of the Canadian Armed Forces helping the current generation of veterans feel heard and understood. He was then able to enact programs to provide support for future generations and help change the lives of soldiers in suffering.
As well he helped bring the unfortunate circumstances of children and child soldiers in conflict zones to the forefront of the world. In the short term, he helped saved the lives of children in Rwanda, and in the long term he raised awareness and initiated a response globally.
Why did you choose this topic?
We were assigned the general topic to choose who was/is the Greatest Canadian, so I had the freedom to choose any person and then defend my choice. I knew that my family had connection to the military, as does my next door neighbour, so I started with that as a general topic. Once I started to read about the work that Retired L. General the Honourable Roméo Dallaire had done in Rwanda and after he returned to Canada, I realized that he was the obvious choice.
