New Conflicts

 The enduring friendship between Canada and the Netherlands, drawn out of the liberation of the country at the end of the Second World War, is one of the most positive things to have come from that war. In the decades that followed, Canadian veterans have been welcomed back in the Netherlands as heroes.

During the War, Canada had provided refuge for the crown princess Juliana and her daughters, and one of them was born here in Ottawa. Afterwards, Dutch war brides and Dutch immigrants came to Canada and established new lives. The Tulip Festival itself is a legacy of the war and a symbol of the bonds of two countries.

After years of war, V-E Day was momentous.

We step into the next gallery, which examines the Cold War and beyond. 

One of the trigger points of the Cold War happened here in Ottawa. Igor Gouzenko, a clerk at the Soviet embassy, defected with his family, with evidence that the Soviets were spying on their western allies even before the Second World War had ended.

The family would live their lives in Canada under protection, and whenever Gouzenko would appear in public, he was masked. Some of his time would be spent writing- first his memoirs, and then a novel that became acclaimed.

A sample of the documents he provided to Canadian authorities. The Gouzenko Affair would be instrumental in setting off the Cold War.

And there were times when the Cold War went hot- such as early on, with war waged on the Korean peninsula. Canadians would see action in the Korean War.