Je Me Souviens:

An education program

When discussing the first two world wars in Quebec words like “conscription” and “deserters” typically spring to mind. Conscription had a deep & lasting effect on the province, and the reaction of Quebecers at the time has tainted the image of the francophone contribution to the overall Canadian war effort. Despite this negative perception, the reality is that 76,000 francophones fought or served in the First World War, and nearly all were volunteers. This is double the number traditionally expressed in Quebec history. The idea that Quebecers avoided enrolling is false.

Je Me Souviens (JMS) is a Canada Company education program created in collaboration with the Royal Montreal Regiment (RMR) Foundation and le Royal 22ieme Regiment (R22eR). JMS provides free teaching materials to supplement the new Quebec history curriculum and to help students gain a greater knowledge of Quebec’s role in military conflicts throughout the last 100+ years, and ultimately to help them understand the long-term impacts of war upon all facets of our peaceful society.

The materials are created by high school teachers and are based on the Ministère de l’Éducation et de l’Enseignement supérieur’s curriculum and the historical collections from the museums of two storied Quebec infantry regiments: The Royal Montreal Regiment and the Royal 22e Régiment.

Turnkey materials include teacher & student guides, accompanying presentations, videos, links to supplementary resources, etc., and provide opportunities for developing cross-curricular competencies. With the help of primary sources, students research, analyze, create and present their findings to their peers in the form of timelines, posters, soldier profiles, letters, poems, videos and personal reflections in both print and digital formats.  There is no requirement to use all of the materials provided – teachers can pick & choose what suits them best. All materials are provided online for free and are available in both French and English.  

Student
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Educational
Resources

Recents Posts

How Canada Helped Finance the Chinese Revolution
At the beginning of the 20th century, China experienced numerous periods of insurrection that led to the advent of the Republic on January 1, 1912. Through the international actions of three major players - Kang Youwei, Liang Qichao and Sun Yat-sen - Canada's Chinese communities saw themselves taking an active part in this revolution, though it was taking place on the other side of the Pacific.

Len and Cub: An Uncovered 2SLGBTQ+ History of the First World War
The early 20th century was a time of severe persecution for 2SLGBTQ+ individuals. Homosexuality wasn’t decriminalized until 1969 and same-sex couples hid their affection in public in fear of being jailed or persecuted. For many individuals, it was difficult to speak openly about their experiences, even later in life. This is especially true when dealing with the experiences of 2SLGBTQ+ individuals who served in the First World War.

Anti-Semitism in Canada during the Second World War (1933-1945)
On 7 November 2017, the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, made an official apology for the Jewish refugees who had been refused entry to Canada a few months before the outbreak of the Second World War. This article, written by historian Rosalie Racine, looks at the particular Canadian Jewish situation, and the role of anti-Semitism, in the context of the rise of Nazism and during the Second World War.

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Get in touch!

We’d love to hear from you, either by by email at education@jemesouviens.org or by phone at (438) 826-4599.