3.3 Sovereignty and Self-Determination


Over the course of the war at places like Ypres, where Canadians experienced and stood fast in the face of the first gas attacks, and later in the Somme River Valley offensive, they gained a reputation for bravery. Finally, Canadians won the right to fight as a Canadian Army at Vimy Ridge, where their innovation and success gave many Canadians a new sense of nation and pride. By the end of the war, Canadian achievements succeeded in gaining recognition by Britain and an invitation to be present at the peace talks for the Treaty of Versailles. World War I gave Canada another step to sovereignty.

Founded in 1945 immediately following World War II, the United Nations is an international organization to which almost every nation in the world belongs. It was established to create and maintain lasting worldwide peace and security. Some of its functions include peacekeeping, arms control, the establishment of human rights around the world, the establishment of international treaties, hosting international conferences, providing humanitarian aid, and promoting international development. One of the original goals of the United Nations was to see that every country was allowed to govern itself. This process took decades.

One of the essential elements of the founding charter was the United Nations Trusteeship Council, one of the principal organs of the United Nations, established to help ensure that non-self-governing territories were administered in the best interests of the inhabitants.


The Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples was adopted by the United Nations on December 14, 1960. Eighty-nine countries voted in favour, none voted against, and nine abstained: Australia, Belgium, Dominican Republic, France, Portugal, Spain, Union of South Africa, United Kingdom, and the United States. These nine included all the major colonial powers.

All these non-self-governing territories, mostly in Africa and Asia, have attained self-government since. The Trusteeship Council suspended operation in 1994.