Prof. Matthew Hayday, with the Department of History, spoke to the Ottawa Citizen, about why so many Canadians remain angry about a poorly executed Veterans Affairs video.

The video, released last spring to commemorate VE Day, mistakenly showed Second World War German soldiers in place of Canadian soldiers. Though the department quickly apologized, many war vets and average Canadians are still angry.

Hayday commented that the Second World War still has an  emotional connection for many Canadians, more than 70 years after the way ended.

He said younger Canadians still tell stories of family members with war connections that “are often vivid and powerful” that maintain the connection to the war’s impact.

Hayday studies many aspects of post-war Canadian history, including the history of Canada Day celebrations, the history of language policies and bilingualism in Ontario and the rest of Canada.