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On D-Day, June 6, 1944, the Allies began the invasion of Northwest Europe, marking the beginning of the end of World War II. After more than a year of preparation a huge British, Canadian and American force crossed the English Channel aiming for a 50-mile stretch of the Normandy coast.

About 14,000 Canadians landed in Normandy on D-Day. Estimates vary, but there were over 1000 Canadian casualties, with more than 400 killed. These pictures of Canadians on D-Day show what the Canadians faced on that historic day.

Photo: Canadians Landing on D-Day
Gilbert Alexander Milne / Canada Dept of National Defence / Library and Archives Canada / PA-137013

More on Canada in World War II
Pictures of the Raid on Dieppe
Canadian World War II Posters
Canada and World War II Battles
Halifax VE-Day Riots

Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, will visit three provinces in Canada from May 21 to 23 on a short Royal tour to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee. 2012 marks the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's reign as Queen of Canada. The theme of this tour is "service to Canada," and will focus on Canadians who serve our country in many different ways, including volunteers at hospitals, men and women in the Canadian Forces, peace officers and educators and parents.

Word of Germany's surrender in World War II was met by celebrations across Canada in early May 1945, but in Halifax, Nova Scotia the VE-Day celebrations rapidly turned into riots. The Halifax VE-Day riots lasted for two days as military personnel and civilians roamed the streets, drinking, smashing windows, looting businesses and setting fires.

There have been concerns about the makeup of the Senate and its role since Confederation. The complaints nowadays seem to centre around who gets appointed, how representative it is, and their short work weeks. (The Senate did only sit for 64 days in 2011.) If you ever get a chance to sit in on a Senate committee hearing though, you'll be amazed at the level of discussion. It's usually well-researched, intelligent and just plain interesting. It's a very different exercise than House of Commons committee meetings which feel more like political ping-pong.

The latest effort at Senate reform in Canada is a two-pronged bill which sets fixed terms of nine years for senators, and also provides a voluntary "framework" for provinces to select Senate nominees which the prime minister can consider. It's likely that this approach will also spend some time in legal wrangling over constitutionality.

If exceptional circumstances beyond your control result in you being charged tax penalties or interest by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), you might be able to get those charges reduced or cancelled. To get relief from tax penalties or interest you have to file an application request with the CRA. Types of exceptional circumstances that would be considered include disasters, such as a fire or flood, serious illness or accident, and mental distress, such as from the death of a family member. Penalties or interest caused by the CRA, like from long delays in an audit, are also considered. Serious financial hardship - to the extent of insolvency - is another circumstance the CRA looks at. You have to make your case and provide plenty of supporting documentation, but in some instances it might be worth it.

Photo: David Sacks / Getty Images

Canadian Income Taxes
Canadian Income Taxes - The Basics
Penalties for Filing Taxes Late
How to Change Your Income Tax Return
Income Tax Packages From Past Years

May 1 is International Workers' Day, a day traditionally marking achievements of the international labour movement. It's a good time to look back at the massive six-week Winnipeg general strike iin 1919, and think about how far we've come.

In the Winnipeg strike, which nearly crippled the city, the 30,000 striking workers were generally peaceful and worked to maintain essential services. But authorities reacted aggressively. Canadian newspapers spread fear about Bolshevism and a red conspiracy. When the Winnipeg police wouldn't sign a no-strike pledge, they were fired and replaced with 1800 "Specials" supplied with horses and baseball bats. The Immigration Act was changed to allow deportation of British-born strike leaders, and the definition of sedition in the Criminal Code was broadened. After the Mounties charged a demonstration on Bloody Saturday, with two killed and 30 injured, the strike was called off. There were few gains for the workers.

Photo: Library and Archives Canada / PA-163001

Income Security in Canada
Minimum Wage in Canada
Employment and Labour Standards in Canada
Employment Insurance in Canada
Canadian Government Pensions

Although the polls and pundits were predicting the Alberta Progressive Conservative (PC) dynasty was about to come to an end, at the last minute voters got nervous about the Wildrose Party and gave Premier Alison Redford and the PCs a majority government in the Alberta provincial election on Monday. That's the 12th consecutive majority for the party.

Alberta Election Results 2012

For most of the 28-day election campaign, Wildrose leader Danielle Smith and her party could do no wrong. Smith herself is young, articulate, direct and calm. She hit on issues that were bugging Albertans - property rights, the PC's attitude of entitlement, and accusations of PC corruption. Although Smith herself has little political experience, she was supported by seasoned political handlers, including Tom Flanagan, a former adviser to Stephen Harper. Alison Redford, who has been Premier since she won the PC leadership in October 2011, usually responds to criticism, but it often takes her two or three tries to get it right. In a 28-day election campaign, you don't have that luxury.

Canadians established their reputation as a fighting force in World War I during the second Battle of Ypres in April 1915. The 1st Canadian Division had just arrived on the Western Front and, after a long artillery bombardment, held their own against the Germans' use of a new weapon of modern warfare - chlorine gas.

It was also in the trenches at Ypres that John McCrae wrote the poem In Flanders Fields when a close friend of his became one of 6000 Canadian casualties in just 48 hours.

Photo: Flanders Poppies
Tom Brakefield / Getty Images

Canada and World War I
Battle of Vimy Ridge
Battle of Beaumont Hamel
Battle of Passchendaele
The Halifax Explosion
Canada and World War I

Alberta voters will be going to the polls on April 23, 2012.

It's Premier Alison Redford's first election as leader of the Alberta Progressive Conservative (PC) Party, which has been in power since 1971. Redford won the leadership race on the issue of change - both generational change and attitudinal change - and she definitely leans to the progressive side of progressive conservative.

She has a tough battle on her hands from another conservative party - the right-wing, libertarian Wildrose Party, led by Danielle Smith. The Wildrose Party is more populist, wants smaller government, and is advocating direct democracy measures such as referendums and MLA recalls, as well as lower MLA salaries.

It isn't gone yet, but after this week's budget it's certainly time to say good-bye to the Canadian penny! Come this fall, the Royal Canadian Mint is going to stop producing and distributing pennies to banks. We'll still be able to use pennies in cash transactions, but if they're not available then prices will be rounded (up or down) to the nearest five cents. All those people (I'm one) with jars of pennies stashed away will still be able to redeem them at banks. Of course we'll probably have to roll them all first, which is one of the reasons they haven't been turned in before now.

However, since it costs 1.6 cents to produce each new penny, and the move away from them will save $11 million a year, it's time it was done. Next, it's the nickel's turn.

Photo: Pierre Desrosiers / Getty Images

See Also: Canadian Currency