After the Indochina War, Canadian diplomats tried to discourage the US and France from further escalating the conflict and urged a more multilateral approach to resolving it. While they were officially neutral, as part of the International Control Commission overseeing the 1954 Geneva Agreements -- unofficially, the negotiators were squarely in the American camp.

And while no Canadian troops were sent to fight in Vietnam, Canada provided both foreign humanitarian aid to South Vietnam, as well as diplomatic assistance, including secretly conveying messages between the US and North Vietnam.

Canadian bases and facilities were also used for training and weapons testing under existing defence agreements. (They were NATO allies.)

Canadian industry supported the US war effort with billions of dollars worth of goods and war materiel sent directly to the US, to be used in Vietnam. Canadian defence contractors were even sent to the war zones to repair equipment or vehicles made by their employers. Despite Canada's increasing reservations about the US escalation of the conflict, such trade was viewed by PM Lester Pearson in 1967 as "necessary and logical" due to the close, intertwined economic ties between them.

Canada would later provide peacekeeping troops to monitor the ceasefire under the Paris Peace Accords.

So, while officially Canada was a non-belligerent in Vietnam, objected to US strategy and war escalation at times, pushed for a multilateral resolution and committed no boots on the ground ... the government and industry were prepared to assist and support the US cause throughout much of the conflict.