Curious Canadian History

S11E14 Battle Series: D-Day Phase One vs. the Battle of the Scheldt

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 14:46:45 GMT

In this CCH special episode, we bring together two expert historians for a gripping confrontation of perspectives, examining—and challenging—the significance of two defining Canadian battles of the Second World War: D-Day Phase One and the Battle of the Scheldt. These were not just moments on a battlefield, but crucibles of chaos, courage, and consequence, where the fate of thousands—and the trajectory of the war itself—hung in the balance. Each historian steps forward to argue why their battle stands as a pivotal moment in Canada’s military history, setting the stage for a compelling and thought-provoking exchange.

ALEXANDER FITZGERALD-BLACK is the Executive Director at the Juno Beach Centre Association, the charity that owns Canada’s Second World War Museum on the D-Day landing beaches in Normandy, France. He holds a Master of Arts in Military History (University of New Brunswick) and a Master of Arts in Public History (Western University). His first book, Eagles over Husky: The Allied Air Forces in the Sicilian Campaign, 14 May to 17 August 1943, was published in 2018. He has co-written multiple exhibitions at the Juno Beach Centre, including From Dieppe to Juno: The 80th Anniversary of the Dieppe Raid and Rising to the Challenge: The RCAF in the Second World War. Most recently, his book chapter “The Air Support Rollercoaster: Canadian Soldiers’ Morale in Normandy” was published by the Naval Institute Press in Airpower and the Normandy Campaign, edited by Mike Bechthold.

Megan Hamilton is a Canadian historian currently studying in the UK. She's in the final year of her PhD at King’s College London, which is being completed in partnership with the Imperial War Museum. Her research studies Second World War army training across the British Empire, examining how the Imperial armies trained and learned together. She was part of the team that put together the IWM’s current temporary exhibit, 'Emergency Exits: The Fight for Independence in Malaya, Kenya and Cyprus,’ which is open in London until the end of March 2026. She is a regional director for the Second World War Research Group and a graduate teaching assistant at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom.

You can donate to the Juno Beach Centre's fundraising drive for a Juno Beach Memorial at the below link!

https://campaign.junobeach.org/donate/monument

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S11E13 Red River Reflection: The Myth of François Guilmette

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 10:00:00 GMT

In the heart of the Red River Settlement, a vibrant Métis community forged a distinct identity shaped by kinship, trade, and resistance. The latter half of the 19th century was a time of profound upheaval, when the Red River Resistance challenged Canadian expansion into the region. Yet history is not always what it seems. Alongside real leaders and lived struggles, one figure—long woven into the story—was never real at all. How did a ghost of the past become accepted as truth? And what does that reveal about the way history is remembered, recorded, and retold? In this episode we separate myth from memory on the Red River.

Derrick M. Nault is an assistant professor in the Department of Indigenous Studies at the University of Winnipeg and a citizen of the Red River Métis Nation. His research examines Métis history, with particular attention to how kinship networks, political resistance, and collective memory have shaped Métis identity over time. This focus is grounded in his family’s long-standing involvement in Métis political and cultural life. His direct ancestors include André Nault, Louis Riel’s cousin and a captain during the Red River Resistance; Jean-Baptiste Parenteau and Damase Carrière, councillors in Riel’s 1885 provisional government; Marie Pélagie (Dumont) Parenteau, sister of Gabriel Dumont; and Antoine Vermette, a noted Métis buffalo hunter and founding member of l’Union Nationale Métisse Saint-Joseph du Manitoba.

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S11E12 Rise and Rise Again - The Life and Times of Mary Ann Shadd Cary

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 09:00:00 GMT

Born free in a slaveholding nation and unafraid to confront it, Mary Ann Shadd Cary carved out a life defined by intellect, defiance, and relentless public action. A teacher, lawyer, and the first Black woman in North America to publish a newspaper, she challenged both American slavery and Canadian complacency. Through the pages of The Provincial Freeman, she argued for self-reliance, integration, and equal rights at a time when such demands invited hostility. Her story moves across borders—from the United States to Canada and back again—tracing a 19th-century struggle for freedom that still echoes today.

Dr. Nneka D. Dennie is a Black feminist scholar with specializations in nineteenth- and twentieth-century African American history. Her research examines Black intellectual thought with an emphasis on nineteenth-century African American history. Dr. Dennie is an Assistant Professor of History, core faculty in the Africana Studies Program, and affiliate faculty in the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program at Washington and Lee University.

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S11E11 The Frontier Regime of New France under Louis XIV

Tue, 24 Feb 2026 11:00:00 GMT

In the 17th century, across an ocean and a continent, the will of Louis XIV stretched deep into New France. This episode examines how an absolutist monarchy governed a fragile colonial frontier. How did royal officials impose order on distant settlements along the St. Lawrence? What roles did intendants, governors, and bishops play in enforcing law, regulating trade, and structuring society? From seigneurial land grants to military defense and missionary ambition, we explore the administrative machinery that bound colony to crown—and the tensions that emerged when metropolitan authority met colonial reality in a vast, unforgiving world.

Colin Coates is professor of Canadian Studies and chair of the Department of Global and Social Studies at Glendon College, York University. He is currently president of the Canadian Historical Association. His book, Political Culture in Louis XIV’s Canada: Majesty, Ritual, and Rhetoric was published by McGill-Queen’s University Press in 2024. It won the Prix de l’Assemblée nationale for the best political history book from the Institut d’histoire de l’Amérique française.

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S11E10 Canair Relief and the Nigerian Civil War

Tue, 10 Feb 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Nigerian Civil War (1967–1970) produced widespread famine, particularly in Biafra, prompting an unprecedented humanitarian response from abroad. Canadian churches helped found CANAIRELIEF, an ecumenical coalition that raised funds, mobilized volunteers, and supported clandestine airlifts of food and medical supplies. Motivated by moral urgency and graphic media coverage, these churches sought to bypass political paralysis. Yet the effort was deeply complicated: relief flights risked prolonging the conflict, aid was entangled with Biafran propaganda, and questions arose over neutrality, sovereignty, and whether humanitarian action inadvertently sustained the war’s machinery.

Dr. Taiwo Bello is an Assistant Professor of African History and an affiliate faculty member of the Africana Studies Centre at Oklahoma State University. He serves on the Editorial Review Boards of the African Studies Association journal, History in Africa, published by Cambridge University Press; and the Canadian Association of African Studies journal, the Canadian Journal of African Studies, published by Taylor & Francis. He is the current President of the African Military Studies Association (AMSA), a coordinate organization of the African Studies Association.

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S11E9 The Liberation of Bergen Belsen

Tue, 27 Jan 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Names like Auschwitz, Dachau, and Bergen Belsen immediately bring to mind the horrors of the Nazi concentration camp system. At the liberation of Bergen Belsen in particular, Canadian forces contributed medical staff, engineers, and relief supplies to Allied efforts after that camp was liberated and in the dramatic weeks that followed. They helped treat survivors, bury the dead, and restore sanitation. Governing the camp meant managing disease, displaced persons, trauma, and justice while transforming a site of atrocity into emergency refuge amid shortages, chaos and reckoning.

Dr. Mark Celinscak is the Louis and Frances Blumkin Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies in the Department of History and the Executive Directo of the Sam and Frances Fried Holocaust and Genocide Academy at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He is the author of Distance from the Belsen Heap: Allied Forces and the Liberation of a Nazi Concentration Camp, winner of a Vine Award for Non-Fiction, and Kingdom of Night: Witnesses to the Holocaust, winner of a Canadian Jewish Literary Award for Holocaust literature. He is the co-editor of the forthcoming Two Roses: A Story of Deception and Determination in Nazi Germany (University of Toronto Press). He is an elected Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of History. Please note that this episode will be dealing with some very graphic realities, so trigger warning!

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S11E8 Curious Canadian History presents: Canadian Time Machine | The Furry Gold of Canada: The Beaver’s 50-Year Legacy

Tue, 13 Jan 2026 12:00:00 GMT

In this episode, we step back in time with the Canadian Time Machine podcast to explore the 50th anniversary of the beaver becoming an official national symbol. For more than 50 years, this small but mighty animal has shaped rivers, driven trade, and quietly transformed the land. Wildlife ecologist Dr. Glynnis Hood and Jan Kingshott, director of animal welfare at Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, take us inside the beaver’s world—from its role in the fur trade to its work as an ecosystem engineer today—and reveal why it remains one of Canada’s most remarkable and resilient symbols.

More episodes are available at https://lnkfi.re/canadian-time-machine. To read the episode transcripts in French and English, and to learn more about historic Canadian milestones, please visit thewalrus.ca/canadianheritage. There is also a French counterpart of this show called Voyages Dans L’Histoire Canadienne so if you’re bilingual and want to listen to more, visit https://lnkfi.re/Voyages-dans-lhistoire-canadienne.

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S11E7 Cigarette Nation: The History of Cigarettes in Canada

Tue, 16 Dec 2025 12:00:00 GMT

Cigarette smoking in Canada is a fascinating look at how consumer products, social rituals, and corporate misinformation interact. While widespread cigarette use began in the 1930s it was in the 1950s where a causal link between smoking and lung cancer surfaced in medical journals and mainstream media. Yet the best years for the Canadian cigarette industry were still to come, as per capita cigarette consumption rose steadily in the 1960s and 1970s. The persistence of smoking owes to such factors as product development, marketing and retailing innovation, public relations, sponsored science, and government inaction. Domestic and international tobacco firms worked to furnish Canadian smokers with hope and doubt: hope in the form of reassuring marketing, as seen with light and mild cigarette brands, and doubt by means of disinformation campaigns attacking medical research and press accounts that aligned cigarettes with serious disease.

Helping us dive into this historical smoke pit is Daniel J. Robinson. Daniel is a Professor in the Faculty of Information and Media Studies at the University of Western Ontario, where he teaches courses on media history, advertising and marketing. He is the author of Cigarette Nation: Business, Health, and Canadian Smokers, 1930-1975, (McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2021), and has served as an expert witness for two provinces suing tobacco companies involving health-care costs recovery lawsuits.

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S11E6 Letters from the Frontier – The Jesuit Relations and Old World Understandings of New France

Tue, 02 Dec 2025 11:00:00 GMT

The Jesuit Relations, a series of annual reports produced between 1632 and 1673 detailing the experiences of Society of Jesus missionaries in what is now Eastern Canada, have long been an influential source on the history of New France and encounters between European settlers and Indigenous Peoples. The question of what exactly the Relations are, and who had a hand in composing the versions that circulated, has been given far less attention. Recent research has shown that they were in fact shaped by a diverse array of contributors, including Indigenous people, lay settlers, nuns, editors in Paris, and readers in France.

To shine a new light on the Jesuit Relations we have invited on historian Micah True. Micah reveals a richer and more complex picture of a primary source that has played a major role in public understanding of the colonial history of North America. Micah True is Professor of French and Folklore at the University of Alberta, where he also serves as Associate Dean of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. He is the author of Masters and Students: Jesuit Mission Ethnography in Seventeenth-Century New France, published by McGill-Queen's University press in 2015, and the translator of the Jesuit Pierre-François-Xavier de Charlevoix's 1744 account of his voyage through North America, published in Brill's Jesuit Studies series in 2019. His new book, published this year by McGill-Queen's University Press, is The Jesuit Relations: A Biography.

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S11E5 Canada at War with Angus Wallace

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 12:00:00 GMT

Recently our very own David Borys had the pleasure of having a long chat with Angus Wallace of The WW2 Podcast to explore Canada's military legacy from confederation to the Second World War. Angus and David start at the very beginning with Canada’s military (or lack there-of) in 1867 and trace its development through the next near-century all the way to the start of the Second World War. They then cover the incredible expansion of the Canadian military from 1939-1943 and detail the unbelievable contribution the Canadian military made to that global conflict into 1945.

Check out Angus’ podcast here!

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"Remembrance in their Own Words" a CDA Institute Remembrance Day Series

Tue, 11 Nov 2025 12:00:00 GMT

Our very own David Borys was flattered when recently he was made a fellow at the CDA (Conference of Defence Associations) Institute, Canada's leading think tank on defence and security issues. The Institute immediately put David to work interviewing Canadian veterans as part of a Remembrance Day special series titled "Remembrance in their Own Words." CCH felt like sharing one of those episodes. In this one, David interviews Vice Admiral Duncan "Dusty" Miller, CMM, MSC, CD (Ret’d). VAdm Miller served 38 years in the Royal Canadian Navy, with a distinguished career that included commanding two ships, leading the Canadian Naval Task Group during the Persian Gulf War, and serving as NATO's Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic. He was also the NATO HQ commander overseeing AWACS surveillance of North America after 9/11.

Follow the CDA Institute here and their podcast on Apple and Spotify

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S11E4 Internment to Exile: The Japanese-Canadian War Experience

Tue, 04 Nov 2025 12:00:00 GMT

During the course of the Second World War nearly 22,000 Japanese-Canadians were uprooted and forcible interned by the government of Canada. More than half of those had been born in Canada, thousands more were naturalized British subjects. Despite no shred of evidence that the population posed any threat to the Canadian nation at war the internment continued until after the war in the Pacific had ended. In September 1945, Canada proposed exiling Japanese Canadians to Japan, a country devastated by war. Thousands who had experienced internment and dispossession were now at risk of banishment and the government sought to do all in its power to ensure as many Japanese-Canadians as possible accepted their potential new fate.

To dive into this subject today we’ve brought on two historians Eric M. Adams and Jordan Stanger-Ross. Eric is a Professor of Law at the University of Alberta, Faculty of Law. He publishes widely on Canadian constitutional law, theory, and history. Jordan is Professor of History at the University of Victoria and Director of Past Wrongs, Future Choices, a research partnership that is working to understand, from a global perspective, the uprooting of people in Japanese descent in the 1940s. The two have recently co-authored the book Challenging Exile: Japanese Canadians and the Wartime Constitution which was published in 2025 by UBC Press.

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The Conflict and Culture Podcast S1E4 The Good Allies - Rest in Peace Tim Cook

Tue, 28 Oct 2025 11:00:00 GMT

On October 26th news broke of the passing of Canadian historian Tim Cook. Tim was a leading voice in the field of Canadian military history and the chief historian and director of research at the Canadian War museum. He is someone I personally have known for most of my academic career and he has been a mentor at times for me during a variety of ups and downs throughout my career. In August I had the pleasure of interviewing Tim about his most recent book The Good Allies, and with the news of his passing I thought it fitting to release this episode right away.

When the Second World War broke out in 1939, it set in motion a deadly struggle between the Axis powers and the Allies, but also fraught negotiations between and among the Allies. On questions of diplomacy, economic policy, industrial might, military capabilities, and even national sovereignty, thousands of lives and the fate of the free world depended on back-room deals and desperate trade-offs between soldiers, diplomats, and leaders.

In North America, Canada and the US strained to forge a new military alliance to guard their coasts and fend off German U-boats and the menace of a Japanese invasion. Wartime economies were entwined to produce a staggering contribution of weapons to keep Britain and other allies in the war. The defence of North America against enemy threats was essential before the US and Canada could send armies, navies, and air forces overseas

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S11E3 Unceded Territory and Land Rights in British Columbia

Tue, 21 Oct 2025 11:00:00 GMT

In British Columbia, land acknowledgements often refer to “unceded territory.” Yet many people remain uncertain about the history behind these words or their implications for the future of the province. B.C. has a long history of injustice toward First Nations where government officials refused to negotiate treaties and instead coerced First Nations onto small and scattered reserves while granting settlers access to vast tracts of land. Despite sustained Indigenous resistance, the situation only worsened as non-Indigenous demands for land and natural resources increased in the decades that followed confederation. Understanding this process provides much of the context behind the province’s current reconciliation efforts, including modern treaty negotiations.

George Abbott, PhD, enjoyed thirty-five years in elected public office, including seventeen years as MLA for Shuswap and twelve years as a cabinet minister. Among his portfolios were Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation. George has published several scholarly articles on BC’s political history including the award winning article “Persistence of Colonial Prejudice and Policy in British Columbia’s Indigenous Relations: Did the Spirit of Joseph Trutch Haunt Twentieth-Century Resource Development?” George’s most recent book was published in September 2025 through Purich Books/UBC Press titled Unceded: Understanding British Columbia’s Colonial Past and Why It Matters Today.

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The Conflict and Culture Podcast S1E3 - The Sacred Band of Thebes

Tue, 14 Oct 2025 11:00:00 GMT

The Sacred Band of Thebes was an elite military unit of 300 highly trained heavy infantry soldiers (hoplites), famously composed of 150 pairs of male lovers. Formed in the 4th century BCE the Thebans, who came from a uniquely gay-tolerant society, believed that soldiers would fight more ferociously to protect their partners and to avoid showing cowardice in front of them. They were not wrong. The Sacred Band quickly became the shock troops of the Theban army and one of the most dominant phalanx formations of the Ancient Greek world. While most people think of the Spartans when they think of Greek military excellence in the classical world most would also be surprised to know that the Sacred Band went on to not only defeat the Spartans but establish Thebes as a dominant, albeit short-term, power in Greece.

James Romm is Professor of Classics at Bard College and author of numerous books on Greek history and culture, including, Plato and the Tyrant: The Fall of Greece's Greatest Dynasty and the Making of a Philosophic Masterpiece (Norton). Most recently he has published his biography of Demosthenes as part of Yale's Ancient Lives series.

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S11E2 Buying Bombs: Defence Procurement in Canada

Tue, 07 Oct 2025 11:00:00 GMT

What is it called when the Canadian Armed Forces go about purchasing something? It’s called procurement. While most Canadians probably understand that the CAF goes through some process to buy new equipment very few truly understand how deeply complex the process actually is. Defence procurement involves several federal agencies and several different stages. Recently, the Canadian government has announced a new initiative called the Defence Investment Agency which is an agency designed to streamline the procurement process. Effectively, making it easier, and quicker, to buy the things we need. This is a major step forward in Prime Minister Carney’s vision of a modern and responsive CAF supported by significant government funding and part of the long-term plan to make the CAF a 21st century leading middle power military.

In order to break down this complex process we’ve brought on Philippe Lagassé. Philippe is an Associate Professor and the Barton Chair at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs. Lagassé’s research focuses on defence policy and procurement, executive power, and the Westminster system, notably in the areas of foreign and military affairs. In addition to his academic work, Lagassé has served as an advisor and consultant to the Canadian government. Between 2012-2014 he was a member of the Independent Review Panel overseeing the evaluation of options to replace Canada’s CF-18 fighter aircraft, and was a member of the Independent Review Panel for Defence Acquisition within the Department of National Defence from 2015 to 2022. In 2025, Lagassé was awarded the Canadian Forces Medallion for Distinguished Service for his “exceptional contribution to Canadian defence policy” by the Chief of the Defence Staff.

Lagassé is the co-author of a new book, Overseen or Overlooked: Legislators, Armed Forces, and Democratic Accountability, published with Stanford University Press. The book compares parliamentary oversight of military and defence affairs in fifteen counties.

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The Conflict and Culture Podcast - S1E2 Comic Books and the Second World War

Tue, 30 Sep 2025 11:00:00 GMT

Illustration has been an integral part of human history. Particularly before the advent of media such as photography, film, television, and now the Internet, illustrations in all their variety had been the primary visual way to convey history. The comic book, which emerged in its modern form in the 1930s, was another form of visual entertainment that gave readers, especially children, a form of escape. As World War II began, however, comic books became a part of propaganda as well, providing information and education for both children and adults. Comic books were widely disseminated amongst soldiers and became an integral form of media consumption for much of the conflict and for decades after.

To dive into this subject we have brought on historian Cord A. Scott. Cord has a Doctorate in American History from Loyola University Chicago and currently serves as a professor of history for the University of Maryland Global Campus for Asia. He is the author of Comics and Conflict, Four Colour Combat, and The Mud and the Mirth: Marine Corps comics of WWI. He has written for several encyclopedias, academic journals such as the International Journal of Comic Art, the Journal of Popular Culture, the Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society, and in several books on aspects of cultural history. He resides in Okinawa, Japan.

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S11E1 Canadian Punk Rock Takes Over the World

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 11:00:00 GMT

After punk found commercial success in the ’90s, with bands like Green Day, the Offspring, and Blink-182, a new wave of punk bands emerged, each embodying the DIY spirit of the movement in their own way. While Southern California remained the spiritual home of punk rock in the early 2000s, an unexpected influx of eager punks from Canada took the world by storm, changing the genre forever.

This incredible period of music is explored by authors Matt Bobkin and Adam Feibel in their book In Too Deep: When Canadian Punks Took Over the World . Both authors are Toronto-based music journalists whose work has appeared in Exclaim!, Bandcamp, VICE, the National Post, and the Toronto Star. In Too Deep is their first book. I began our conversation by asking Adam and Matt what exactly is punk rock music?

In Too Deep playlist:

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Brand New Podcast The Conflict and Culture Podcast Ep1 - The Myth of the Clean Wehrmacht

Tue, 16 Sep 2025 11:00:00 GMT

David Borys has started a brand new podcast and we here at CCH are bringing you its very first episode. The Conflict and Culture Podcast explores everything and anything to do with military history beyond the battlefield. Please head on over to the show page on Apple and Spotify and click follow!

For the first episode we look at the myth of the "clean Wehrmacht," the false belief that the regular German armed forces were not involved in Nazi war crimes or the Holocaust, but were instead a professional, apolitical body separate from the Nazi regime. This myth, propagated by former Wehrmacht officers and generals after World War II, was used to protect the institution's reputation and facilitate West Germany's rearmament during the Cold War. For decades since the war it has also contributed to wide spread misunderstandings about the war and about the Wehrmacht and Nazi war crimes. To unpack this complicated topic we have brought on historian Waitman Beorn.

Waitman Wade Beorn, is a 2000 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and an Associate Professor in History at Northumbria University in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK. Dr. Beorn was previously the Director of the Virginia Holocaust Museum in Richmond, VA and the inaugural Blumkin Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. His first book, Marching Into Darkness: The Wehrmacht and the Holocaust in Belarus (Harvard University Press) Dr. Beorn is also the author of The Holocaust in Eastern Europe: At the Epicenter of the Final Solution (Bloomsbury Press, 2018) and has most recently published a book on the Janowska concentration camp outside of Lviv, Ukraine, tentatively entitled Between the Wires: The Janowska Camp and the Holocaust in Lviv (University of Nebraska Press, 2024). He is currently working on an AHRC-funded project that seeks to create a digital reconstruction of the Janowska concentration camp.

Dr. Beorn teaches courses in Holocaust History, Comparative Genocide, German history, Eastern European history, Antisemitism, Modern European history, Jewish history, Historical Methodology, Public history, and Digital history. He is also the Scholar-in-Residence for the Auschwitz Jewish Center’s American Service Academy Program where he instructs service academy cadets in military ethical decision-making using the Holocaust. Dr. Beorn’s work also forms the basis for the Ordinary Soldiers lesson program used by ROTC and the US Army. Dr. Beorn is also the host of The Holocaust History Podcast

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Season 11 Episode 1 coming September 23rd!!

Wed, 03 Sep 2025 14:04:00 GMT

While the summer may be coming to an end it's not all bad news because Curious Canadian History is coming back for Season 11! The first episode airs September 23rd and we are pumped for what is going to be a fascinating season!

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S10E22 The Birth of the Canadian Flag

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 12:00:00 GMT

Surprise! We here at CCH decided to drop a special final episode for Season 10. The Canadian flag is iconic. In almost all parts of the globe people recognize the red maple leaf as distinctly ours, or at the very least a symbol of us…Canadians. Yet, the modern flag’s birth is a story of complexity and is utterly fascinating. It comes out of a distinctly unique period where Canada was changing dramatically and today represents a very modern sense of what it means to be Canadian. Happy Canada Day everyone!

Forrest Pass is a Curator in the Programs Division at Library and Archives Canada and a vexillologist, or flag historian. His writing on the flags, coats of arms, and other national symbols has appeared in the Canadian Historical Review, the Journal of American Studies, the Canadian Parliamentary Review, the Literary Review of Canada, and British Columbia History and he is a regular commentator on the history and use of flags for national and international media. He is also editorial director of the Flag Research Center. He holds a PhD in Canadian History from the University of Western Ontario, and prior to joining LAC in 2019, he worked as an historian at the Canadian Museum of History, where he curated the museum’s 2015 exhibit marking the fiftieth anniversary of the Canadian flag, and as Saguenay Herald at the Canadian Heraldic Authority, where he designed coats of arms, flags, and badges for Canadian citizens and institutions as part of the national honours system.

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S10E21 Unpacking the Baggage: The 2025 Federal Election

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 11:00:00 GMT

The 2025 Federal Election was one of the most dynamic and issue-filled elections to have occurred since the 1980s. Threats to Canadian sovereignty, an unpredictable US president, issues over Canadian defence, a glaringly vulnerable economy, a global order that seems to be more and more unstable coupled with a brand new Prime Minister attempting to prove to the voting public that he is the right man for the job. The outcome of the election identified serious fault lines within Canada. A massive boost of popular support to the Conservatives with an even larger boost of public support for the Liberals at the expense of the near decimation of the NDP which witnessed an incredible political comeback to victory. In this episode we tackle the 2025 Federal Election, what happened, why did it happen, and how did we get to this point.

To “unpack” this important event we have brought on Richard Johnston. Richard is a Professor Emeritus of Political Science and Canada Research Chair Emeritus in Public Opinion, Elections, and Representation at UBC. He has also taught at the University of Toronto, the California Institute of Technology, Harvard University (Mackenzie King chair, 1994-5), and the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author or co-author of six books, four on Canadian politics and two on US Politics. He has co-edited five other books and has written over one hundred articles and book chapters. Much of his work focuses on party systems, elections and public opinion in Canada, the US, and Germany. In 2017, he was given the Mildred Schwartz prize for lifetime achievement in the study of Canadian politics and is a Fellow of the American Academy for Arts and Sciences.

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S10E20 The Trans-Canada Highway: A Nation Connected

Tue, 10 Jun 2025 11:00:00 GMT

The Trans-Canada highway is such a part of the everyday Canadian experience that we often take this lengthy route for granted. Across this country many Canadians drive on it every single day, most without realizing that they are on one the most important infrastructure projects in Canadian history. But this highway is so much more than just a simple strip of asphalt. It represents a period in Canada where the nation was flourishing in the post-war world and where leaders sought to connect Canadians like never before. This form of connection would come to represent some iconic historical moments but more importantly would further unite a country seeking to define itself in the 20th century.

For today’s topic we are chatting with historian and fellow podcaster Craig Baird. Craig is the creator and host of Canadian History Ehx, a podcast that delves into Canada's history to tell the story of the good, the bad and the weird. He can also be heard across Canada each weekend talking about Canada's history on the Corus Radio Network. In May, he released his first history book, Canada's Main Street: The Epic Story of the Trans-Canada Highway. If he isn't writing about Canada's history, and sharing our nation's stories online, he is visiting historical locations and traveling to second-hand bookstores to build his research library.

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S10E19 War Criminals in Canada: A Canadian Cover Up?

Tue, 27 May 2025 12:00:00 GMT

In 2024 Jared McBride, Professor at UCLA, conducted a research methodology class with his students. As Jared is an expert on war crimes they investigated war criminals in North America and through their research shifted focus to Nazi war criminals who were able to settle in Canada in the aftermath of the Second World War. In the process of this project, they uncovered an incredible list. Known as the Deschênes List, it was a two-page list written from 1986 that identified hundreds of suspected Nazi war criminals who were allowed to settle in Canada after the Second World War. This was a massive discovery. For decades this list was considered classified by the Canadian government and thought to be inaccessible to the general public. Yet, it very much was available, and Jared and his team found it after simply digging online. In the aftermath of this finding the continued work by Jared and his colleagues have uncovered a problematic and questionable process where the Canadian government, and in turn Library Archives Canada, has obfuscated efforts to gain access to the rest of the records regarding this issue, thousands of still classified pages. This is particularly stark when compared to the U.S. who, in the late 1990s, ordered all documents, millions of pages, to be opened up to the public.

Jared McBride is an Assistant Professor in the History Department at UCLA who specializes in Russia, Ukraine, and Eastern Europe in the 20th century with a focus on nationalist movements, mass violence, interethnic conflict, and war crimes prosecution. His research has been supported by the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation, the Fulbright-Hays Foundation, and the Social Science Research Council, among others, and he has published in Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Journal of Genocide Research, Kritika, and Slavic Review . Presently, he is completing a book manuscript concerning interethnic violence and local perpetrators in Nazi-occupied western Ukraine.

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S10E18 - Canada's Titanic: The Sinking of the Empress of Ireland

Tue, 13 May 2025 11:00:00 GMT

The St. Lawrence River can turn treacherous in a second. What was just a moment ago clear sailing can suddenly into dangerous fog and almost no visibility. In 1914 the Empress of Ireland learnt this firsthand and what ensued is the deadliest maritime tragedy in peace time Canadian history.

To help us dive into this subject today we’ve brought on Eve Lazarus. Eve is a reporter, author and the host and producer of the Cold Case Canada true crime podcast. She has written eleven non-fiction books, and her books have been shortlisted for several awards including the Arthur Ellis Award; the City of Vancouver Book Award, and BC Book Prizes. Eve’s latest book is Beneath Dark Waters: The legacy of the Empress of Ireland Shipwreck. You can get more information on Eve at her website evelazarus.com .

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S10E17 The Frank Slide - A Town Buried Under Rock

Tue, 29 Apr 2025 11:00:00 GMT

The town of Frank, Alberta is tucked into the bosom of Turtle Mountain which sits in the beautiful Crows Pass of the majestic Rocky Mountains. In the early 20th century, the town revolved around the local coal mine. 100 men (out of roughly 600 people who lived in Frank) worked at the mine. A couple dozen were working the night shift when in late April 1903 over 100 million tonnes of limestone came crashing down from the mountain. What ensued was the deadliest rockslide in Canadian history.

To help us dive into this subject today we’ve brought on Andee Groat. Born and raised in the stunning mountains of the Crowsnest Pass, Andee Groat got her start at the Frank Slide Interpretive Centre as summer student. With over 6 years of experience, she worked her way up to her current position as the Coordinator of Visitor Services. The centre operates all year round and is open to the public and for hosting tour groups. People can check out the website (frankslide.ca) and social media platforms (Facebook and Instagram) for up-to-date information about what’s going on around the Interpretive Centre. When not at work, Andee enjoys time outdoors hiking and tackling her next embroidery project.

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S10E16 Punching Above Our Weight: The Canadian Military at War Since 1867

Tue, 15 Apr 2025 09:00:00 GMT

Today we are changing things up! Several months ago David published his newest book titled Punching Above Our Weight: The Canadian Military at War Since 1867 which is a single-volume history of the Canadian Armed Forces at war since confederation. This book has proved timely. In recent months the Canadian military has been in the news frequently, more so than at any point since the end of Canada’s combat mission in Afghanistan in 2011. Part of the rhetoric surrounding the CAF addresses current issues of sovereignty and our ability (or lack thereof) to protect said sovereignty. Much of this is focused on the Arctic, however, there are also rampant discussions of Russia’s threat to Europe and Canada’s brigade group that is currently expanding in size in Latvia. Even the upcoming election has leaders putting defence issues at the forefront, something not seen in an election for decades. With the zeitgeist being as it is CCH has decided to change up the format for today and post an episode from the podcast Witness to Yesterday – brought to us by the Champlain Society and University of Toronto Press. Recently David was on discussing his new book and the state of the military today, so for today’s CCH episode David will be the interviewee and Larry Ostola will be the interviewer.

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S10E15 - The Beatles in Canada with Terry O'Reilly

Tue, 01 Apr 2025 09:00:00 GMT

The Beatles are one of the most influential bands in the history of popular music. When they arrived in North America in the early 1960s, they forever changed the musical landscape. Countless musicians in both Canada and the United States speak of the arrival of the Beatles as if it was their own personal musical awakening and there are untold numbers of modern day rock stars who publicly state that their entrance into music was because of the ‘Fab 4’. The ‘arrival’ of the Beatles in North America is often attributed to their famous appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in February of 1964. What many don’t know is that the Beatles had already established a presence on the continent before this, but in Canada.

To help us dive into this incredible subject we have brought on legendary broadcaster and radio personality Terry O’Reilly. Terry has had a long career in radio and broadcasting including CBC shows such as The Age of Persuasion and O’Reilly on Advertising. He has published several books on marketing and Canadian society and his most recent book titled My Best Mistake: Epic Fails and Silver Linings won the National Business Book Award in 2022. Terry is also the creator and host of the podcast Under the Influence which has just launched a new series called The Beatlology Interviews exploring the deep influence the Beatles have had on the North American musical landscape.

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S10E14 A Border of Blood and Dirt: Part 2

Tue, 18 Mar 2025 09:00:00 GMT

While Canada is in the midst of immense economic uncertainty as a result of Donald Trump’s wildly unpredictable tariff threats, the border is continuously brought up by the American president as a key issue in why he seeks to create such economic chaos. In today’s episode we wrap-up a two-part conversation with Benjamin Hoy on the history of the Canadian-US border. We chat about cross-border cooperation, the reaction to the border by First Nations in both countries, efforts to modernize the border post-WW1 and the historic issue of crime and the border. Finally, Ben shares some thoughts on Trump’s current obsession over the border.

Benjamin Hoy is an associate professor of history at the University of Saskatchewan. His research focuses on the creation of the Canada-US border as well as on how communities, both past and present, have learned about history through the games they play. His first book, A Line of Blood and Dirt: Creating the Canada-United States Border across Indigenous Lands received the Governor General's Prize, the Albert Corey Prize, and the Best Book in Political History Prize.

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S10E13 - A Border of Blood and Dirt: Part 1

Tue, 04 Mar 2025 09:00:00 GMT

Since the election of Donald Trump, one of the most frequently discussed issues has been that of the Canadian-American border. President Trump has labelled accusations that Canada has not done enough to stem the tide of fentanyl and illegal immigrants into the US. While the veracity of Trump’s claims is hotly debated, his emphasis on the border as a concern in Washington brings up some interesting historical questions. How did this massive national delineation get created? Have drugs and immigration always been a border issue? Are there historical precedents for what Trump is arguing?

To take us through a two-parter exploring the Canadian-American border from an historical lens is historian Benjamin Hoy. Benjamin is an associate professor of history at the University of Saskatchewan. His research focuses on the creation of the Canada-US border as well as on how communities, both past and present, have learned about history through the games they play. His first book, A Line of Blood and Dirt: Creating the Canada-United States Border across Indigenous Lands received the Governor General's Prize, the Albert Corey Prize, and the Best Book in Political History Prize.

Please fill out a survey here to provide feedback on what you love (or don’t love) about Curious Canadian History

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S10E12 Trump's Tariff War

Tue, 18 Feb 2025 10:00:00 GMT

You cannot turn on the news right now without hearing about President Donald Trump’s threat to apply a 25% tariff to Canadian goods. While his claim that our border is contributing to America’s fentanyl and illegal immigrant problem may be dubious, the ramifications of a tariff war are very real. Has a tariff war like this ever happened before? How has Canada historically responded to American economic aggression? What would the consequences of a trade war be today?

To help us walk through these complex issues we have brought on economist Trevor Tombe. Trevor is a Professor at the University of Calgary’s Department of Economics and the Director of Fiscal and Economic Policy at The School of Public Policy. His research explores a broad set of topics, from international trade to public finances to fiscal federalism. He has published in top economics journals, is co-author of the textbooks Public Finance in Canada and Macroeconomics, co-editor of the recent volume Fiscal Federalism in Canada, and is Co-Director of Finances of the Nation. In addition to his academic work, he actively advises various governments on a wide range of issues (currently a member of the Government of Canada Working Group on Productivity in the Public Sector; and previously a member of the Bank of Canada panel reviewing its pandemic response) and contributes to policy development and discussions through regular op-eds, articles, and media engagement.

Website: www.trevortombe.com

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S10E11 - Mackenzie King: The Spiritualist Prime Minister

Tue, 04 Feb 2025 12:00:00 GMT

William Lyon Mackenzie King was Canada's longest-serving Prime Minister, from 1922 to 1930 and from 1935 to 1948. Historians have ranked him as Canada's greatest Prime Minister for his political leadership in winning Canada's autonomy from the British Empire and for organizing Canada's enormous war effort that enabled Winston Churchill and President Roosevelt to lead the western allies to victory in World War II. But what many people don’t realize is that Mackenzie King was also a die-hard spiritualist. From fortune tellers, to mystics, to seances with the dead, Mackenzie King used every tool in his spiritualist toolbox to communicate with his dead family and to help guide him in important political decisions.

To help us dive into this matter we’ve brought on the show Anton Wagner. Anton Wagner was a founding executive member of the Association for Canadian Theatre Research and has edited ten books on Canadian theatre and drama. He was the Director of Research and Managing Editor of The World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theatre, published by Routledge. Anton was a member of the Hiroshima Nagasaki Day Coalition steering committee in Toronto for more than a decade, and produced and directed Our Hiroshima on Canada, Mackenzie King, and the atom bomb for Canadian and international television. He holds doctorates in drama (University of Toronto) and theatre (York University). Anton has recently published a two-volume history of William Lyon Mackenzie King titled The Spiritualist Prime Minister which offers a uniquely fresh look at Canada’s longest serving PM.

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S10E10 - Canadian History Ehx does Godspell

Tue, 21 Jan 2025 11:00:00 GMT

For today's episode we've done something a little different. Craig Baird is a friend and fellow podcaster over at the great Canadian history podcast Canadian History Ehx and today CCH has opened up its floors to a CHX episode on a legendary moment in Canadian musical theatre history. In 1972 the hottest new Broadway production, Godspell, came to Toronto and hundreds of young actors auditioned for it. When the dust settled, and the cast was announced little did anyone know the legendary impact that this cast would end up having on Canadian and North American theatre, television and film. The cast became a veritable who’s who of Canadians that would become central to some of the most important television and film moments in the ensuing decades.

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S10E9 - Jackie Robinson in Montreal

Tue, 07 Jan 2025 12:34:31 GMT

It is impossible to deny the legendary status that Jackie Robinson has had in the game of baseball. There have been movies, songs, poetry, books and essays about his career and countless tributes and celebrations of his life and impact on the game. Jackie was born in Georgia in 1919 but spent most of his life growing up in Pasadena, California. By the time he went to college he was already a star athlete, in both baseball and football. He had a short stint in the army during the Second World War before joining the Negro Baseball League. It was there that he caught the attention of Brooklyn Dodgers General Manager Branch Ricky who in turn thought Jackie would be the perfect player to break the MLBs historic colour line and forever change the game of baseball. On his path to his legendary career Jackie spent one season on the Brooklyn Dodgers minor league affiliate, the Montreal Royals. In today’s episode we deep dive into Jackie’s incredible life focusing on his one season in Montreal and how that season set him up for a legendary career.

For today’s episode we’ve brought on historian and author William Humber. Bill is a member of the Order of Canada (2021), and the first historian inducted into Canada’s Baseball Hall of Fame (2018). He has authored 15 books. Seven of which have been primarily focused on baseball’s history in Canada. (two have just recently been released– Tex Simone: The Man Who Saved Baseball in Syracuse, co-authored with the Simone family; and Old Ontario at Bat: Baseball’s Unheralded Ancestry, released by the Centre for Canadian Baseball Research). As well, he has written on soccer, bicycling, African-Canadian athletes, winter sports, his hometown of Bowmanville, Ontario and on the topic of urban regeneration. He has been listed in Canada’s Who’s Who for over 35 years. A retired Seneca Polytechnic administrator he was recognized for his work in environmental education including Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s Sustainability Educator of the Year, an Yves Landry Award for sustainability leadership, and by the College and Institutes of Canada for his Green Citizen campaign at Seneca. He has held secretarial positions, and still sits, on the Boards of Jury Lands Foundation, as well as Valleys 2000, both focused on enhancing the heritage and environment of Bowmanville within the Municipality of Clarington. His initial volunteer position was as President of the Visual Arts Centre of Newcastle in 1975, so he approaches 50 years of community engagement. His roots in Bowmanville date back to his great grandmother’s birth here in 1860 and Bill and his wife Cathie still live there but their grownup children, Bradley, Darryl and Karen have opted for the attractions of nearby big cities.

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S10E8 - The Voyage of the Damned - The MS St. Louis, Canada and the Holocaust

Tue, 10 Dec 2024 11:19:46 GMT

On the 7th of June 1939 a ship sailed for Cuba, on board were 907 Jewish refugees fleeing the violent antisemitic state that had become Nazi Germany. When arriving in Cuba, their visas were no longer accepted, and the passengers were told they could not disembark. The ship then sailed to the United States, where the passengers were once again refused asylum. Finally, the ship sailed to Canada in a last gasp effort for freedom…but they too were denied. Tragically, the ship returned to Europe and the passengers returned to a horrific fate.

Jeremy Maron is the curator of Holocaust and genocide content at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, where he has worked since 2011. In this role, Jeremy oversees content development in three of the museum’s core galleries – Examining the Holocaust, Turning Points for Humanity, and Breaking the Silence. He holds a PhD in Cultural Mediations from Carleton University, where his dissertation focused on the treatment of the Holocaust in Canadian cinema. His discussion of Victoria Beach in the episode has been written about here: The stain of antisemitism in Canada | CMHR and he was a contributor to a digital story about antisemitism in Canada here.

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S10E7 - Canadian Time Machine Presents Lucy Maud Montgomery

Tue, 26 Nov 2024 12:11:16 GMT

November 30, 2024 marks 150 years since Lucy Maud Montgomery’s birth, and her legacy continues to endure. Best known for Anne of Green Gables, Montgomery created characters that embody resilience and imagination and some have gone on to become Canadian fiction icons. In this episode her granddaughter, Kate Macdonald Butler, shares family stories, preserves her grandmother’s legacy, and reads from Emily of New Moon, which she views as Montgomery’s most personal work. The episode also explores her influence, her personal struggles, and Dr. Jessica Katz Edison’s insight into how Montgomery’s work resonates with neurodivergent audiences, long before such language existed.

Today we’re going to get some help in exploring the life of Lucy Maud Montgomery. You see, our friends at The Walrus Lab have just launched a brand-new season of Canadian Time Machine. Each episode, hosted by Angela Misri, revisits a key anniversary in Canadian history, exploring how those moments continue to shape the world we live in today. With rich storytelling, expert insights, and fresh perspectives, this podcast invites you to see history in a whole new light.

More episodes of Canadian Time Machine are available at: https://lnkfi.re/canadian-time-machine. To read episode transcripts in both French and English and explore more historic Canadian milestones, visit thewalrus.ca/canadianheritage. A French counterpart of the show, Voyages dans l'histoire canadienne, is also available—if you're bilingual and looking for more, head to https://lnkfi.re/Voyages-dans-lhistoire-canadienne.

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S10E6 - The Group of 7

Tue, 12 Nov 2024 12:35:58 GMT

The Group of 7 are some of the most iconic and well-known Canadian painters in the history of Canadian art. While forming on the heels of the First World War, during a dramatic period of social and political upheaval, the painters in the group came to define a uniquely Canadian style of art. One that reflected a country that was searching for new ways to express itself after the incredible and traumatic contributions of the Great War. From the artistic pioneers to the adventurous men of the woods, the Group of 7 reflected and embraced the optimism and pioneering spirit of the day and, while certainly not perfect, went on to become some of the most important painters in this country's history.

To help us talk bout the Group of 7 we have brought on John Geoghegan. John is a curator and writer based in Toronto. He joined the McMichael as Associate Curator Collections and Research in 2022 and has contributed to several McMichael projects on topics including the Group of Seven, historical Canadian women artists, contemporary Indigenous art, and many more . He holds an MA in art history from York University.

In addition to their regular programming, which includes permanent collection exhibitions that include many works by members of the Group of Seven, the McMichael is currently showing Jackson's Wars: A.Y. Jackson Before the Group of Seven, an exhibition curated by Douglas Hunter, closing February 2nd, 2025. Check it out today!

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S10E5 - Canadian Partisans in World War Two Yugoslavia

Tue, 29 Oct 2024 16:52:27 GMT

Across Axis occupied Europe a shadow war raged as numerous resistance groups in all occupied countries sought to dismantle or disrupt the Axis forces implementing their brutal occupation regimes. In some cases, these groups were quite successful, in others only marginally so, in all, though, the Allies ensured that they supported these movements to continue to strike against their daunting enemy. In the former Yugoslavia, agents of the Special Operations Executive were sent in to assess the quality of the resistance forces within that country and then to support those groups deemed worth of such support. What they found was a complicated and fraught situation and the SOE needed people familiar with both the language, culture and region to help sort it all out. Many of these to-be agents were drawn from Yugoslavians and those of Yugoslavian descent living in Canada. These agents would go on to eagerly expose themselves to intense danger, from Axis soldiers but also Yugoslavian groups sympathetic to the Axis powers. They fought Axis soldiers, they provided intelligence on Axis locations, and by the end of the war the ‘Partisans’ became one of the most effective resistance movements of the entire Second World War.

Book recommendation Roy MacLaren’s Canadians Behind Enemy Lines, 1939-1945originally published in 1981 by UBC Press.

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S10E4 - The Life and Times of Emily Carr

Tue, 15 Oct 2024 11:02:44 GMT

When one thinks of an iconic Canadian painter one does not have to go through many names before thinking of Emily Carr. And if one is looking for an influential west-coast painter than generally one’s first thoughts land on Emily. It is undeniable that Emily Carr has had a significant impact on the Canadian artistic landscape, as a woman, as a modernist, as an author, and as developing a particularly unique pacific northwest style. But Emily’s life, like so many painters, was full of immense challenges and even controversy. She spent most of her life in obscurity on Vancouver Island and it wasn’t until her final decades that the nation began to take notice.

To discuss Emily’s life today we have invited on Pascale Halliday. Pascale is a historian and educator from Whitehorse, Yukon. Previously she worked as an interpreter at the MacBride Museum of Yukon History and as executive director for the Emily Carr House in Victoria, BC.

The Emily Carr House is a beautifully restored provincial and national historic site in Victoria, BC, and was the birthplace of famed writer and artist, Emily Carr. Now the building and gardens are a vibrant cultural centre for education, exploration and mentoring. Drop in today as the House is launching a series of programs inspired by the themes of Emily Carr's life.

Pascale is also the co-host of the Klondike Gold Rush History podcast, which can be found on most major streaming platforms

Indian Reserve, North Vancouver, Emily Carr 11:05

Skeena, Beam Me Up!, Sonny Assu, 2015, 27:05

Crowsnest Mountain and the Seven Sisters, Joane Cardinal-Schubert, 1989, 27:10

Scorned as Timber, Beloved of the Sky, Emily Carr, 34:05

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S10E3 CANCON and Canadian Music

Tue, 01 Oct 2024 10:04:44 GMT

All around the world today there are people who listen to music made by Canadians. Most of us are familiar with Drake and Justin Bieber but long before those two superstars, all over the world Canadian musical acts had been transmitting into the ears of humans. But in some alternate reality, none of the Bieber’s or Drake’s exist. In fact, there is probably an alternate reality somewhere where Canada is nothing more than a musical dumping ground for American acts. And if you want to know what that might look like, simply look at Canadian music before 1971. Prior to that year Canadian radio stations played whatever was charting in the US and whatever was being dictated by US labels. While some domestic music was played on local stations, the musical conversation was a south to north one, never an east-west one. But that all changed with CANCON – the introduction of Canadian content regulations. While CANCON was certainly controversial when it came out, it became the catalyst for the creation of a domestic music industry, one that would germinate, then grow, then expand, then cultivate some of the biggest acts, biggest producers and biggest musical icons the world has ever seen.

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The New Book is Out

Tue, 24 Sep 2024 11:11:44 GMT

Punching Above Our Weight: The Canadian Military at War Since 1867 is officially out! Check out this photograph-rich single volume history of Canada's military at war. You can purchase a copy right now at the below links:

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S10E2 - Canadians in the Battle of Britain

Tue, 17 Sep 2024 10:04:58 GMT

For 113 terrifying days in 1940, Nazi Germany’s air force, the Luftwaffe, threw everything it had at Great Britain in hopes of early victory in World War II. The task of defending southern England from airborne attack fell to pilots in the Royal Air Force, supplemented in their darkest hour by more than 100 flyers from Canada. These Canadians, some from famous families, some straight off the farm, served in forty-seven different Battle of Britain squadrons. They fought bravely in the skies, risked their lives to defend Britain and participated in one of the most battles of the entire war. These Canadians were some of “the few” so many famously quoted by Winston Churchill.

To talk to us today about this little known chapter in Canadian military history is author and historian Ted Barris. Ted Barris is an award-winning journalist, author, and broadcaster. His writing has regularly appeared in the national press, and magazines as diverse as Air Force, esprit de corps and Zoomer. He has also worked as host/contributor for most CBC Radio network programs, NPR in the U.S. and on TV Ontario. He taught journalism at Toronto’s Centennial College for 18 years. Ted is also the author of 22 books, many of them award winning publications. For instance, Ted’s 20th book, Battle of the Atlantic: Gauntlet to Victory was published in the fall of 2022 and immediately landed on the Globe and Mail and Toronto Star bestsellers lists. Following the book’s publication, Ted received word that he’d received Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Award, recognizing “extraordinary contributions to our community and Canada.” On Dec. 29, 2022, Rideau Hall announced its latest Honours list. Ted Barris learned he will be appointed Member of the Order of Canada, “for advancing our understanding of Canadian military history as an acclaimed historical author, journalist and broadcaster.”

This week’s book recommendation is Ted’s 22nd book titled Battle of Britain: Canadian Airmen in Their Finest House, published in 2024 by Sutherland House Books.

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Special Episode 3 - Punching Above Our Weight - Pre-purchase available now!!

Tue, 10 Sep 2024 12:15:30 GMT

Our very own David Borys has a new book coming out in September titled “Punching Above Our Weight: The Canadian Military at War Since 1867” published by Dundurn Press. The book is an easy to read, single volume history of Canada at war since 1867. This photograph-rich volume covers nearly 150 years of the Canadian military, tracing its evolution from a small, underfunded, poorly trained militia to the modern, effective military it is today

The book will be released on September 24th in Canada and October 22nd in the United States.

As part of the pre-sale campaign CCH is dropping a series of short readings by David from sections of the book.

For today’s story we go back to the late 19th century where heated debates rage throughout Canada regarding the nation’s role in the broader British empire. Some believe that Canada can continue to rely on Britain’s military assistance like it has always done, others are arguing for significant improvements to Canada’s current small and underfunded force, while others are adamant that Canada begin sending young Canadians to go overseas to fight for the empire as Britain becomes more and more embroiled in putting out imperial fires across its vast empire.

You can pre-purchase a copy right now at the below links:

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S10E1 - The Oak Ridge Experiment

Tue, 03 Sep 2024 10:59:38 GMT

Welcome back to Season 10!! In the first episode of the newest season we take you to Penetanguishene, Ontario along the shores of Georgian Bay where once existed the Oak Ridge ‘Criminal Insane Building.’ Oak Ridge has been deemed the ‘Alcatraz of Canada’ and ‘the most terrible institution of all.’ For decades it housed some of Canada’s most violent criminals and in particular violent criminals with serious psychiatric illnesses. Yet in the 1960s an intensive and radical therapy program arrived, promoting the widespread of drugs and treatment methods that frankly bordered on torture. The Social Therapy Unit at Oak Ridge is still remembered by some as a successful venture in utopian experimentation though for others it embodies a state-authorized subjection of the individual without any checks or balances. A place where patients became test subjects in a radical and controversial program of rehabilitation.

This week’s book recommendation is Watching the Devil Dance by William Toffan, published in 2020 by Biblioasis.

Don’t forget! You can pre-purchase a copy of Punching Above Our Weight: The Canadian Military at War Since 1867 right now at the below links:

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Special Episode 2 - Punching Above Our Weight

Tue, 27 Aug 2024 10:57:02 GMT

**SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT – NEW BOOK**

The book will be released on September 24th in Canada and October 22nd in the United States.

As part of the pre-sale campaign CCH is dropping a series of short readings by David from sections of the book.

Today’s excerpt takes us back to 1870/71 where the Canadian government has sent out a military expedition to secure the annexation of the Red River Colony. This expedition, known as the Wolseley Expedition, is not sure if they are going to encounter violence when they finally arrive in Red River after what was an arduous and challenging journey to what would become Canada’s newest province.

You can pre-purchase a copy right now at the below links:

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NEW BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT - Punching Above Our Weight

Tue, 20 Aug 2024 10:52:56 GMT

**SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT – NEW BOOK**

The book will be released on September 24th in Canada and October 22nd in the United States.

As part of the pre-sale campaign CCH is dropping a series of short readings by David from sections of the book.

Today’s excerpt takes us back to 1870/71 where we dive into the middle of the last gasp efforts of the Fenian Brotherhood to invade Canada and incite rebellion in Ireland.

You can pre-purchase a copy right now at the below links:

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S9E21 - Prophet of Destruction - Agent A12, Winthrop Bell

Tue, 25 Jun 2024 08:48:47 GMT

Imagine you are a maritime Canadian finishing your PhD dissertation in Germany right when the First World War breaks out. As a subject of the British empire, your country (and empire) is automatically at war with Germany and thus you are now an enemy alien in that country. This is the situation that faced Winthrop Bell in 1914, and it began an incredible story that led to Winthrop Bell becoming a British imperial spy in Germany, and in many ways, a prophet. Long before anyone predicted the horrific regime that would become the Nazis, Canadian Winthrop Bell was already sending back warning signs about this emerging National Socialist party, their agenda, and the growing public support for the ultimate goal of that regime.

Today we have on as a guest Jason Bell, PhD. Jason is a professor of philosophy at the University of New Brunswick. He has served as a Fulbright Professor in Germany (at Winthrop Bell’s alma mater, the University of Göttingen) and has taught at universities in Belgium, the United States, and Canada. He is currently writing a book on Allied deception operations in the Balkans during World War II.

This week’s book recommendation is Cracking the Nazi Code: The Untold Story of Agent A12 and the Solving of the Holocaust Code by Jason Bell, published by Pegasus Books in 2024.

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S9E20 - Boosters and Barkers: Financing the First World War

Tue, 11 Jun 2024 13:43:09 GMT

When the British government declared war on Germany in August of 1914, no one in Canada (who was automatically thrust into the conflict by Britain’s declaration) ever could have predicted the incredible contribution the country would make in manpower, material and money. By the end of that war 650,000 Canadian soldiers were in unform and Canada had one of the most powerful corps formations on the western front. But what people often don’t think about, is how did Canada find the cash to support such a significant contribution. And that question is the focus of the newest CCH episode. How did Canada figure out a financing system that supported an almost unbelievable contribution to the world’s first global industrial war? Who was in charge? How was the program carried out and what was the reaction of every day Canadian?

To answer these questions we have brought on David Roberts. David is a retired editor/historian at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography / Dictionnaire biographique du Canada. In addition to writing several articles for that publication, he is the author of In the Shadow of Detroit: Gordon M. McGregor, Ford of Canada, and Motoropolis (2006), published by Wayne State University in its Great Lakes Books series. Mr Roberts lives in Don Mills, Ontario.

Today’s book recommendation is David’s newest book Boosters and Barkers: Financing Canada's Involvement in the First World War published in 2023 by the University of British Columbia Press for the Canadian War Museum's Studies in Canadian Military History series.

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S9E19 - Rum, Debt and Fur

Tue, 28 May 2024 10:49:48 GMT

Several episodes back, season 9 episode 15, we had on as a guest Alan Greer to talk about alcohol and its role in early colonial North America. One of the areas that was touched upon, that I thought would make an excellent future episode was alcohol’s role in the fur trade. As many are probably aware much of Canada’s early interactions between First Nations and Europeans came in the form of the fur trade. Some could make a strong case that the Canada we know today owes much to that early fur trade process. In this episode we look back on how alcohol played a role in allowing Europeans to impose a credit/debt system within the fur trade, and the effects that this system had on European-Indigenous relationships. As well, how was alcohol used at the sharp end, where Europeans and Indigenous traders interacted? And was this all simply a European imposed system or did Indigenous traders act and react, resist and accept or outright reject these European tactics, tools and techniques of trade?

Book recommendation: Allan Greer’s Property and Dispossession: Natives, Empires and Land in Early Modern America, Cambridge Univ. Press in 2018

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S9E18 - Race and Racing: The Jerome Family

Tue, 14 May 2024 10:09:55 GMT

If you happened to grow up in North Vancouver, British Columbia (like I did) the name Harry Jerome was one seen everywhere. Harry Jerome was not just an Olympian, a world record holder, a Canadian athletic legend, a profoundly impacting community leader, but he was also Black in a time when the US was still embedded in the Jim Crow era and segregation, racism and prejudice were rife throughout this country as well. In this episode I have an incredible talk with Harry’s sister Valerie Jerome. Valerie herself was an incredible athlete, who trained alongside her brother and competed at the Olympics, Commonwealth and World championships. Like her brother she went on to become a community leader and teacher, even running for civic, provincial and federal elections for the B.C.’s Green Party. Myself and Valerie sit down to talk about what it was like being Black in Canada in the 1950s, life in North Vancouver, the quest to become an Olympian, overcoming incredible odds and the important legacy of Harry Jerome.

Today’s book recommendation is by Valerie Jerome titled “Races: The Trials and Triumphs of Canada’s Fastest Family”

As well you can catch live footage of Valerie competing back in the day in the CBC Gem series – Black Life: Untold Stories – an eight episode documentary that looks at Black lives in Canada.

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S9E17 - Lost in the Crowd: Acadians and the First World War

Tue, 30 Apr 2024 10:39:05 GMT

The First World War occupies a complicated space in our public memory. For many Canadians, places like Vimy Ridge or Passchendaele are certainly familiar, Remembrance Day is generally well attended, issues like shell shock are broadly understood, and the traumatic events of the conscription crisis are often taught, though in very different ways whether one is French-Canadian or not. Yet, in the last two decades more and more scholarship has appeared which has added nuance and complexity to narratives that have traditionally been presented or taught or even understood in far more simplistic and inaccurate ways. Gregory Kennedy has contributed to this burgeoning field by examining the story of Acadians in the First World War. The Acadians are a minority French community in the Maritimes and yet their experience highlights the much more nuanced realities of the broader Canadian experience during that nation-defining conflict. While much of the country railed against the perceived lack of participation of French Canadians, Kennedy’s work shows that the Acadians did indeed enlist at very similar rates as to Anglophone Maritimers. The contributions of Acadians formalized into the raising of the 165th battalion, an all-Acadian regiment. Yet, even the story of the 165th sheds light on the varying experiences of Canadian soldiers in the Canadian Expeditionary Force.

Gregory Kennedy is Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Professor of History at Brandon University. He was previously Professor of History at the Université de Moncton, and from 2015 through 2023 was the Research Director of the Institut d'études acadiennes. He has two monographs, Lost in the Crowd: Acadian Soldiers of Canada's First World War and Something of a Peasant Paradise? Comparing Rural Societies in Acadie and the Loudunais, 1604-1755, both with McGill-Queen's University Press. Kennedy is the lead researcher of the SSHRC-funded Partnership Development project Military Service, Citizenship, and Political Culture in Atlantic Canada. He is also the co-editor of a forthcoming interdisciplinary collection of essays called Repenser l'Acadie dans le monde, and a co-researcher of the SSHRC-funded Partnership project Trois siècles de migrations francophones en Amérique du Nord.

Today’s book recommendation is by Gregory Kennedy titled Lost in the Crowd: Acadian Soldiers of Canada’s First World War, published by McGill Queen’s Press in 2024.

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S9E16 - Sex in Canada: Getting Down in the Great White North

Tue, 16 Apr 2024 11:31:58 GMT

I’m sure all our listeners at some point in their lives have encountered an uncomfortable moment when discussing sex and sexuality, and in many places and communities within Canada discussions of sex are still quite taboo. Today, we’re breaking that taboo and asking some real questions about sex in Canada. How has the subject of sex in Canada changed over time? When did issues related to sex and sexuality really undergo significant change in this country? How much sex did Canadians used to have? How much sex are they having today? These questions and so many more are going to be answered in the sexiest CCH episode to date.

We dive to the bottom of these questions with sociologist Tina Fetner

Tina Fetner is Professor and Chair of the Sociology Department at McMaster University. Her previous projects explored the dynamics of social change relating to sexuality, examining the impact of the opposing activism of LGBT movement and the anti-LGBT activism of the religious right from a historical perspective. Her current research examines the social organization of sexual behaviour. She is the principal investigator for the Sex in Canada multi-method research project that examines sexual behaviour and social attitudes among Canadian adults. This project builds upon previous work, including comparative analyses of the change in attitudes toward lesbian and gay people, as well as the uneven growth of Gay-Straight Alliances in high schools.

Today’s recommended book is Tina Fetner’s most recent book Sex in Canada: The Who Why When and How of Getting Down Up North. Published by UBC Press in 2024.

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S9E15 - Alcohol in early North America

Tue, 02 Apr 2024 14:31:55 GMT

When one thinks of the pre-confederation development of North America one might think of war and empires, competing nations, economic trade, fur, colonization, resistance and so many other themes and topics that have been enshrined in our understanding of early French and British North America.

What’s interesting, is that present in almost all of this is alcohol. In fact, alcohol has been at the heart of the settler-colonial experience since the first Europeans arrived on the banks of the St. Lawrence River. Alcohol was already central to European personal, economic, and professional relationships, and thus became central to European colonialism including European-indigenous relations, the slave trade, the fur trade, and the relationship between the classes. In fact, alcohol came to define much of the lives of those European settlers. Of course, alcohol was not without its detractors, religious leaders, pious settler communities and First Nations all sought in different ways to limit or resist both the temptation and the spread of alcohol in North America and by the middle of the nineteenth century the tide of alcohol had subsided considerably – but analysis’ of the causes of excessive drinking, focusing as it did on the inherently disorderly conduct and defective self-control of the lower orders, as well as the inherent vulnerability of Indigenous peoples, has misled generations of historians. In many ways alcohol became wrapped up in the struggle for survival between those who had lived here for generations and those who were newly arriving, between nations and empires, and people, and played a role in shaping the future of the new world.

To help us dive into this complex subject we’ve brought on an expert in the field, Allan Greer. Allan Greer is a historian and professor at McGill University

Originally trained as a historian of early Canada, over time he expanded the scope of his research and teaching to include colonial North America, the history of native peoples of the Americas and the history of the Atlantic World. He is centrally involved in Montreal's French Atlantic History Group. Allan Greer has published extensively on, among other topics, the social history of early French Canada, the Canadian Rebellion of 1837-38, state formation, the early modern Jesuits, religious change and colonization, colonial saints, property and the history and historiography of New France. His books have won a number of national and international awards.

The book recommendation is by Allan Greer and is titled Property and Dispossession: Natives, Empires and Land in Early Modern North America published by Cambridge University Press in 2017.

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S9E14 Hockey: The Game as We Know it Today

Tue, 19 Mar 2024 09:07:02 GMT

Hockey has had both an enduring but also a complicated relationship with ideas about what it means to be ‘Canadian’. While not every Canadian skates, or plays the game, or even cares about the game, the sport itself occupies a serous place in the Canadian cultural psyche. While the game has often been seen as something to unify Canadians, or to express ‘Canadianness’, it has also been exposed for very serious flaws in its culture, its infrastructure, and its dubious place as a game of character and inspiration for Canadian youth. The game of hockey, as we understand it now, has undergone dramatic challenges and changes since its first official appearance on ice in Montreal in the 1870s. This episode seeks to understand some of the key developments in the game that we now recognize today. From the rules to the rink size, to professionalization, commercialization, internationalization, to the broadening of the hockey cultural mosaic. From its amateur roots to a game that is international in its appeal, incorporating men and women from different socioeconomic classes and ethnic groups, and one that continues to evolve alongside modern value systems while evoking serious discussion on its relevance to modern Canadians.

Book recommendation: Canada’s Game: Hockey and Identity by Andrew C. Holman published McGill-Queen’s Press in 2009.

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S9E13 - Of Fugitives and Orators: The Characters Behind the RCMP’s Complicated History - a special Canadian Time Machine episode

Tue, 05 Mar 2024 09:31:42 GMT

In May 2023, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) commemorated its 150th anniversary. The federal police force – which originally started out as the North-West Mounted Police – is almost as old as the Dominion of Canada itself. This episode examines the complex and painful history of an institution that has historically mistreated Indigenous peoples and women. It also takes us back to the scene of one of the RCMP’s largest manhunts – the search for fugitive Albert Johnson, also known as “The Mad Trapper.” Guests on this episode are Sam Karikas, CEO of the RCMP Heritage Centre, and Jean Teillet, a recently retired Métis lawyer, author, and lecturer, who is also the great-grand niece of Louis Riel.

More episodes are available at: https://lnkfi.re/ctms2e2cch. To read the episode transcripts in French and English, and to learn more about historic Canadian milestones, please visit thewalrus.ca/canadianheritage.

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S9E12 - The Canadian Masters of the Air

Tue, 20 Feb 2024 11:54:56 GMT

One of the most talked about shows currently available is Masters of the Air. A program detailing the lives of American bomber crews serving in the US Army Air Force during WW2. In today’s episode, I bring on a past guest of CCH, historian Alex Fitzgerald-Black, to talk about the Canadian version of Masters of the Air. While the Americans bombed during the day, at night Canadian crews also took the bomber war to Germany and Axis powers. In today’s discussion we trace the beginning of the Canadian bomber fleet, the formation of No. 6 Bomber Group (one of Canada’s largest national formations of the entire war), the various operations that Canadian bomber crews participated in and finally we talk about the legacy of the Canadian bomber contribution and spend a bit of time sharing our own thoughts on Masters of the Air.

Alex Fitzgerald-Black is the Executive Director at the Juno Beach Centre Association, the Canadian charity that owns and operates Canada’s Second World War Museum on the D-Day landing beaches in Normandy, France. He holds a Master of Arts in military history (University of New Brunswick) and a Master of Arts in public history (Western University). His first book, Eagles over Husky: The Allied Air Forces in the Sicilian Campaign, 14 May to 17 August 1943, was published in 2018. He has co-written multiple exhibitions at the Juno Beach Centre, including most recently Rising to the Challenge: The Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War.

The Juno Beach Centre is preparing to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy in summer 2024. Veterans Affairs Canada will be organizing the Canadian overseas ceremony on Juno Beach outside the Centre. For more information about the anniversary and to access further resources, please visit www.juno80.ca and junobeach.org.

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S9E11 - Canada, Maritime Power, and Africa

Tue, 06 Feb 2024 11:03:30 GMT

The Houthis are a non-state Shia Islamist politically and military movement, and they have controlled key parts of western Yemen since the Yemenis Civil War broke out in 2014. In response to the recent Israeli attacks on Gaza the Houthis began launching missile and drone strikes at cargo ships entering the Red Sea (shipping destined for the Suez Canal). The Houthis claim to be aiming their strikes at Israeli shipping as a show of support for the Palestinians, but as it’s turned out they seem to be targeting a variety of shipping actors. This threat to global shipping prompted a significant response form the international community, including Canada. Yet, Canada’s contribution (or lack thereof) has highlighted some serious flaws in our current naval capabilities, and frankly in our general military capabilities. Today on the show, we have brought on Christopher Roberts from the University of Calgary to talk about the history of Canada’s involvement in Africa, with a particular focus on our naval contributions in the post 9-11 era. This is a fantastic discussion where we spend quite a bit of time talking about the current state of Canada’ s military in an increasingly volatile world and exploring some of the lesser known Canadian military operations in and around the African continent.

Christopher Roberts is a Fellow of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute and an instructor in Political Science at the University of Calgary. For over thirty years he's worked on African-related security, business, and development issues. He's currently the administrator of the global African Navies Research Network and has an article coming out, with Rob Huebert, on Canada and African maritime security in the next issue of Canadian Naval Review.

You can follow him on Twitter/X at @cwjroberts.

The CGAI is Canada’s most credible source of expertise on global affairs. Established in August 2001 and based in Calgary and Ottawa the CGAI is a registered charity which comments repeatedly in the media and publishes extensively on defence, diplomacy, trade, resources, and development. You can check out CGAI at their website CGAI.caYou can also listen to their podcasts by subscribing to the show The CGAI Podcast Network.

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S9E10 The Beginning of the End: The 1758 Siege of Louisbourg

Tue, 23 Jan 2024 16:57:22 GMT

The fortress of Louisbourg was once thought to be one of the finest fortresses of its day. It was considered a marvel of engineering, a dominating position that helped secure French control over the eastern seaboard of modern day Canada. Today, the fortress is one of the most important historical places in the country, it was at the centre of French control over what would become Canada and was the site of several key battles. The story of Louisbourg sheds light on the decades long colonial struggle for empire in North America. In fact, the siege of Louisbourg in 1758 would play a key role in determining the outcome of that conflict in North America, and ultimately the entire fate of the British-French rivalry for continental control.

Book recommendation: The French and Indian War: Deciding the Fate of North America by Walter R. Borneman. HarperCollins, 2006.

Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/curiouscanadianhistory

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S9E9 - A Ballistic Decision: Canadian Intelligence Services and the Cancellation of the Avro Arrow

Tue, 09 Jan 2024 12:38:14 GMT

The Avro Arrow is a topic that has fascinated Canadians since its controversial cancellation in 1959. However, in the last ten years the narrative has changed dramatically from an American plot to ruin our aerospace industry to a decision made by the Canadian government based on very real calculations about the security threat to North America and the changing defence landscape of the late 1950s. In this episode we talk with Alan Barnes who has recently uncovered some incredible research that shows how important Canadian intelligent services were to the decision to cancel the Avro Arrow project. Alan has clearly uncovered that not only was the cancellation of the Arrow a highly calculated move by the Diefenbaker government but Canada’s newly established intelligence services played a key role in helping the Canadian government predict the future of defence issues which in turn spelled the end of the Arrow project.

Alan Barnes was an analyst and a manager of analysts in the Canadian intelligence community for over 25 years. He served as a military intelligence officer, and as the Middle East analyst in the Political Intelligence Division of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. Mr. Barnes moved to the Intelligence Assessment Secretariat (IAS) of the Privy Council Office when that organization was formed in 1993 and was the Director of the IAS Middle East and Africa Division from 1995 until his retirement in 2011. Mr. Barnes played a key role in the IAS's efforts to improve analytical tradecraft and in the training of new analysts. Since his retirement Mr. Barnes has continued his work on issues related to intelligence assessment. He is currently researching the history of strategic intelligence in Canada since 1945 and is Project Co-Leader of the Canadian Foreign Intelligence History Project (CFIHP).

CFIHP is a collaborative effort to encourage the study of foreign intelligence in Canada and to facilitate access to archival records on this subject. By working together, researchers have a better chance of overcoming the many challenges associated with working in this field.

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Holiday Reboot - The Upper Canadian Militia during the War of 1812

Thu, 28 Dec 2023 16:57:01 GMT

For this 2023 Holiday Reboot episode we go back to Season 2 Episode Six for a look at the militia of Upper Canada during the early days of the War of 1812. On paper, the militia was a sizeable force, yet in reality it was dubious in its commitment to the defence of Canada and questionable in its quality to do so were they even to show up. A British general by the name of Isaac Brock was responsible for this rag-tag group of would-be soldiers and he did his very best to ensure both their loyalty and that they could contribute once battle erupted. Despite the questions surrounding this group, in the early days of the War of 1812 the militia was present at every major battle and while never really the crucial factor in winning battles was nonetheless necessary for the defence of Upper Canada in the face of multiple American invasions. Enjoy this trip back to 1812!

Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/curiouscanadianhistory

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Holiday Reboot - S2E1 The Strangest Tale of WW2: The Battle for Castle Itter

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 17:38:10 GMT

For this 2023 Holiday Reboot episode we go way back to Season 2 Episode 1 for one of the strangest tales of the Second World War. In the closing days of the conflict a group of VIP prisoners, incarcerated at Castle Itter in Austria, near the city of Tyrol, fight a desperate battle against a murderous band of SS Soldiers seeking to inflict death across the Austrian countryside as the Third Reich collapses. While the prisoners themselves are a mixed bag of Europeans, they are eventually joined by deserters from the German Wehrmacht, Austrian resistance fighters and even an SS officer who helps lead the defence. It is an odd, strange tale that I promise has a Canadian connection. Enjoy!

Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/curiouscanadianhistory

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S9E8 Confederates in Canada and the Canadian Connection to Lincoln's Assassination

Wed, 13 Dec 2023 11:56:41 GMT

On the 30th of May 1867 Jefferson Davis, former president of the Confederate States of America, arrived in Toronto following his imprisonment after the Civil War. In a speech to a crowd of Canadian onlookers he said, “I thank you for the honour you have shown me, May peace and prosperity be forever the blessing of Canada, for she has been the asylum of many of my friends, as she is now an asylum for myself, may god bless you all.” What did he mean by an asylum for himself and many of his friends? When looking back on the Civil War it is difficult to sympathize with anyone who served on behalf of a political institution that sought to keep hundreds of thousands of people brutally enslaved. Yet, the reality is that back in the 1860s certain parts of Canada, and sizeable groups of Canadians and Maritimers, were indeed sympathetic to the southern cause, if not outright supportive. Various parts of British North America were used by Confederate spies, agents and saboteurs to conduct operations against Abraham Lincoln’s Union. In certain quarters of some cities and towns Confederates and their supporters could be found drinking, socializing, drumming up support, raising money, planning miliary operations and even dreaming of murder.

BOOK RECO: The North Star: Canada and the Civil War Plots against Lincoln by Julian Sher, published by Alfred E. Knopf Canada in 2023

Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/curiouscanadianhistory

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S9E7 Big Men Fear Me - The Life and Times of George McCullagh

Tue, 28 Nov 2023 11:41:18 GMT

The Globe and Mail is an absolute fixture of the Canadian media landscape. One would be hard pressed to find a single Canadian who would not know what the Globe and Mail is, or could not name it if asked to name three Canadian newspapers. Yet so few Canadians know the man who founded it. This man was a figure of Gatsby-esque proportions. A media mogul, a sports enthusiast, a wealthy and connected Toronto elite who had immense influence over both the Canadian cultural and political landscape. He was also a man who harboured a dark secret, a secret that eventually killed him.

The guest for today is Mark Bourrie, author of Big Men Fear Me: The Fast Life and Quick Death of Canada’s Most Powerful Media Mogul.

Mark wrote as a freelance correspondent for the Globe and Mail from 1978 to 1989 and for the Toronto Star from 1989 to 2004 and was a member of the Parliamentary Press Gallery from 1994 to 2018. Mark taught media history and journalism at Concordia University, history at Carleton, and Canadian Studies at the University of Ottawa. He is the author of 13 books and his 2019 book Bush Runner: The Adventures of Pierre Radisson, was a Canadian best-seller and winner of the RBC Charles Taylor Prize for literary excellence. Mark has also been the recipient of several major media awards, including a National Magazine Award and has written extensively on topics for both history and law.

Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/curiouscanadianhistory

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S9E6 The SS in Canada Part Two

Tue, 14 Nov 2023 11:39:22 GMT

Back in episode 4 myself and historian Per Anders Rudling spoke in length about the history behind Ukrainian Waffen SS veterans settling in Canada in the aftermath of the Second World War. This discussion was a result of the embarrassing moment in Canada’s parliament where parliamentarians gave a former Waffen SS soldier a standing ovation. Our conversation was so good and there was so much covered we decided to turn it into a two parter. Thus, in this second part of our discussion we explore why the history of Waffen SS veterans in Canada took so long to come out, what this says about Canada, what it means for Canadian history and the history of Ukrainians in Canada, and finally the serious backlash that Per has received while uncovering this issue including serious efforts to silence him.

Per Anders Rudling is a historian at Lund University in Sweden who focuses on the subject of nationalism, historical culture and historical memory in areas that today make up parts of Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania. He 2015 he published The Rise and Fall of Belarusian Nationalism which became an award winning work. Per is currently researching Ukrainian nationalism during the Cold War.

Twitter – https://twitter.com/DocBorys

Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/curiouscanadianhistory

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S9E5 - The Partition of Palestine

Tue, 31 Oct 2023 11:04:45 GMT

The relationship between Israel and Palestine is a complex and chaotic situation which is not only fraught with acrimonious debate but continual violence. When we ask why this situation is so far from ever being solved, part of the answer, or the blame you might say, lies with the international community. That being the nations that proposed the partition of Palestine, the newly formed United Nations that backed it, and then the international community that stepped away from the ultimate objective of the plan: a two state solution, a Jewish and an Arab state. In this episode we look at how Canada was right there in the centre of the decision to partition Palestine and how it played a key role in supporting a solution that continues to be a trigger for both Jewish and Arab communities in the Middle East.

BOOK RECO: Canada’s Foreign Policy and the Arab-Israeli Conflict by Kamaran K.M. Mondal, published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing in 2022.

Twitter – https://twitter.com/DocBorys

Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/curiouscanadianhistory

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S9E4 The SS in Canada Part One

Tue, 17 Oct 2023 10:55:08 GMT

In September 2023 the Canadian parliament gave a standing ovation to 98 year old Yaroslav Hunka, who at the time was being applauded for his role in fighting the Soviets during WW2. This soon became a national and international embarrassment when it was realized that while Hunka did indeed fight the Soviets he did so as part of an SS regiment. In the aftermath of this scandal it came to light that Canada in fact opened its borders to Ukrainian veterans of the Waffen-SS in the post-war period. To dive into the complex history of this story I’ve brought on to the show one of the leading experts on this subject, historian Per Anders Rudling. In this part one of a two episode special Per takes us through the history of the First Ukrainian Division (also known as the 14th Waffen-SS Division Galician) and talks about how and why SS veterans were allowed into Canada and what this meant for our later understanding of their role in that war.

Per Anders Rudling is a historian at Lund University in Sweden who focuses on the subject of nationalism, historical culture and historical memory in areas that today make up parts of Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania. He 2015 he published The Rise and Fall of Belarusian Nationalism which became an award winning work and he is currently researching Ukrainian nationalism during the Cold War.

Twitter – https://twitter.com/DocBorys

Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/curiouscanadianhistory

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S9E3 The Bombing of Air India Flight 182

Tue, 03 Oct 2023 10:50:54 GMT

In recent weeks a diplomatic row between Canada and India erupted as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau publicly accused India of being behind the assassination of Sikh separatist and Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Nijjar’s involvement in the Khalistan Movement and the tensions within India over Sikh separatism have cast a spotlight on one of the most horrific terrorist attacks in North American history. On 23 June 1985 a plane was headed to Delhi from Toronto when it exploded killing all 329 persons on board, 280 of which were Canadian citizens. This bombing of Air India Flight 182 became the biggest mass murder in Canadian history, one of the most damning intelligence failures in Canadian history, and frankly, a near total travesty of justice.

Book recommendation: Kim Bolan’s “Loss of Faith: How the Air India Bombers Got Away With Murder”

Twitter – https://twitter.com/DocBorys

Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/curiouscanadianhistory

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S9E2 United the Salish! The Battle of Maple Bay

Tue, 19 Sep 2023 10:21:01 GMT

Sometime in the early to mid-19th century, thousands of Coast Salish warriors, from dozens of tribes, united in an incredible moment of Salish solidarity. They did this to stop an enemy that had been terrorizing the Salish people for years. In doing so, the Salish inflicted a devastating defeat on that enemy. The event that occurred has become a cornerstone of Salish history and identity. A story that has been passed down for many generations amongst many different Salish elders. A battle that proved to be one of the most decisive victories ever inflicted on any enemy by any military force in the history of the Pacific North West.

Documentary recommendation: Tzouhalem

https://www.knowledge.ca/program/tzouhalem

Twitter – https://twitter.com/DocBorys

Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/curiouscanadianhistory

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S9E1 Henri Le Caron - The Victorian Super Spy

Tue, 05 Sep 2023 10:01:09 GMT

Welcome everyone to the first episode of Season 9! In the late 1860s a man named Henri Le Caron was rising within the innermost circles of the Fenian Brotherhood. He had served alongside Fenian leader John O’Neill during the US Civil War and by the end of the 1860s found himself helping O’Neill organize and plan an invasion of Canada. Yet, what O’Neill and so many others didn’t know was that Henri Le Caron was really named Thomas Beach, and Beach wasn’t working for the Fenians, he was a spy working for the Canadian and British authorities. The work of Thomas beach would help foil a Fenian invasion of Canada and contribute to the collapse of that radical organization.

BOOK RECO: Delusion: The True Story of Victorian Superspy Henri Le Caron

by Peter Edwards published in 2008 by Key Porter Books

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S8E21 A Global Collision - The North Pacific Fur Trade

Tue, 27 Jun 2023 11:12:39 GMT

In the 1770s the realization that sea otter pelts from the pacific northwest were fetching high prices in China led to an absolute bonanza of trading expeditions into the largely unexplored region. For many, the pacific northwest was one of the farthest places on the planet to reach. Yet, over the course of the last decades of the 18th century the pacific northwest became a collision of cultures and empires: from various Indigenous groups to European imperial spearheads, to an American republic, a variety of characters arrived in the region to chase their financial dreams. It was a place of danger and discovery and a place that could make or break one’s fortune.

Book recommendation: Pacific Voyages: The Story of Sail in the Great Ocean by Gordon Miller published by Douglas and Mcintyre in 2023

https://douglas-mcintyre.com/products/9781771623476

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S8E20 Thayendenagay aka Joseph Brant – the warrior-diplomat

Tue, 13 Jun 2023 11:26:04 GMT

Thayendenagay was a Mohawk war chief, British soldier, tireless advocate and an accomplished diplomat who straddled two very different worlds that were colliding in the latter half of the 18th century. He witnessed the rapid expansion of imperial Britain and then the violent birth of the United States of America all the while attempting to lead his people through the geo-political complexities of that time. He would become one of the most famous Indigenous persons in the British empire and his name was both respected and feared from North America to Europe.

Book recommendation: Joseph Brant: A Man of Two Worlds by Isabel Thompson Kelsay, published in 1984 by Syracuse University Press.

https://press.syr.edu/supressbooks/1843/joseph-brant-1743-1807/

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S8E19 - D-Day, 6 June, 1944

Tue, 30 May 2023 13:28:01 GMT

Many Canadians know of the incredible bravery and courage that Canadian soldiers showed on 6 June 1944 when the men of 3rd Canadian Infantry Division seized Juno Beach as part of the largest combined-arms operation in the history of warfare: Operation Overlord, the invasion of northwest Europe. And while there are many incredible books and several podcast episodes talking about this invasion today’s episode is actually the product of a special request from a listener. This long-time listener was recently in Normandy and when searching for a podcast on D-Day felt that there was no episode that specifically talked in any detail about the actions of the first day itself, specifically related to the Canadian infantry assault on Juno Beach. Thus with the 6th of June only one week away here is an episode giving an overview of the actions on that 6th of June back in 1944 when the fate of the world changed forever.

Book recommendation: Juno: Canadians at D-Day, 6 June 1944 by Ted Barris, Thomas Allen and Sons, 2009

https://www.amazon.ca/Juno-Canadians-D-Day-June-1944/dp/0887624138

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S8E18 - Gordon Lightfoot - A National Treasure

Tue, 16 May 2023 10:49:12 GMT

The recent passing of Gordon Lightfoot is the loss of one of the most important Canadian singer-songwriters in the history of North American popular music. Not only has he released dozens of albums, including over 200 songs, but his music has been recorded by a nearly endless list of artists from a wide variety of genres. His lyrics and melodies have been sung in honky-tonk saloons, dive bars, on legendary stages, in movie soundtracks, and reverberated in sound systems in some of the most elite clubs on the planet. He was an artist who was in many ways quintessentially Canadian, he loved living in Canada, he loved being outdoors, he loved hockey, he was a passionate advocate for the environment, he was a selfless friend and while he certainly had his demons, he was generous to a fault to those he loved. He was a musical leader in a generation of singer songwriters (and especially Canadian ones) who fundamentally influenced the direction of popular music.

Book recommendation: Lightfoot by Nicholas Jennings, Viking Press, 2017

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/541324/lightfoot-by-nicholas-jennings/9780143199212

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S8E17 HMCS Uganda - The Ship that Voted to Leave the War

Tue, 02 May 2023 08:14:17 GMT

The words mutiny and cowardice are some of the most vile recriminations one could make against a ship and its crew. For years, these words were veiled behind the story of HMCS Uganda, Canada’s only naval vessel to fight against the Japanese. Yet, the story of HMCS Uganda is one of the most unique tales told in the history of Canada’s military and speaks to a strange time at the end of the Second World War, when a Canadian government prioritised domestic political interests over those of the ongoing military conflict and in turn put the sailors of Uganda in a damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don’t situation.The sailors aboard Uganda were given an unheard of choice in June 1945, one that would cast a controversial shadow over the ship, its crew and its role in the Second World War.

Book recommendation: Mutiny: The Odyssey of HMCS Uganda by James W. Essex. Highway Book Shop. 2000

https://www.amazon.com/Mutiny-odyssey-Uganda-James-Essex/dp/0889544174/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

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S8E16 Seize Wismar, Stop the Soviets!

Tue, 18 Apr 2023 08:57:29 GMT

While the official start of the Cold War is still debated by historians, many agree that it began at some point in the late 1940s. Yet, it was clear by 1945 that the final battle lines drawn when the war in Europe ended would play a significant role in determining the future of the post-war world. One of the earliest examples of this tension playing out was over the German coastal town of Wismar. In early May 1945 a British airborne division, spearheaded by 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, rushed northwards from the Elbe River to capture this town. While certainly part of the intention was to force the surrender of German forces in the area, the other objective was to cut off the Soviet advance from the east and prevent them from further designs on Denmark. The collision of these two Allied forces at Wismar became a harbinger of the tension to come in the post-war world.

Book recommendation: Tip of the Spear: An Intimate Account of 1 Canadian Parachute Battalion by Col. Bernd Horn and Michel Wyczynski published by Dundurn Press in 2002

https://www.dundurn.com/books_/t22117/a9781550023886-tip-of-the-spear

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S8E15 Columbus Who? The Norse in Newfoundland

Tue, 04 Apr 2023 08:59:22 GMT

The legendary sagas of the Vikings have always spoken of perilous, seaborne adventures to lands so far to the west as to literally drop off the edge of the known European universe. While some of these lands eventually became known as Iceland and Greenland, other parts would later be dubbed the “New World.” Yet, the discovery of the “New World” was attributed to Christopher Columbus. For centuries, legends persisted that Norse explorers came to the new world long before Columbus. In fact, rumours had it that the Norse made it well into the interior of the North American continent. For a long time, it was difficult for most archeologists and historians to prove if this was ever true. That was until 1968. That year two archeologists discovered a small cloak pin of Norse design in a location on the northern tip of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland-Labrador. This discovery triggered a massive archeological dig that would eventually come to prove that over one thousand years ago, and nearly 500 years before Christopher Columbus’ infamous arrival in the West Indies, Vikings indeed arrived in what would become known as the “New World.”

Book recommendation: In Search of First Contact: the Vikings of Vinland, the Peoples of the Dawnland, and the Anglo-American Anxiety of Discovery by Annette Kolodny, Duke University Press, 2012.

https://www.dukeupress.edu/in-search-of-first-contact

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S8E14 Strange Tales from Toronto

Tue, 21 Mar 2023 08:34:39 GMT

Every city, town and village in this country has its own unique history. For this episode, CCH takes a deep dive into some strange tales from the great city of Toronto. From a brawl between clowns and firefighters, to a bizarre post-mortem request from one of Canada's most important political figures and finally to a strange contest that saw the birth rate of the city spike. Guiding us through these tales is historian Adam Bunch. Adam is the author of the Toronto Book of the Dead and The Toronto Book of Love, host of the Canadiana documentary series on YouTube, and the creator of the Toronto History Weekly newsletter.

He is also one of the organisers of the Festival of Bizarre Toronto History, a festival dedicated

to exploring strange stories from the city's past. This festival is a busy week

filled with online lectures, panels, interviews, and walking tours featuring

some of Toronto's greatest storytellers. The festival runs from April 3 to 9

and tickets are now on sale and can be purchased via the website bizarretoronto.com.

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S8E13 The Little Island That Could: PEI and Confederation

Tue, 07 Mar 2023 09:53:52 GMT

Prince Edward Island is one of the most beautiful provinces in Canada. It’s wind-swept beaches are stunning, it’s people are some of the friendliest in the country. It has beautiful golf courses, scenic terrain, a provincial proclivity for incredible music, inspired by both Celtic and French roots. It is the setting for Anne of Green Gables. It has a deep, almost magical connection to the waters that surround it, and if you can catch the perfect day, at the perfect hour, it feels like a small piece of heaven. Today we are talking about one of the most interesting stories regarding Prince Edward Island…the story of how it came to join Canada. Despite the first of the confederation conferences occurring in Charlottetown, the island was not originally part of the Dominion of Canada when first formed in 1867. Why did it not join in then? What happened to make it join in 1873? These questions and more are answered today by Christopher Dummitt. Christopher is a Canadian historian at Trent University, author of Unbuttoned: A History of Mackenzie King’s Secret Life, and host of the podcast 1867 and All That.

Book recommendations:

Unbuttoned: A History of Mackenzie King’s Secret Life

https://www.mqup.ca/unbuttoned-products-9780773548763.php

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S8E12 Montreal's Black Renaissance

Tue, 21 Feb 2023 10:08:31 GMT

The history of Montreal’s Black community goes as far back as the very first French explorers to settle along the St. Larry River valley. The community has dealt with slavery, oppression, injustice, and both informal and formal racism. Yet, it is a community that has not only endured, it has thrived, despite significant challenges. It is also a community that was very much connected to the emerging civil rights movement in the US, and it is a community that embraced its own struggle, though a struggle that was very much unique to the geopolitical situation of Quebec in the post-Second World War period. While the community was certainly active in fighting for equality no affair highlighted galvanized it more than the Sir George Williams Affair in January 1969, an event that some argue, set off one Montreal’s Black renaissance.

Book recommendation:

Unsettling the Great White North: Black Canadian History by Funke Aladejebi and Michele Johnson. Univ. of Toronto Press, 2022

https://utorontopress.com/9781487529178/unsettling-the-great-white-north/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/DocBorys

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S8E11 Clara Ford and the Parkdale Murder that Excited a Nation

Tue, 07 Feb 2023 10:57:12 GMT

In the autumnal darkness of October 6, 1894, an unseen figure slipped through the streets of Parkdale, rang the doorbell at the home of a well-to-do Toronto family, and shot Frank Westwood in his doorway, murdering him in cold blood. Six weeks later, the spotlight shone on the enigmatic Clara Ford, a Black tailor and single mother known for her impeccable work ethic and resolute personality – and for wearing men’s attire. A former neighbour of the Westwoods, Clara was arrested and confessed to the murder. But as the details of her arrest and her complex connection to the Westwood family emerged, she recanted, testifying that she was coerced by police into a false confession. Clara was the first woman – and only the second person – to testify on her own behalf in a Canadian trial.

On this episode I chat with Dr. Carolyn Whitzman whose recent book Clara at the Door with a Revolver explores the incredible story of Clara Ford

Book recommendation:

Clara at the Door with a Revolver: The Scandalous Black Suspect, the Exemplary White Son and the Murder That Shocked Toronto (UBC Press, 2023)

https://www.ubcpress.ca/clara-at-the-door-with-a-revolver

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S8E10 - Our Man in Toronto: Sam Carr and a Soviet Spy Ring in Canada

Tue, 24 Jan 2023 11:27:19 GMT

In the Autumn of 1945 a Soviet cipher clerk defected to Canada instead of returning home to the Soviet Union. The information he brought with him shocked officials. It named a certain Sam Carr, a Toronto resident and labour activist, as a key figure in not only helping to establish a spy ring, but being the mastermind behind it all!

Book recommendations:

Amy Knight How the Cold War Began: The Gouzenko Affair and the Hunt for Soviet Spies 2005 by Mclelland and Stewart;

https://www.amazon.com/How-Cold-War-Began-Gouzenko/dp/0771095775

Tyler Wentzell Not for King and Country; Edward Cecil-Smith, the Communist Party, and the Spanish Civil War2020 by UTP

https://utorontopress.com/9781487522889/not-for-king-or-country/

David Levy Stalin’s Man in Canada: Fred Rose and Soviet Espionage 2011 by Enigma Books

https://www.amazon.ca/Stalins-Man-Canada-Soviet-Espionage/dp/1936274272

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S8E9 The Trent Affair and the Defence of British North America

Tue, 10 Jan 2023 12:33:18 GMT

At midday on November 8th 1861 the USS San Jacinto stopped and boarded the British mail steamer, RMS Trent. A party of American marines then boarded the British vessel and removed from it two Confederate diplomats on their way to Europe to court British and French support for the Confederate cause in the recently erupted American Civil War. This event sparked a massive diplomatic crisis and brought London and Washington the nearest to war they had been since 1812 and frankly, the nearest to war they would ever be again. With the two nations so close to conflict, all of a sudden the dilapidated defences of Britain’s North American colonies were made plain for all to see and a flurry of activity was instigated in London to quickly bolster the seemingly undefended British North American colonies before an American invasion came.

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S8E8 I've Seen it, I've Done It - the Life of Paul Anka

Tue, 13 Dec 2022 12:37:24 GMT

Before there was Justin Bieber, Britney Spears, New Kids on the Block, or the Osmonds, there was Paul Anka. One of Canada’s most important contributors to the landscape of modern pop music. While not the first teen star, he was the first one from Canada and defied the odds by leaving Ottawa for New York to make it big, and make it big he did. His career has spanned decades, his success has been global, his work is iconic, and while today younger listeners might now know much about him, his influence on music and music history is undeniable.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!!! CCH will return in January of 2023 :)

BOOK RECO: My Way written by Paul Anka and David Dalton published in 2013 by St. Martin’s Press

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250044495/my-way

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S8E7 The Last Duel....in Canada

Tue, 29 Nov 2022 11:54:25 GMT

If you took a stroll along the banks of Tay River, in Perth Ontario, just on the northeast edge of the town, you would come upon on a strangely named location, Last Duel Park. Certainly, for many, they might just walk on by, chalking it up to just a strangely named location. But the more curious might wonder, how did this park get its name? The name is not a clever one, it’s given to the park because that is the location of the last fatal duel ever fought in Canada. In 1833 two former friends had such a falling out that the only recourse they sought was a pistol duel on a June summer evening. While on the surface it seemed like this dispute was over a betrayal of trust, behind the scenes it seems like there was far more going on, that being a devious plot to secure a love interest. A devious plot that if true horribly backfired and left one young man dead.

Book recommendation: Susan Code A matter of honour: And other tales of early Perth, General Store Pub. House, January 1996

https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?an=susan%20code&tn=matter%20honour%20tales%20early&sortby=17&cm_sp=plpafe-_-all-_-link

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S8E6 Henri Bourassa and the Conscription Crisis

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 12:05:39 GMT

Henri Bourassa is one of the most famous Quebec journalists in the history of Canada. His writing at Le Devoir, the paper he founded, was embraced by many as the voice of French-Canadians struggling to assert their place in a rapidly changing Canadian nation. He was a complex man, a devout ultramontane Catholic, a French-Canadian nationalist, but also a man who saw a future where English and French Canadians could cooperate and live side by side in harmony as the two “races” of a strong and proud Canadian nation. Yet he was also deeply disturbed by Canada’s attachment to Britain and Britain’s empire, and time and time again his platform at Le Devoir became the voice of many in Quebec who bristled at this long-standing imperial connection. No event put Bourassa on the national stage like the First World War, while he was already quite well known in Quebec prior to 1914, by the end of that war he would be known from coast to coast.

The book recommendation for this episode is Duty to Dissent: Henri Bourassa and the First World War by Geoff Keelan published by UBC Press in 2019.

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S8E5 Stanley Thompson and Golf in Canada

Tue, 01 Nov 2022 11:00:25 GMT

There are many ways in which Canadians express their national identity. Through song, poetry, tattoos, pride over historic and international achievements, the celebration of multi-culturalism, the singing of the anthem, voting in an election, and so many other expressions large and small help us define who we are and who we think we are as Canadians. Sport has always played a central role in this search for identity. From cheering for Team Canada at the Olympics, to fanatically following your local sports team, sport has always been a way to unite Canadians. But sport has also played a role in helping to express the Canadian experience, especially when that Canadian experience is one that embraces Canada’s rugged, hostile and beautiful environment. In the 1920s and onwards the famous painting cabal known as the Group of Seven created an international sensation by painting Canada’s landscapes, presenting to the world what has been considered Canada’s first true school of art. At the same time that these great painters were presenting their material to a world fascinated by Canada’s landscapes, Stanley Thompson was doing the same thing...with golf courses. Thompson embraced the Canadian terrain and built golf courses into it that celebrated the unique and rugged nature of the Canadian landscape. In many ways, Thompson too was an artist who was also, like the Group of Seven, celebrating the Canadian experience through expressions of nature.

In this episode we chat with past guest Jordan Goldstein. Jordan has a Ph.D. in Sports History and 7+ years teaching sports philosophy, sociology, and history. He published his first book entitled "Canada's Holy Grail: Lord Stanley's Political Motivation to Donate the Stanley Cup" in 2021 through University of Toronto Press. His book investigates the political motivations of Lord Stanley's donation of the Stanley Cup as an act of Canadian nation building. He recently quit academia to build a coaching and consulting business, Phya Academy, and to work on curriculum development at Synthesis School.

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S8E4 A 17th Century River of Change - The Innu and the Algonquin along the St. Lawrence River

Tue, 18 Oct 2022 11:28:52 GMT

The St. Lawrence River is one of the most important waterways in the western hemisphere. It has been home to a multitude of peoples and has provided both food and commerce for centuries. It is both a cornucopia and a highway. First Nations have lived along its banks for more than a millennium and when Europeans began arriving I the late 16th century they entered into a diverse and complicated world, patterns that had been shifting and evolving for centuries prior. Two of the main groups thriving in this world were the Algonquin and Innu, and they would see the possibilities that the newly arrived French could bring, but also were very aware of the destabilizing nature that came as a result of the European arrival.

Book recommendation: Flesh Reborn: The Saint Lawrence Valley Mission Settlements Through the Seventeenth Century by Jean-Francois Lozier, published by McGill-Queen's University Press in 2018

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S8E3 The Honan Mission – First Generation Canadian Missionaries in China

Tue, 04 Oct 2022 11:19:13 GMT

In the late 19th century a number of Canadian missionaries travelled to China ultimately arriving in the province of Honan, north of the Yellow River. These members of the Presbyterian Church of Canada sought to establish a series of missions in the volatile region. They sought to provide health care to the inhabitants while preaching the gospel. Yet, the years would not prove kind to the intrepid evangelists as illness and violent anti-foreign elements would prove to be a constant threat to the survival of the mission and the missionaries themselves. (pictured Paul and Rosalind Goforth)

Book recommendation this week is Healing Henan: Canadian Nurses and the North China Mission 1888-1947 by Sonya Gripma, published in 2008 by UBC Press.

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S8E2 The Frontier Constabulary - Canada’s First Secret Police

Tue, 20 Sep 2022 11:33:08 GMT

From 1864 until 1871 a relatively secret organisation of Canadian police patrolled Canada’s border with the United States. What began as a mission to prevent increasing tension between Britian and the US evolved into a concerted effort to undermine a major threat to Canadian sovereignty. This threat came from the Irish Republican organization known as the Fenians. Through a complex array of informants and spies on both sides of the border the Canadian secret police (known as the Frontier Constabulary) played a central role in defining Canada’s response to the Fenian threat and became the country’s first ever secret police organisation.

Book recommendation: Canadian Spy Story: Irish Revolutionaries and the Secret Police by David A. Wilson published by McGill-Queens Press in 2022.

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S8E1 Kurt Meyer - A War Criminal in Canada

Tue, 06 Sep 2022 10:09:56 GMT

Perhaps no single person in the aftermath of the Second World War aroused so much widespread and continued interest in Canada than that of Nazi officer and war criminal Kurt Meyer. Meyer was a murderer, a die hard Nazi, and a ferocious battlefield commander. He ordered the execution of numerous Canadian soldiers during the fighting for Normandy. Despite being found guilty for his crimes, and becoming the only Nazi war criminal imprisoned outside of Germany, his fate became tied up in larger global events and Canadian opinion shifted to reflect these larger global events ultimately changing Meyers fate forever.

Book recommendations: Tim Cook's "The Fight for History" Allen Lane, 2020 and Howard Margolian's "Conduct Unbecoming: The Story of the Murder of Prisoners of War in Normandy" UTP Press, 1998

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S7E21 - The Dakota War and British North America

Tue, 21 Jun 2022 11:02:12 GMT

For our last episode of Season 7 we look at how war in the US showed a deep connection between peoples on both sides of the US-Canada border. While the border between Canada and the United States is now regularly patrolled and controlled heavily on both sides, for many decades it was far more nebulous. It was a border that cut across territory where families and entire peoples had once moved freely. When the Dakota, starving and angry, rose up in 1862 against the US government and settlers in Minnesota a six week conflict ensued. In the aftermath many Dakota fled north across the border to seek safety, refuge, and shelter. These ”American Indians” as the British and later Canadian governments referred to them, would struggle to find a home in what would become Canada – and for many years would remain wandering refugees with uncertain status in a land not quite sure how to accept them.

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S7E20 The Avro Arrow Part 2

Wed, 08 Jun 2022 02:36:14 GMT

In Part 2 of our two-part series we explore the aftermath of the Avro Arrow’s cancellation. While the cancellation sent short-term shockwaves through Ontario but not much beyond, in later years the cancellation becomes wrapped up in the larger conversation of Canada’s role in the Cold War world. Specifically, our relationship to our American allies and our ongoing efforts to try and grasp on to potentially unifying Canadian symbols. Certainly the cancellation of the Arrow had immediate ramifications for the Canadian aviation industry but its long term significance is arguably even more important. To wrap up our two part series we are going to deep dive into why the Arrow becomes such a polarising issue and settle once and for all why was it cancelled and who was to blame.

Our guest host is Russell Isinger. Russell did his graduate work on the controversial CF-105 Avro Arrow interceptor, one of the first researchers to access the declassified archival record on the project. Since then, Russell has continued his research and writing on the Arrow (usually in collaboration with his former graduate supervisor, Don Story), and they are currently working on a book delving into the political and military decision-making behind the project.

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S7E19 The Avro Arrow Part 1

Tue, 24 May 2022 11:26:27 GMT

There are a very few topics in Canadian history that have generated more acrimonious debate than that of the Avro Arrow. Some have called its cancellation a travesty that destroyed a Canadian industry, many of those have laid the blame at the feet of the Americans. Others have approached the topic with a more circusmpect eye, noting it’s exorbitant costs and the refusal of the Canadian government to pay for it. In the public consciousness the Avro Arrow has spawned numerous articles, books, documentaries, and even a film. To take us through this complex subject we've brought in an expert to do the heavy lifting.

Russell Isinger did his graduate work on the controversial CF-105 Avro Arrow interceptor, one of the first researchers to access the declassified archival record on the project. Since then, Russ has continued his research and writing on the Arrow (usually in collaboration with his former graduate supervisor, Don Story), and they are currently working on a book delving into the political and military decision-making behind the project.

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S7E18 To Pass or Not to Pass - The Emergence (and Divergence) of North American Football

Tue, 10 May 2022 10:19:23 GMT

While both the modern American and Canadian game of football emerged from similar roots, they took very different paths to arrive at the game we recognize today. Americans were much quicker to modify and adapt their game into a uniquely American form of sport, while Canadians were slower to abandon the English roots of rugby and hesitant to adopt rules that could very well make their game seem too "American".

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S7E17 A Thankless Task - Policing in New France

Tue, 26 Apr 2022 09:27:50 GMT

Because New France was a colony almost perpetually at war the enforcement of law and order in the 17th and 18th centuries was considered vital to the very survival of the struggling French colony challenged by both a growing British empire and powerful Indigenous enemies. Yet, the imposition of law and order reflected the complex social layers that existed within the colony and saw different forms of 'policing' emerging depending on whether one lived in the urban or rural space.

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S7E16 The 1979 Binational Lesbian Conference

Tue, 12 Apr 2022 09:46:01 GMT

In 1979 a conference was held in Toronto which became a pivotal event for both Toronto and Canada’s lesbian community. While so much attention at the time was focused around the emerging visibility of Canada’s gay community, it was heavily gendered, focsuing almost exclusively on gay men, much less visilbity existed for Candaa’s lesbian community. The 1979 conference was thus a key moment in helping bring visibility to Canada’s lesbian community while also acting as a rally point for the community itself. To cover this fascinating topic we are talking with Rebecka Taves Sheffield, an archivist, author, and educator based in Hamilton, Ontario.

Rebecka was the first Executive Director and Archives Manager of the ArQuives (formerly the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives), an organization that is the inspiration for much of her scholarly work. She trained as an archivist at the University of Toronto (UofT) iSchool and earned a PhD at UofT’s Mark S. Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies. Rebecka has served as a senior policy advisor for the Archives of Ontario and is now advising on digital and data policy with Ontario Digital Service.

She is the author of Documenting Rebellions: A Study of Four Lesbian and Gay Archives in Queer Times (Litwin, 2020), and was part of the award-winning editorial team that produced Any Other Way: How Toronto Got Queer (Coach House, 2017). Her work has been published in Archivaria, American Archivist, Radical History Review, Library Trends, Papers/Cahiers, and the International Journal of Information, Diversity & Inclusion.

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S7E15 Rise Republic Rise: The United Irish Uprising in Newfoundland

Tue, 29 Mar 2022 08:48:43 GMT

In the late 18th century tension in Ireland boiled over into a full scale uprising. This uprising was put down yet some Irish republicans fled to Newfoundland where they found a social, economic and political climate ripe for agitation. While the island was spared some of the more violent conflicts between Catholics and Protestants like that seen in Ireland, the tension between the two faiths continued to be a problematic reality in the British colony. In 1800 this tension boiled over in an attempted uprising centred around the key port city of St. John’s.

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S7E14 The Guess Who

Tue, 15 Mar 2022 10:10:35 GMT

A deep dive into the iconic Canadian rock band The Guess Who

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Announcement - Name Change!

Wed, 09 Mar 2022 21:46:25 GMT

A big name change is coming!

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S7E13 Gravenhurst: The Gateway City

Tue, 01 Mar 2022 11:48:17 GMT

The historic and dynamic city of Gravenhurst is explored in this episode written by fellow podcaster Craig Baird from "Canadian History Ehx"

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S7E12 Nic Power - The Bad Detective

Tue, 15 Feb 2022 11:28:16 GMT

The headlines screamed "Canadian detective foils Fenian bomb plot against the Prince!" When the third in line for the British throne arrived in Halifax in 1883 the entire country was excited for the young prince's tour of the equally young country. Yet, a dramatic turn of events would see Halifax detective Nic Power foil an assassination attempt on the prince's life. Or at least, that's what he and the media would have you believe. In this episode we explore the story of the infamous "bomb plot" and try to understand how Nic Power was able to convince the entire British empire for the entirety of his life that he had indeed saved a member of the royal family.

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S7E11 To the Winner Goes the Spoils: The Origins of Lord Stanley's Cup

Tue, 01 Feb 2022 09:09:32 GMT

Lord Stanley's cup, aka "The Holy Grail," is one of the most sought after trophies in professional sports and arguably the hardest one to win. But the trophy doesn't just represent the ultimate achievement in a professional sport, in many ways it is a symbol and representation of a Canadian identity constantly in flux. In this episode David talks with author Jordan Goldstein about the history of the Stanley Cup and its complex relationship to the way Canadians understand themselves and their nation.

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S7E10 More than Just Beads and Bannock: First Nations Women and the Fur Trade

Tue, 18 Jan 2022 11:39:19 GMT

It was in search of furs, and the riches from the fur trade, which drove so many Europeans deeper and deeper into the North American continent. Much of the modern day prairies, western Ontario, interior of British Columbia, northern Quebec were first mapped by European explorers who while seeking fame as explorers were also seeking new untapped regions of fur bearing animals. But the fur trade was not a one-way street. European explorers and traders relied heavily on the help from First Nations allies. In fact, without this help the European presence in the fur trade would have been almost non existent. One aspect of this Indigenous-European relationship that has often been overlooked is the role that women played. From being diplomats and interpreters to literally making the difference between life and death, women were key players in this lucrative and historically significant economic activity.

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S7E9 Viola Desmond: The Woman on the 10 Dollar Bill

Tue, 04 Jan 2022 11:28:18 GMT

Nine years before Rosa Parks galvanised the American civil rights movement by refusing to sit at the back of a bus, Viola Desmond sparked the mobilisation of a Nova Scotian community when she refused to be moved from a 'whites only' section in the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. Her actions inspired generations of Black Canadians in not only Nova Scotia but across the entire country who fought and won the right to be seen as equals in an unequal Canadian society. While at the time Viola's struggles were nearly forgotten today she is considered a person of historical significance and is the first Canadian woman to ever appear on a Canadian dollar bill.

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S7E8 Ring the Alarm – The Japanese Attack on Canada’s West Coast

Mon, 13 Dec 2021 15:47:33 GMT

In June 1942 the Japanese submarine I 26 attacked a rather unusual target on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Not since the last Fenian Raid in 1871 had Canadian territory been directly attacked by a foreign enemy. While certainly not a pivotal moment in Canada's war it was nonetheless an surprising and harrowing moment for those involved and for a brief period brought the war home to a tiny piece of land in the Pacific Northwest.

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S7E7 – Gahoendoe and the loss of Wendake

Wed, 01 Dec 2021 17:30:28 GMT

In 1649, ravaged by war, the Wendat made the bold decision to move thousands of people to the island of Gahoendoe. This massive migration of the majority of Wendat was meant to keep the nation alive, yet it nearly destroyed them.

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S7E6 – Forgotten Battle: The Battle for the Scheldt – a conversation with Mark Zuehlke

Mon, 15 Nov 2021 15:58:01 GMT

Recently Netflix released a film called “Forgotten Battle,” one of the most expensive Dutch films ever made. The film explores the lives of several characters in and around the difficult battle for the Scheldt Estuary in 1944. What the film barely touches upon, however, is that this battle was fought primarily by Canadians of First Canadian Army and the closing scenes of the movie are a climactic rendering of the brutal fight for the Walcheren Causeway by 2nd Canadian Infantry Division. After both watching this movie myself and acclaimed historian and author Mark Zuehlke sat down to chat about the battle and the movie's depiction of it. Mark wrote an excellent book on the Scheldt operations titled “Terrible Victory: First Canadian Army and the Scheldt Campaign” which came out in 2014 and was the perfect guest for this fascinating discussion.

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S7E5 – The Forgotten Fourth Arm – The Merchant Navy’s Fight for Recognition

Wed, 10 Nov 2021 14:58:33 GMT

Thousands of Canadian merchant mariners lost their lives during the Second World War as part of the valuable supply chain bringing important war material from North America to Great Britain. Despite the high casualty rates, dangerous working conditions, and vital importance of the job, it took years before Canadian merchant mariners were properly recognised for their role in the war and their status as veterans.

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S7E4 We Notorious! Canadian Hip Hop in the 20th Century

Mon, 18 Oct 2021 21:42:08 GMT

Within only a couple of years of the “birth” of American rap music Toronto became the centre for the early Canadian rap and hip hop scene. This episode explores some of the early trends in Canadian rap music as artists struggled to gain mainstream acceptance in a music industry hesitant to accept this new and powerful musical genre.

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S7E3 – Africville

Mon, 04 Oct 2021 15:54:32 GMT

Africville was a community that for decades stood on the physical, social and racial margins of the city of Halifax. It represented Nova Scotia's legacy of Black migration into Canada but also spoke to the very real challenges people faced settling in a land that saw itself as a white province within a white nation. The story of Africville is one of struggle and resistance but also one of community and connection and despite its ending it now stands as a celebrated marker for one of the many groups that have contributed to a broader understanding of what it means to be Canadian.

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S7E2 – Welcome! Welcome! A History of Halifax’s Pier 21

Mon, 20 Sep 2021 15:46:19 GMT

For years, many Canadian immigrants arrived via ocean liner after a long journey across the Atlantic Ocean. While the first stop for some was Quebec or Montreal or St. John's. for nearly one million people that first stop was the shoreline of Halifax, specifically the immigration facility known as Pier 21. Pier 21 stands as a testament to a dynamic period of immigration to this country and has its own unique history during an incredible period of the nation's growth and change.

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S7E1 – The Longest War: A Brief History of Canada in Afghanistan

Mon, 06 Sep 2021 16:40:39 GMT

To kick off Season 7 we are going to explore the history of Canada's mission in Afghanistan from a broad perspective highlighting the four phases of Canada's war and looking at some of the challenges to Canadian efforts in the tumultuous country.

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Special Episode – Dr. Crystal Fraser and Residential Schools in Canada

Mon, 05 Jul 2021 13:14:16 GMT

In this special episode David sits down for a fascinating and important conversation with Dr. Crystal Fraser, an historian at the University of Alberta and an expert in the history of residential schools in Canada. Dr. Fraser's 150 Acts of Reconciliation can be read at 150acts.weebly.com

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S6E19 Canadian Audiences and The Birth of a Nation

Mon, 31 May 2021 16:01:14 GMT

In our Season 6 finale we look at one of the biggest blockbuster films of the early 20th century, which presented a twisted racial reimagining of a traumatic period in American history. Even though the film was controversial, almost everywhere it was shown it drew large audiences, and this was true even in Canada, where the film ran in most major cities to widespread public acclaim.

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S6E18 The Seaborn Missions to North Vietnam

Mon, 17 May 2021 14:40:19 GMT

In 1964 a top secret diplomatic mission was carried out by Canadian J. Blair Seaborn on behalf of the United States to find some sort of settlement with the North Vietnamese government in Hanoi.

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S6E17 The Fruit Machine

Mon, 03 May 2021 14:34:29 GMT

At the height of the Cold War, Canadian anxiety over Soviet espionage reached reached such a fervour that a top secret Security Panel was formed to remove security threats from within the civil service. A part of this security campaign was the targeting of gay men working in government, who were thought to be particularly vulnerable security threats. Funding was thus directed towards a series of tests and studies to discover a scientific method of detecting ones sexual orientation. The culmination of all of this was the infamous Fruit Machine.

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S6E16 The Canal That Never Was

Mon, 19 Apr 2021 15:10:37 GMT

The Georgian Bay Canal was a proposed canal project connecting Georgian Bay to Ottawa to Montreal and then to the Atlantic Ocean and the world. While there were many merits for its construction it was never built. This episode explores the interesting story of the dream of this canal during an unbridled period of infrastructure in a young Canada. Today's episode was written by author Ray Love.

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S6E15 Canada’s First Spree Killer

Tue, 06 Apr 2021 15:35:55 GMT

In 1966 the people of Windsor, Ontario and then the country were shocked when a young man recently released from the Kingston Penitentiary went on what became Canada's first shooting spree. A horrific crime that was a key part of an unusual and head-scratching story.

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S6E14 Bill Miner – The Gentleman Robber Part 2

Sun, 21 Mar 2021 17:53:34 GMT

Bill Miner's exploits in early 19th century British Columbia continue in this episode as he attempts to recover from a botched robbery of a CPR train and avoid the authorities who are hot on his trail.

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S6E13 Bill Miner – The Gentleman Robber – Part One

Mon, 08 Mar 2021 00:17:05 GMT

In this two-parter we look at the life of the bandit Bill Miner, an iconic and unique figure of both the American and Canadian Wild West.

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S6E12 The Mystery of Capreol’s Mass Grave

Mon, 22 Feb 2021 16:35:47 GMT

A small railroad town in Northern Ontario deals with one of its most traumatic days bringing the community together but leaving a mystery behind.

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S6E11 Laying Down the Law – Canadian Civil Affairs and the Belgian Resistance

Mon, 08 Feb 2021 16:50:37 GMT

In this excerpt from the forthcoming book “Civilians at the Sharp End: First Canadian Army Civil Affairs in Northwest Europe, 1944-1945” CCH takes a look at the tumultuous relationship between the Belgian resistance and First Canadian Army in the period after Belgium's liberation. The book, published by McGill-Queen's Press and set for release on 18 February, is currently available for pre-order purchase on Amazon, grab yours today!

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S6E10 Give Peace a Chance – John and Yoko Come to Canada

Mon, 25 Jan 2021 15:59:51 GMT

In 1969 John Lennon and Yoko Ono, recently married and carrying out a ‘peace tour' shack up in a Montreal hotel suite for a week long ‘bed in' culminating in one of the most iconic protest songs in history.
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NEW BOOK: “Civilians at the Sharp End: First Canadian Army Civil Affairs in Northwest Europe” is now available for pre-sale on Amazon – https://www.amazon.ca/Civilians-Sharp-End-Canadian-Northwest/dp/022800649X/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=civilian+at+the+sharp+end&qid=1611590523&sr=8-1

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S6E9 A Nation of Our Own – The Six Nations Appeal to the League of Nations

Sun, 10 Jan 2021 17:40:30 GMT

During the inter-war period, two leaders of the legendary Six Nations Confederacy take their people's claims of sovereignty to the most public international forum of the day attempting to gain foreign support in their struggle agains the Canadian government.

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S6E8 The Famous Five and the Persons Case

Sun, 13 Dec 2020 17:13:08 GMT

Five Canadian activists challenge an archaic British law fundamentally changing the legal status of women in Canada

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S6E7 The Fight for History with Dr. Tim Cook

Sun, 29 Nov 2020 18:29:29 GMT

Dr. Tim Cook is interviewed about his newest book The Fight For History discussing the complicated and controversial process by which WW2 was nearly forgotten in the decades following the war only to be reclaimed by the end of the 20th century.

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S6E6 Whose Side Are You On Anyways? The Canadian Response to the Suez Crisis

Sun, 15 Nov 2020 17:23:23 GMT

In 1956 the United Nations was in turmoil as an Anglo-French-Israeli alliance attacked and invaded Egypt. Global public opinion was strongly against this bold move and it seemed like there was no solution in sight. Until, Canadian diplomat Lester B. Pearson stepped in with a radical proposal, one that would set a template for UN Peacekeeping operations for the rest of the 20th century.

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S6E5 John Labatt’s and the Windy City

Mon, 02 Nov 2020 04:59:01 GMT

A risky move to take beer south takes John Labatt Jr. into the maelstrom of American brewing.

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S6E4 Bert and Ernie Eh? The Canadianization of Sesame Street

Sun, 18 Oct 2020 16:05:06 GMT

In the late 1960s the television phenomenon that was Sesame Street came north of the 49th parallel. While extremely popular amongst Canadian youth significant debate flared up over the fact that it was American television programming in a time when Canada was going through an acute identity crisis. Something had to be done to turn this popular children's show into a program that showcased unique Canadian values and ideas.

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S6E3 A Century of Service: The Life of Nova Scotian Provo Wallis, Admiral of the Fleet

Sun, 04 Oct 2020 16:29:34 GMT

One of the longest serving sailors in the history of the Royal Navy just happened to be born in Nova Scotia. Provo Wallis witnessed the transition from the age of sail to the age of steam while remaining in the navy for almost 100 years.

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S6E2 Clio’s Treats: Culinary Connections to Canadian History

Mon, 21 Sep 2020 14:55:31 GMT

The history of food in Canada can be a complex subject and is as varied as the people that make up this country. This episode has chosen several “Canadian” foods to explore how food is related to both the history of the nation, its peoples, and how food can connect to ideas of Canadian identity.

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S6E1 Chaos in the Cariboo Sky: The Crash of Canadian Pacific Flight 21

Sun, 06 Sep 2020 16:27:28 GMT

A 1965 plane crash in the wilderness of British Columbia leads to an unsolved mystery that puzzles investigators even today.

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S5E20 The Underground Railroad

Mon, 08 Jun 2020 15:50:24 GMT

From the early 1830s to the onset of the American Civil War in 1860 British North America became the primary destination for slaves escaping to freedom. To get there they had to undergo a harrowing journey and for most of those that successfully arrived they did so because of the work of the Underground Railroad.

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S5E19 A Lost Cause? Canada’s Diplomatic Involvement in the Vietnam War

Mon, 25 May 2020 16:24:09 GMT

Prior to America's official entry into the Vietnam war Canada spearheaded diplomatic efforts to find some sort of peaceful resolution, balancing a need to show support for America in the ongoing Cold War while also seeking to avoid escalation and a potential global nuclear war.

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S5E18 Nuns on the Frontier – The Ursulines of Quebec

Mon, 11 May 2020 15:49:26 GMT

The Ursulines are a Catholic female religious order who played an important role in the early years of the French colony of New France. Despite hunger, war, disease and brutal environmental conditions the Ursulines persevered and became fixtures within Quebec society becoming educators and social activists within the growing colonial community.

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S5E17 The Dutch Food Crisis and Operation Faust

Mon, 27 Apr 2020 18:46:58 GMT

In May of 1945 Canadian soldiers carried out a little-known food delivery operation deep into enemy held territory to help relieve the near-starving Dutch living under a brutal Nazi occupation regime.

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S5E16 The Wabanaki Confederacy

Mon, 13 Apr 2020 21:03:29 GMT

During the 17th and 18th centuries the British had to deal with one of the most powerful Indigenous alliances in all of North America, the Wabanaki Confederacy. Forged in defending their territory against incursions from the Five Nations Iroquois, the Wabanaki maintained their influence over their traditional territory for decades in the face of a massive and expanding British Empire.

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S5E15 The Coloured Corps and the War of 1812

Mon, 30 Mar 2020 17:57:06 GMT

When the War of 1812 erupted in June 1812 the status of Black Canadians in Upper Canada was a confusing and complex blend of abolitionist dreams, slave holding intentions, and racial prejudice. In spite of this, a unit was raised to help in the defence of the colony and was one of the most reliable militia units in the entire Upper Canadian defence force, though struggled to get its proper recognition in the aftermath.

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S5E14 – Un-Canadian Content? Bryan Adams and the Waking up the Neighbours Controversy

Mon, 16 Mar 2020 14:33:31 GMT

In 1991 controversy erupted over the epic Bryan Adams album “Waking up the Neighbours.” The controversy surrounded the issue of whether the album qualified as ‘Canadian,' despite the fact that Bryan Adams was and is Canadian. The controversy shook the Canadian music scene to its core and challenged ideas of Canadian content and the Canadian music industry as a whole.

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S5E13 Leo Major – A French-Canadian Rambo

Tue, 03 Mar 2020 13:13:10 GMT

Leo Major was a scrappy French Canadian kid who served in both northwest Europe and Korea. His story is nothing short of extraordinary.

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S5E12 Kicking in the Door – Canada Invades Nazi Germany

Mon, 17 Feb 2020 12:37:09 GMT

Starting in February 1945 First Canadian Army took part in a series of operations that would bust open the door to Nazi Germany and signal the beginning of the end for Hitler's regime. This episode is written by friend-of-the-podcast Alex Fitzgerald-Black of the Juno Beach Centre and host of the popular Canadian WW2 podcast, Juno Beach and Beyond.

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S5E11 The Mad Trapper of Rat River

Mon, 03 Feb 2020 12:33:59 GMT

In the early 1930s the Arctic became the scene of a desperate manhunt for a violent trapper willing to go to any lengths to avoid the law. A trapper whom nobody knew…and whom nobody still knows.

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S5E10 An Uphill Skate – The Women of the Hockey Hall of Fame

Sun, 19 Jan 2020 14:24:28 GMT

Women have been a part of hockey for as long as this country has embraced it as a national identifier, yet only recently has their contribution to the game been recognized in the hockey hall of fame. This week’s episode talks about the history of women in the game and the Canadian women that have made it into the esteemed hall.

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1867 & All That

Fri, 17 Jan 2020 12:44:41 GMT

Friends of Cool Canadian History have just released their own Canadian history podcast focusing on the political and diplomatic history of this country. Check out the preview for this awesome podcast here!

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S5E9 Cougar Annie – The Wild Woman of Vancouver Island

Sun, 05 Jan 2020 14:21:01 GMT

Ada Annie Jordan was a young mother with a successful business, a growing family and a popular place within early 20th century Vancouver's emerging elite society. Yet, she threw almost all of it away when she moved her family to a remote bay on Vancouver Island and instead of living a life of relative luxury she became a legend.

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S5E8 Little Stalingrad – The Battle for Ortona, December 1943

Mon, 09 Dec 2019 16:52:58 GMT

In December of 1943 Canadian soldiers became bogged down in a vicious street battle for the small town of Ortona on Italy's east coast. A battle so ferocious and in such close quarters that it earned the nickname ‘Little Stalingrad.'

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S5E7 Tricky Bob and the 1917 Federal Election

Mon, 25 Nov 2019 17:57:43 GMT

In 1917 Canadian soldiers were engaged heavily on the western front yet volunteer numbers had fallen below that of the monthly casualty rates. Prime Minister Robert Borden thus carried out one of the most controversial political campaigns in Canadian history in order to win the 1917 federal election and ensure that conscription was passed.

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S5E6 Optical Aleutians – The Liberation of Kiska Island

Sun, 10 Nov 2019 17:34:39 GMT

Two almost totally uninhabited American islands off the coast of Alaska are occupied by the Japanese in 1942. In response, an unprecedented joint American-Canadian operation is launched to liberate those islands. This ‘Zombie' liberation will focus specifically on the island of Kiska.

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S5E5 A Murder in the Desert – The Canadian Airborne Regiment and the Somalia Scandal

Mon, 28 Oct 2019 18:29:25 GMT

A deeply troubled regiment with deeply troubled soldiers leads to a deeply disturbing murder of a teenage boy in Somalia.

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S5E4 Amherst’s VIP Prisoner: Trotsky in the Maritimes

Mon, 14 Oct 2019 16:42:21 GMT

While Leon Trotsky is largely known as a central figure in the Russian Revolution and the rise of the Soviet Union, a brief chapter in his life took him to Amherst, Nova Scotia as part of a British attempt to prevent the radical from returning to war-time Russia. Thus, Trotsky found himself a VIP guest of the British Empire, the Canadian state and the province of Nova Scotia.

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S5E3 The Buffalo Alliance – Poundmaker and Crowfoot

Mon, 30 Sep 2019 16:19:22 GMT

Two of the 19th century's most prominent leaders of the plains First Nations evolve from enemies into friends while faced with grave threats to their people and their way of life, both are thus forced to make hard choices in the tumultuous violent period of the late 19th century.

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S5E2 The Pirate Queen of Canada – Maria Lindsay Cobham

Mon, 16 Sep 2019 15:22:58 GMT

In the early 18th century Maria Lindsay Cobham, her husband, and her crew of misfits prowled the waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Cabot Strait, preying on unsuspecting merchant vessels. One of the few pirates to operate in the North Atlantic, Maria not only became captain of her crew but cemented herself in maritime legend as the Pirate Queen of Canada.

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S5E1 Canada’s Forgotten Battle – The Battle of the Medak Pocket

Mon, 02 Sep 2019 21:45:23 GMT

In the autumn of 1993 Canadian soldiers, attempting to stop ethnic cleansing in the Medak Pocket, found themselves in an over-night firefight against a surprising enemy while attempting to keep the peace in the middle of a chaotic war zone.

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Special Bonus Episode The Voices of D-Day

Thu, 06 Jun 2019 15:09:29 GMT

On this day, 6 June 2019, the 75th anniversary of D-Day, we at CCH give you a special bonus episode narrated by Alex Fitzgerald-Black of the Juno Beach Centre that includes testimonies and eye-witness accounts from the young soldiers that participated in the Canadian action at D-Day. We want to thank Alex and the podcast team from ‘Juno Beach and Beyond' for sharing this incredible eye-witness account with us. Enjoy!

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Special Episode D-Day 75

Tue, 04 Jun 2019 14:10:53 GMT

Alex-Fitzgerald Black of the Juno Beach Centre joins us today to talk about everything D-Day. 75 years ago today the western Allies were preparing to launch the largest combined-arms operation in the history of the world. An operation that would seek to liberate Western Europe from the grip of Nazi tyranny and help bring about an end to the Second World War. Canada was strongly represented at this momentous occasion and Alex will go into detail about our understanding of this watershed moment in modern history.

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S4E17 Subordinate No More! Canada’s Inter-War Move to Independence

Sun, 26 May 2019 16:29:40 GMT

The First World War led to dramatic changes within the Canadian state, perhaps none more so than Canada's changing role within the British Empire. This change occurred during the 1920s and 1930s where Canada went from colony-nation of the British Empire to equal nation within the British Commonwealth.

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S4E16 The Chatham Coloured All-Stars

Mon, 13 May 2019 13:49:29 GMT

The Chatham Coloured All-Stars were an all-black baseball team from southern Ontario who broke the colour barrier for baseball in Canada.

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S4E15 Separate Spheres Turned Upside Down – French Women and the Survival of New France

Sun, 14 Apr 2019 14:32:28 GMT

This episode explores the various roles women played in New France in support of the fur trade and in turn helping the very colony of New France survive. Roles that were in stark contrast to gender expectations in the old world.

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S4E14 A Search for Asylum – Sitting Bull in Canada

Sun, 31 Mar 2019 15:30:19 GMT

Sitting Bull was a legendary Native American chief who spent much of his life leading a resistance against American expansion into Indigenous territory. After the famous battle of the Little Big Horn Sitting Bull wound up in Canada fleeing the wrath of the American government setting off a politically complicated and ultimately short-lived attempt at asylum.

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S4E12 “The Riot Heard ‘Round the World” – Vancouver’s 1907 Anti-Asian Riot

Sun, 03 Mar 2019 15:00:32 GMT

Intense fear of what Asian immigration might do to a predominately white British Columbia sparked off a violent riot in the streets of Vancouver in 1907. A riot that had reverberations around the globe.

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S4E11 Thérèse Casgrain

Sun, 17 Feb 2019 22:06:30 GMT

Thérèse Casgrain was one of Canada's most prolific and powerful activists. A woman born into means, she spent her life advocating for the rights of women and challenging the patriarchal status quo.

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S4E10 Eugenics in Alberta

Mon, 04 Feb 2019 14:19:52 GMT

In the mid 20th century concerns over immigration and the changing ethnic make-up of Canadian society sparked a decades-long program of eugenics in Alberta, supported by many of Alberta's academic, intellectual and progressive elites.

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S4E9 ‘Kill the Indian, Save the Child’ – Residential Schools in Canada

Sun, 20 Jan 2019 13:48:37 GMT

The residential school system was designed to eradicate Indigenous culture and replace it with an Anglo-European Christian one. In this attempt at cultural destruction the residential schools became a system for shocking abuse. The reverberations of which are felt strongly to the present day.

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S4E8 Montreal’s Poet Laureate: The Life and Music of Leonard Cohen

Sun, 06 Jan 2019 14:04:12 GMT

Montreal-born Leonard Cohen's prolific career included iconic music, poetry and literature creating an enduring global legacy. This episode is dedicated to Gail from Montreal, RIP.

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S4E7 The Assassination of D’Arcy McGee

Sun, 09 Dec 2018 19:58:11 GMT

An Irish Nationalist turned Canadian patriot turned Father of Confederation. Thomas D'Arcy McGee was all of that when he was assassinated in 1868.

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S4E6 Canadians on the Bridge Part Two: James Doohan

Mon, 26 Nov 2018 18:01:26 GMT

James Doohan played one of the most iconic engineers in the history of science fiction and helped shape Star Trek into the cultural mega-force it is today.

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S4E5 The First World War Remembered

Sun, 11 Nov 2018 08:45:37 GMT

The First World War was a complex and dramatic period in Canadian history which saw the Canadian military perform in such a way that earned it an almost unpredictable reputation while the war on the domestic front saw Canada mobilize the nation in a way that created incredible growth and incredible challenges.

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S4E4 Canadians on the Bridge Part 1 – William Shatner

Sun, 28 Oct 2018 04:32:42 GMT

Montreal native William Shatner became one of the most iconic science fiction actors in history, this two part series opens with an examination of Shatner's early life and his time in Star Trek while part two will look at fellow Canadian James Doohan who played the iconic engineer Scotty. Both episodes were written by Star Trek aficionado and host of the popular Star Trek podcast Subspace Transmissions, Cameron Smith.

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S4E3 The Mohawk Nurse

Mon, 15 Oct 2018 03:29:44 GMT

Charlotte Edith Anderson was a combat nurse and pioneer for women and First Nations during a time when both groups struggled for equality.

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S4E2 The Pig War of 1859

Sun, 30 Sep 2018 02:19:50 GMT

The death of a pig on an obscure island in the Pacific Northwest caused an international crisis in 1859 that nearly led to war between the most powerful empire on earth and the rising industrial North American power.

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S4E1 The 100 Days Campaign

Sun, 16 Sep 2018 16:46:53 GMT

The 100 Days Campaign brought about the collapse of the German army on the Western Front and was a key contributor the end of the First World War. This campaign saw the Canadian Corps spearhead a number of brutal battles as the trench deadlock of the western front was finally broken and open warfare began to return to the fields of France and Belgium. However, the Canadian Corps would pay a staggering price for their success.

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Special Episode A Black Day for the German Army – The Battle of Amiens 8 August 1918

Wed, 08 Aug 2018 17:41:24 GMT

On August 8, 1918 the Entente forces, spearheaded by the Canadian and Australian Corps, inflicted a crushing defeat on the German army: a defeat that broke the back of the German army along the western front and signalled the beginning of the end to First World War.

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S3E20 Hockey, Canadian Identity and the Summit Series of 1972

Mon, 11 Jun 2018 15:26:23 GMT

In 1972 the first ever “Team Canada” met the Soviet Union's “Red Army” hockey team in an 8 game series that was played out against the backdrop of Cold War tensions as well as challenges to Canada's position as the hockey superpower. These challenges to Canada's domination of a single sport in turn threatened many aspects of Canadian identity during this tumultuous period in both the nation's and the world's history and proved to be one of the most important sporting moments in the history of Canada.

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S3E19 Who Won the War of 1812?

Sun, 27 May 2018 04:24:40 GMT

In the summer of 1812 Britain and the United States of America went to war…British North America became the battleground. This week we try to sort out who might of won…if anyone did…

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S3E18 The Graveyard of the Pacific

Sun, 13 May 2018 23:50:25 GMT

Whale hunters, shipwrecks, ghost stories: this is the history of a stretch of ocean on the west coast of Vancouver Island known infamously as the ‘graveyard of the pacific'

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S3E17 Camp X – Canada’s Secret WW2 Spy Camp

Sun, 29 Apr 2018 13:37:40 GMT

During the Second World War Camp X in southern Ontario played a crucial role in the global shadow war that was being fought, saw some of the world's most famous spies walk through its doors, and would be the inspiration for the training and establishment of the Central Intelligence Agency.

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S3E16 Chloe Cooley and Slavery in Canada

Sun, 15 Apr 2018 16:26:21 GMT

Chloe Cooley was a slave in Upper Canada who sought to resist her owner's attempts to sell her. This resistance triggered serious efforts to curb and eliminate slavery in Canada.

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S3E15 James Howlett aka Logan aka Wolverine

Sun, 01 Apr 2018 17:37:21 GMT

James Howlett is a Canadian born mutant who has evolved into one of the most famous superhero's in the world, while participating in some of Canada's most important events of the 20th century. This is his story.

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S3E14 The 1701 Great Peace of Montreal

Sun, 18 Mar 2018 18:20:37 GMT

In 1701 a collection of some of the most powerful Iroquois nations met in Montreal to agree to peace with the French after decades of continual warfare. One of the most important peace treaties in North American history.

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S3E13 Nils Gustav Von Schoultz and the Upper Canadian Rebellion

Mon, 05 Mar 2018 21:16:40 GMT

In 1838 Finnish born Nils Gustav Von Schoultz found himself leading an invasion of Upper Canada that culminated in the final battle at Windmill Point. The battle would mark the end of the rebellion and the end of Schoultz's life.

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S3E12 The Bride Ships of British Columbia

Sun, 18 Feb 2018 20:07:52 GMT

In the mid 19th century several efforts were made to bring middle class, working class, and poor white British women to the two British colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia in order to increase the numbers of marriageable women within the colonies. These became known as the bride ships of B.C.

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S3E11 Francis ‘Peggy’ Pegahmagabow: WW1 Sniper and Indigenous Activist

Sat, 03 Feb 2018 22:52:54 GMT

Francis ‘Peggy' Pegahmagabow was a Nishnaabe soldier serving in the Canadian Expeditionary Force. He was a deadly sniper, excellent scout, and brave soldier, recipient of the Military Medal plus two bars. After the war he became a leading Nishnaabe activist challenging the Canadian governments continued marginalization of Canada's First Nations.

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S3E10 First Nations Soldiers in the Canadian Expeditionary Force

Mon, 22 Jan 2018 18:47:38 GMT

When Canada went to war against the Central Powers in 1914 many First Nations men sought to enlist. While unofficially excluded at first, the high casualty rates suffered by the CEF forced the government to change its position. Thousands would serve with distinction for a country that had spent decades pushing them to the margins of Canadian society.

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S3E9 Behind Barbed Wire: Ukrainian Internment during the First World War

Sun, 07 Jan 2018 18:50:08 GMT

When Canada went to war with the Central Powers in 1914 all of a sudden tens of thousands of Ukrainians who had come to Canada from the Austro-Hungarian Empire were deemed enemy aliens. Of these, several thousand were interned under the War Measures Act and forced to live in detention camps while performing manual labour.

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S3E8 Frostbitten and Forgotten – The Canadian Siberian Expeditionary Force

Tue, 19 Dec 2017 00:24:26 GMT

In 1919 a contingent of Canadian soldiers was sent to the frozen lands of Siberia as part of a coalition of nations seeking to topple the Bolsheviks from power.

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S3E7 Canadian Comics and the Second World War Effort

Sun, 03 Dec 2017 19:51:55 GMT

During the Second World War every aspect of Canadian society became geared towards the war effort. This even included one of the newest cultural mediums, comic books.

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S3E6 The Pemmican War – The Rivalry for the Northwest Territories

Mon, 20 Nov 2017 10:40:52 GMT

In the second decade of the 19th century the Hudsons Bay Company and the Northwest Company squared off for control of the lucrative fur trade. Things got very violent.

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S3E5 Mona Parsons – The Wolfville Resister

Sun, 05 Nov 2017 16:12:24 GMT

Mona Parsons was a small town Nova Scotia girl, turned New York actress, turned member of the Dutch resistance, turned prisoner of the Nazi's. This is her story.

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S3E4 The Battle of Passchendaele

Sat, 28 Oct 2017 18:38:21 GMT

In late October of 1917 the Canadian Corps was tasked with capturing a ridge line which contained the destroyed remnants of the village of Passchendaele. Though part of the larger offensive known as the Third Battle of Ypres, it is the name Passchendaele which now evokes all the horrors of the First World War.

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Repeat Episode Canada’s House Band: The History of the Tragically Hip

Sun, 22 Oct 2017 16:50:07 GMT

In the wake of the sad news of the passing of Gord Downie, frontman for legendary Canadian band The Tragically Hip, I thought I would re-release an episode from Season 2 with a bit of a foreword. RIP Gord.

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S3E3 A Constitution in Question – The King-Byng Affair of 1926

Tue, 10 Oct 2017 15:13:51 GMT

In 1926 the new Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King faced off against Canadian Governor General Lord Byng of Vimy in a political clash that would have significant ramifications for the British Empire.

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S3E2 Behold the Golden Harp! The Fenian Invasions

Sun, 24 Sep 2017 22:04:44 GMT

The Fenian Brotherhood was a paramilitary Irish nationalist group that attempted several invasions of British North American/Canadian territory during the 1860s and early 1870s. These invasions would play a key part in motivating the various British colonies of BNA to form the Canadian confederation.

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S3E1 The Last of the Mohicans in Canadian History

Thu, 14 Sep 2017 02:25:01 GMT

The Last of the Mohicans is a 1992 film that tells the story of the last of a proud Indigenous people as they struggle to survive in the chaos of the Seven Years War. The film's plot takes place against the backdrop of events that were significant to Canadian pre-confederation history and to the political shaping of the North American continent.

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Special Episode Bite and Hold: The Battle for Hill 70 and Lens August 1917

Tue, 15 Aug 2017 15:14:20 GMT

100 years ago today, August 15 1917, the Canadian Corps commanded by their newly appointed corps commander Arthur Currie were ordered to capture the city of Lens in support of the larger British offensive known as the Third Battle of Ypres. Currie changed the plans to focus on the slopes of Hill 70 and what ensued was a textbook ‘bite and hold' operation.

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Special Episode Canada 150

Sat, 01 Jul 2017 12:51:30 GMT

The story of 150 Canadian years in less than 30 minutes. Buckle up!

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S2E18 A Bold and Audacious Plan – The Battle for Assoro

Mon, 29 May 2017 17:14:50 GMT

In July of 1943 First Canadian Division faced one of their toughest challenges in all of Sicily when they were ordered to capture the heights of Assoro.

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S2E17 La Famille Verendrye and the Exploration of the West

Sat, 13 May 2017 21:41:46 GMT

The Verendrye family was one of New France's most famous explorer families of the 18th century, carving out a European presence in vast territories that were previously untouched by European feet. They were crucial in helping to open up modern day Manitoba and Saskatchewan to European exploration and settlement.

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S2E16 A Grim Day Indeed: The Halifax Explosion

Mon, 01 May 2017 14:56:26 GMT

In December of 1917 two ships collided in the Halifax harbour setting off the largest man-made non-nuclear explosion the world had ever seen.

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S2E15 Vimy Ridge Part 2

Sun, 16 Apr 2017 16:30:09 GMT

Though Vimy Ridge was one of the more spectacular tactical successes of the First World War, strategically it did very little. Why then has it become such a well-known event in the Canadian historical consciousness? We look at some of those reasons.

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S2E14 Vimy Ridge Part 1

Sat, 01 Apr 2017 17:07:14 GMT

On April 9 1917 the Canadian Corps launched its attack on what was thought to be one of the most difficult objectives to capture along the entire Western Front. The ensuing victory would cement the battle of Vimy Ridge as one of the most well known events in the history of this country. Part 1 examines the battle. Part 2 later this month will examine the battle as part of Canadian myth and identity.

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S2E13 The Komagata Maru

Sun, 19 Mar 2017 23:11:02 GMT

In the summer of 1914 a ship packed full of immigrants from India was denied the right to dock in Vancouver setting off an international incident and one of Canada's most infamous displays of anti-immigration.

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S2E12 A Doukhobor Whodunnit: The Mysterious Death of Peter Verigin

Sun, 05 Mar 2017 17:18:59 GMT

In October of 1924, Peter “Lordly” Verigin, the leader of the Doukhobor community of British Columbia, was killed in a mysterious train explosion. The case remains unsolved to this day.

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S2E11 William K. Lore – Canada’s first Chinese-Canadian Naval Officer

Sun, 19 Feb 2017 20:43:47 GMT

William K. Lore was not just a wartime hero but he broke down racial barriers in the Royal Canadian Navy

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S2E10 The Fall of Hong Kong, December 1941

Mon, 06 Feb 2017 20:54:36 GMT

Canada's first official participation in the land war of WW2 began ominously with the disaster at Hong Kong.

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S2E9 The October Crisis of 1970

Sun, 22 Jan 2017 21:46:54 GMT

In October of 1970 the Canadian government faces off against the FLQ, Canada's most notorious terrorist organization

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S2E8 Canada’s House Band: A History of the Tragically Hip

Sat, 07 Jan 2017 16:46:28 GMT

A musical history of one of Canada's greatest rock bands

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S2E7 Feminists or Feared Revolutionaries? The VWC and the Abortion Caravan of 1970

Sun, 04 Dec 2016 19:24:25 GMT

In 1970 the Vancouver Women's Caucus planned a trip to Ottawa to protest the state's abortion legislation, little did they know they would become key targets for the RCMP's Security Service

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S2E6 – The Missing Militia: Upper Canadian Militia during the War of 1812

Thu, 24 Nov 2016 20:27:13 GMT

During the War of 1812 a significant part of Canada's defence plans rested on the militia. Yet, could this militia be trusted to show up?

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S2E4 A Rebellious Last Stand: The Battle of Batoche May 1885

Sat, 22 Oct 2016 22:25:52 GMT

In 1885 an alliance of Metis and First Nations rebel against the Canadian government seeking to incorporate what would become the province of Saskatchewan. The rebels (or heroes to some) are forced into a final last stand at Batoche in May.

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S2E2 René Lévesque – The Father of Quebec Separatism

Sun, 25 Sep 2016 13:00:50 GMT

The same war correspondent that observed the relief of Castle Itter (S2E1) is also the first leader of Quebec's movement for sovereignty and a man who helped reshape the relationship between the Canadian federal government and the provinces.

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S2E1 The Strangest Tale of the Second World War: The Battle for Castle Itter

Sun, 11 Sep 2016 09:00:00 GMT

In the closing days of the Second World War, American, German, Austrian and a smattering of multi-national prisoners of war (plus a special Canadian thrown in there for good measure) defend Castle Itter against SS soldiers bent on destruction

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Curious Canadian History

S11E14 Battle Series: D-Day Phase One vs. the Battle of the Scheldt

S11E13 Red River Reflection: The Myth of François Guilmette

S11E12 Rise and Rise Again - The Life and Times of Mary Ann Shadd Cary

S11E11 The Frontier Regime of New France under Louis XIV

S11E10 Canair Relief and the Nigerian Civil War

S11E9 The Liberation of Bergen Belsen

S11E8 Curious Canadian History presents: Canadian Time Machine | The Furry Gold of Canada: The Beaver’s 50-Year Legacy

S11E7 Cigarette Nation: The History of Cigarettes in Canada

S11E6 Letters from the Frontier – The Jesuit Relations and Old World Understandings of New France

S11E5 Canada at War with Angus Wallace

"Remembrance in their Own Words" a CDA Institute Remembrance Day Series

S11E4 Internment to Exile: The Japanese-Canadian War Experience

The Conflict and Culture Podcast S1E4 The Good Allies - Rest in Peace Tim Cook

S11E3 Unceded Territory and Land Rights in British Columbia

The Conflict and Culture Podcast S1E3 - The Sacred Band of Thebes

S11E2 Buying Bombs: Defence Procurement in Canada

The Conflict and Culture Podcast - S1E2 Comic Books and the Second World War

S11E1 Canadian Punk Rock Takes Over the World

*Brand New Podcast* The Conflict and Culture Podcast Ep1 - The Myth of the Clean Wehrmacht

Season 11 Episode 1 coming September 23rd!!

S10E22 The Birth of the Canadian Flag

S10E21 Unpacking the Baggage: The 2025 Federal Election

S10E20 The Trans-Canada Highway: A Nation Connected

S10E19 War Criminals in Canada: A Canadian Cover Up?

S10E18 - Canada's Titanic: The Sinking of the Empress of Ireland

S10E17 The Frank Slide - A Town Buried Under Rock

S10E16 Punching Above Our Weight: The Canadian Military at War Since 1867

S10E15 - The Beatles in Canada with Terry O'Reilly

S10E14 A Border of Blood and Dirt: Part 2

S10E13 - A Border of Blood and Dirt: Part 1

S10E12 Trump's Tariff War

S10E11 - Mackenzie King: The Spiritualist Prime Minister

S10E10 - Canadian History Ehx does Godspell

S10E9 - Jackie Robinson in Montreal

S10E8 - The Voyage of the Damned - The MS St. Louis, Canada and the Holocaust

S10E7 - Canadian Time Machine Presents Lucy Maud Montgomery

S10E6 - The Group of 7

S10E5 - Canadian Partisans in World War Two Yugoslavia

S10E4 - The Life and Times of Emily Carr

S10E3 CANCON and Canadian Music

**The New Book is Out**

S10E2 - Canadians in the Battle of Britain

Special Episode 3 - Punching Above Our Weight - Pre-purchase available now!!

S10E1 - The Oak Ridge Experiment

Special Episode 2 - Punching Above Our Weight

NEW BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT - Punching Above Our Weight

S9E21 - Prophet of Destruction - Agent A12, Winthrop Bell

S9E20 - Boosters and Barkers: Financing the First World War

S9E19 - Rum, Debt and Fur

S9E18 - Race and Racing: The Jerome Family

S9E17 - Lost in the Crowd: Acadians and the First World War

S9E16 - Sex in Canada: Getting Down in the Great White North

S9E15 - Alcohol in early North America

S9E14 Hockey: The Game as We Know it Today

S9E13 - Of Fugitives and Orators: The Characters Behind the RCMP’s Complicated History - a special Canadian Time Machine episode

S9E12 - The Canadian Masters of the Air

S9E11 - Canada, Maritime Power, and Africa

S9E10 The Beginning of the End: The 1758 Siege of Louisbourg

S9E9 - A Ballistic Decision: Canadian Intelligence Services and the Cancellation of the Avro Arrow

Holiday Reboot - The Upper Canadian Militia during the War of 1812

Holiday Reboot - S2E1 The Strangest Tale of WW2: The Battle for Castle Itter

S9E8 Confederates in Canada and the Canadian Connection to Lincoln's Assassination

S9E7 Big Men Fear Me - The Life and Times of George McCullagh

S9E6 The SS in Canada Part Two

S9E5 - The Partition of Palestine

S9E4 The SS in Canada Part One

S9E3 The Bombing of Air India Flight 182

S9E2 United the Salish! The Battle of Maple Bay

S9E1 Henri Le Caron - The Victorian Super Spy

BOOK RECO: Delusion: The True Story of Victorian Superspy Henri Le Caron

by Peter Edwards published in 2008 by Key Porter Books

S8E21 A Global Collision - The North Pacific Fur Trade

S8E20 Thayendenagay aka Joseph Brant – the warrior-diplomat

S8E19 - D-Day, 6 June, 1944

S8E18 - Gordon Lightfoot - A National Treasure

S8E17 HMCS Uganda - The Ship that Voted to Leave the War

Book recommendation: Mutiny: The Odyssey of HMCS Uganda by James W. Essex. Highway Book Shop. 2000

S8E16 Seize Wismar, Stop the Soviets!

Book recommendation: Tip of the Spear: An Intimate Account of 1 Canadian Parachute Battalion by Col. Bernd Horn and Michel Wyczynski published by Dundurn Press in 2002

Brand New Podcast The Conflict and Culture Podcast Ep1 - The Myth of the Clean Wehrmacht

The New Book is Out

Special Episode – Dr. Crystal Fraser and Residential Schools in Canada