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 Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 2023Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/curiouscanadianhistory Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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/DocBorysPatreon – https://www.patreon.com/curiouscanadianhistory Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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/DocBorysPatreon – https://www.patreon.com/curiouscanadianhistory Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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/DocBorysPatreon – https://www.patreon.com/curiouscanadianhistory Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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/DocBorysPatreon – https://www.patreon.com/curiouscanadianhistory Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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/DocBorysPatreon – https://www.patreon.com/curiouscanadianhistory Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 BooksTwitter – https://twitter.com/DocBorysPatreon – https://www.patreon.com/curiouscanadianhistory Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 2023https://douglas-mcintyre.com/products/9781771623476Twitter – https://twitter.com/DocBorysPatreon – https://www.patreon.com/curiouscanadianhistory Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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/Twitter – https://twitter.com/DocBorysPatreon – https://www.patreon.com/curiouscanadianhistory Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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, 2009https://www.amazon.ca/Juno-Canadians-D-Day-June-1944/dp/0887624138Twitter – https://twitter.com/DocBorysPatreon – https://www.patreon.com/curiouscanadianhistory Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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, 2017https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/541324/lightfoot-by-nicholas-jennings/9780143199212Twitter – https://twitter.com/DocBorysPatreon – https://www.patreon.com/curiouscanadianhistory Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. 2000https://www.amazon.com/Mutiny-odyssey-Uganda-James-Essex/dp/0889544174/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8Twitter – https://twitter.com/DocBorys Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/curiouscanadianhistory Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 2002https://www.dundurn.com/books_/t22117/a9781550023886-tip-of-the-spearTwitter – https://twitter.com/DocBorys Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/curiouscanadianhistory Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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-contactTwitter – https://twitter.com/DocBorys Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/curiouscanadianhistory Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 dedicatedto exploring strange stories from the city's past. This festival is a busy weekfilled with online lectures, panels, interviews, and walking tours featuringsome of Toronto's greatest storytellers. The festival runs from April 3 to 9and tickets are now on sale and can be purchased via the website bizarretoronto.com.  Twitter – https://twitter.com/DocBorys Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/curiouscanadianhistory Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Lifehttps://www.mqup.ca/unbuttoned-products-9780773548763.php Twitter – https://twitter.com/DocBorys Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/curiouscanadianhistory Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/curiouscanadianhistory Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 FordBook 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 Twitter – https://twitter.com/DocBorys Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/curiouscanadianhistory Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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/0771095775Tyler 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 Bookshttps://www.amazon.ca/Stalins-Man-Canada-Soviet-Espionage/dp/1936274272  Twitter – https://twitter.com/DocBorys Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/curiouscanadianhistory Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.  Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Presshttps://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250044495/my-way  Twitter – https://twitter.com/DocBorys Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/curiouscanadianhistory Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 1996https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?an=susan%20code&tn=matter%20honour%20tales%20early&sortby=17&cm_sp=plpafe-_-all-_-link  Twitter – https://twitter.com/DocBorys Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/curiouscanadianhistory Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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   Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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". Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.   Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.  Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A deep dive into the iconic Canadian rock band The Guess Who Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A big name change is coming! Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The historic and dynamic city of Gravenhurst is explored in this episode written by fellow podcaster Craig Baird from "Canadian History Ehx" Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A small railroad town in Northern Ontario deals with one of its most traumatic days bringing the community together but leaving a mystery behind. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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! Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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........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 Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Five Canadian activists challenge an archaic British law fundamentally changing the legal status of women in Canada Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A risky move to take beer south takes John Labatt Jr. into the maelstrom of American brewing. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A 1965 plane crash in the wilderness of British Columbia leads to an unsolved mystery that puzzles investigators even today. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Leo Major was a scrappy French Canadian kid who served in both northwest Europe and Korea. His story is nothing short of extraordinary. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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! Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.' Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A deeply troubled regiment with deeply troubled soldiers leads to a deeply disturbing murder of a teenage boy in Somalia. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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! Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Chatham Coloured All-Stars were an all-black baseball team from southern Ontario who broke the colour barrier for baseball in Canada. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An Irish Nationalist turned Canadian patriot turned Father of Confederation. Thomas D'Arcy McGee was all of that when he was assassinated in 1868. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Charlotte Edith Anderson was a combat nurse and pioneer for women and First Nations during a time when both groups struggled for equality. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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… Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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' Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The story of 150 Canadian years in less than 30 minutes. Buckle up! Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

William K. Lore was not just a wartime hero but he broke down racial barriers in the Royal Canadian Navy Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Canada's first official participation in the land war of WW2 began ominously with the disaster at Hong Kong. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In October of 1970 the Canadian government faces off against the FLQ, Canada's most notorious terrorist organization Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A musical history of one of Canada's greatest rock bands Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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? Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Get add free content at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.