The Liberal Party of Canada: The Past is Less Important than the Future

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The Liberal Party of Canada: The Past is Less Important than the Future

The Liberals are one of the most popular political parties in Canadian history. Their seemingly hegemonic power, careful electioneering, and (some) luck, has helped them dominate Canada’s political theatre. Undoubtedly, Liberals have greatly shaped the Canada we live in today. In our initial Political History Series post, we examine the ideological system that has guided Canadian Liberals: liberalism.

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We're The Ones That Did It? Canada and the Burning of Washington

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We're The Ones That Did It? Canada and the Burning of Washington

For Canadians, a popular retort about the War of 1812 is our supposed role in the burning of the White House. In 1814, British soldiers landed in Washington and looted the American capital. Canadians, in their minor role in the conflict as auxiliary forces, sometimes say that Canadians themselves burned down the White House. Despite any claims you might hear, it was British soldiers behind one of the most notable moments of the war. Where and how did the myth of Canadian involvement appear?

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Hero or Villain: Sir John A. Macdonald in Recent Canadian memory

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Hero or Villain: Sir John A. Macdonald in Recent Canadian memory

Much has been made of the 200th anniversary of Sir John A. Macdonald’s birth this past January. You may have heard of the events and speeches in Kingston, the city most associated with Macdonald, or more likely read about Macdonald in the spate of articles debating whether he should venerated by Canadians at all. The argument that Macdonald is the most important Father of Confederation – the man who (some suggest singlehandedly) created our nation – is not new, but its rejection question some seminal myths about Canada.

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Eyes on Target: Military Domestic Surveillance in Canada - Guest Post by Trevor Ford

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Eyes on Target: Military Domestic Surveillance in Canada - Guest Post by Trevor Ford

In wake of Bill C-51 being introduced in parliament, there has been much discussion about what kind of latitudes law enforcement agencies should have when it comes to terrorism prevention through the monitoring of Canadians. Today many Canadian’s know what CSIS is and how the RCMP complements their intelligence gathering abilities to combat all forms of perceived threats. Yet, in recent years there has been some alleged violations of their mandate by launching investigations on Aboriginal rights activists such as Associate Professor Cindy Blackstock who was researching welfare for Aboriginal children on reserves. Likewise, another Aboriginal rights activist Pam Palmater, a Mi'kmaq lawyer and professor at Ryerson University, has alleged that CSIS and the RCMP opened up investigations on her due to her association to the Idle No More protest movement. In both cases the entire story is unclear but it can be surmised from the available evidence against both activists that some form of investigation has taken place.

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Teaching Alberta’s Dark Secret: The History of Eugenics

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Teaching Alberta’s Dark Secret: The History of Eugenics

On Clio’s Current we have not been shy to express our opinions on a range of historical and contemporary issues related to Canadian and international topics. We continually rethink our approach to the research and writing process, and attempt to make our intensions clear and well-known. We like to think our work offers a perspective or unique approach to developing more in-depth critical awareness of important and everyday matters. But often times our work is constrained within the confines of our platform. We speak about change, yet seldom do our arguments extend beyond one blog or a series of related posts. Seldom does our work spark a widespread discussion. In today’s post we highlight once instance where the work of a group of young historians is sparking a strong social awareness and response to historical and contemporary issues: the education of eugenics in Alberta.

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Closing the Door: A Short History of Canada's "Open Nominations"

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Closing the Door: A Short History of Canada's "Open Nominations"

In 2013, Justin Trudeau announced that under his leadership the Liberal Party would be committed to open nominations of Liberal Party candidates. The promise remains in a prominent place on the Liberal website, though his commitment to it has been questioned many times in the last two years. Both the NDP and the Conservative parties have offered a commitment to open nominations, cementing it as an “important” part of the lead-up to the 2015 federal election. Today we look at how the principle of open nominations (or lack thereof) became part of Canada’s political process.

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The October Crisis of 1970 and Bill C-51: When is the government more important than the individual?

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The October Crisis of 1970 and Bill C-51: When is the government more important than the individual?

The introduction of Bill C-51 has garnered some of the fiercest debates over individual rights and government powers in recent Canadian history. While its supporters point to its purpose in defending Canada from the threat of terrorism, many of its critics reject its necessity as a means of protecting Canadians. Some have alluded to another time in Canadian history when individual rights were compromised in the name of the greater good, the 1970 October Crisis. Today we examine this comparison and consider whether there are any lessons from government reaction to the FLQ that can be applied to the debate over C-51 in 2015.

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Do What You Must: Jesse Brown and Henri Bourassa

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Most of our readers have probably been following the story of CBC host Jian Ghomeshi as more and more women come forward alleging assault from the once-popular CBC host. The story broke last week after months of investigation from a team of journalists at the Toronto Star, Kevin Donovan and Jesse Brown. While Donovan works for the Star, you may have noticed in the byline that Jesse Brown’s contribution is a “Special to the Star.” In fact, Brown is an independent journalist and lately has reminded us of another fiercely independent journalist from the early 20th century, Henri Bourassa.

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Listening to the Past and Canada's Recorded Sound

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A few months ago we discovered that Library and Archives Canada has a great site all about the history of recorded sound in Canada. It has pages on the creation of a Canadian recording industry and the Quebec music scene from 1915-1920, which sheds some light on the first years that Canadians were exposed to recorded music on a large scale. It’s a bit jumbled, but there are some really great stories hidden in its pages.

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The End of the Two-Party System in Canada and the Rise of the Third Party

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Canadian politics is greatly influenced by its "third parties," like the NDP or the Bloc Quebecois.  Third party options have been present to Canadians for the majority of our history. No Canadian today can remember a time in Canadian politics when third parties did not have some sort of influence, but for the first half century of Canadian political history, Canada was essentially a two-party system.  All of that changed in 1919 after the First World War.

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Historians of Canada's First World War: What do we know?

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Recently, the Canadian Historical Review published a series of articles reviewing the state of First World War scholarship in Canadian history. This collection is great for scholars, but probably more difficult for the public to engage with it.  So, we’re going to talk about where Canadian historians stand on the First World War in 2014 – how does it compare to what you’ve read?

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The Unfulfilled National Aspirations of Quebec and Scotland

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Last week’s guest post presented the Scottish National Party’s vision of an independent Scotland.  The results of the referendum on independence were clear: 55% No, 45% Yes. During and after the campaign, many have made comparisons between Scotland and Quebec’s national aspirations.  Both have sought independence through referendums, and both have failed. Today we offer a brief historic comparison of the roots of these two movements.

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The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

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The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down, sings Gordon Lightfoot in one of the most famous songs of his career, of The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.  If you haven’t heard it before, you should listen to it before reading this post. In a recent Reddit AMA, Lightfoot explained that he was compelled to write the song after it seemed to go unnoticed when it happened in November of 1975. The song rose to the top of the charts in 1976, and The Wreck is one of his most famous songs. Lightfoot gave new longevity to the memory of the men who went down on the Edmund Fitzgerald.  The song is a fascinating display of memory and history.

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The Secret to Laurier's Success: Political Leadership During Tough Times

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Bruce Yaccato recently wrote for the National Post comparing the leadership of Justin Trudeau with that of old Liberal leader Sir Wilfrid Laurier.  “Layabout to legend,” he wrote of both, explaining that if Laurier could turn himself a country lawyer to one of our greatest Prime Ministers, so too could Justin Trudeau go from teacher to leader of the country.  Yaccato’s piece has some good points, but spends little time actually explaining why Laurier was a good political leader.  What allowed Laurier to lead his party 30 years and serve as Prime Minister for 15 of them?

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What is a Royal Commission? Exploring Public Inquiries and Canada's Aboriginal Peoples

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Much ink has been spilled and bytes transmitted over recent calls for an inquiry into missing and murdered Aboriginal women. Both those for and against have raised the 1996 Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (RCAP) because the Liberal government failed to enact the changes it suggested, the logic that an inquiry would either be without substantive impact, or the RCAP’s failure requires another attempt. Today on Clio’s we look at the history of Royal Commissions in Canada as we explore their value and purpose.

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Bon Déménagement! Quebec's July 1

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For most of Canada today marks the eve of Canada Day. Tomorrow, millions will attend or watch national celebrations big and small across the country. In Quebec though, June 30 is when most leases end. July 1 is Moving Day, not Canada Day. Quebecois prefer to celebrate their national holiday, St Jean Baptiste Day, on June 24 since not only does it reflect Quebec's unique cultural history, but because so many are busy on Canada (Moving) Day. Some have suggested that placing Moving Day on July 1 is a conspiratorial snub from separatist Quebec to federalists and the “Rest of Canada.” Of course more reasonable voices remind us that it was a Quebec Liberal government that made the change in the 1970s, spearheaded by their Justice Minister, Jérôme Choquette. Let's take it a step further explore the actual debate in the Assemblé Nationale surrounding the change.

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What does it mean to be “Canadian”? A Historical Conception of Nationalism and Identity

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In a May 1972 made-for-TV interview conducted by Vincent Tovell of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), Canadian historian Ramsay Cook explained his views on nationalism and identity within the context of the then contemporary state of the professional historical community in Canada. Cook’s interview with Tovell came on the heels of a publication that has since become a standard read in graduate-level courses in Canadian history. The Maple Leaf Forever: Essays on Nationalism and Politics in Canada, published by Cook in 1971, challenged the notion that there exists in Canada a singular national identity governed by a singular state. Rather than conform to homogeneity, Cook argued that Canadian’s should learn from the unique circumstances of variation. 

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Who are Canada's Heroes?

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Canadians were asked to list the most inspirational figures from the last 150 years of their history. The list, perhaps to the consternation of the Conservative government, primarily featured non-Conservatives. Much has been written in the media about the notable lack of conservative “heroes,” only our first Prime Minister, Conservative John A. MacDonald, made the top ten. There were other notable absences, such as a lack of women, Indigenous peoples, and many other groups that today are a part of the makeup of Canada. Most of the journalists responding to the news raised the idea of what was a Canadian hero?

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The Myth of Ontario's Fickle Liberal/Conservative Voting

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Kathleen Wynne's electoral victory in Ontario last week has given more life to a common piece of historical myth about Ontario politics. When Ontario votes Liberal provincially, they vote Conservative federally, or vice versa. According to its logic, the Conservatives will win the next federal election with Ontario's help in 2015. There's never any worthwhile explanation offered for this phenomenon, other than it “happens every time” and “Ontario voters are fickle.” A coincidence has become a pattern, but how do we distinguish the two historically?

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The Big Picture and Canada's Fenian Raids

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The 2nd of June marked the anniversary of the Battle of Ridgeway, the largest battle of the 1866 Fenian Raids. The Fenian Raids are remembered in Canada on the great list of “Events that led to Confederation.” You probably heard about it high school history. Most probably remember a simple story of the Fenian raids. Canada, threatened by the invasion of Irish-American Fenians, united to form one country at Confederation in 1867 so as to defend itself. Less remembered is the larger series of events which led to the forming of the Fenians and their raids on Canada.

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