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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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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Cold War Economics: The Interesting Case of Canada and Cuba

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This past year Clio’s Current examined Canada’s role in the Cold War which lasted roughly from 1945 to 1991. Throughout that time the United States combated the spread of communist ideology, and as a close North American partner Canada certainly did its part. Our examination of Canada in the Cold War thus focused on the evolution and development of bilateral relations between Canada and the US. Seldom in our five-part series did we stray far from that narrative, and so to not suggest that Canada’s Cold War was predicated solely by its relationship to the US, in today’s post we examine Canada’s economic policy towards Latin America with a particular focus on Cuba.

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Lament of 32: The Canadian Government and Information Control

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Over the past few weeks we have begun to explore the world of professional history as currently practiced in Canada. Some of our most recent blog posts have focused on student life, academic publishing, and the traditions and evolution of the specialized historical community. Today we investigate the role of the Canadian government in information control, in an effort to provide further insight into the mind of the historian.

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Canada's Cold War Part V

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Canada’s Cold War is often incorrectly dichotomized in historical scholarship. Examinations into the era often produce work strictly focused on the "front lines" (Europe) or "home front" (North America). Over the past few months we have probed Canada’s Cold War experience using a variety of analyses and perspectives, and have attempted to reconstruct a nuanced narrative to introduce our readers to some of the key events and personalities that shaped socio-cultural, political, technological, and economic change in Canada and abroad between the 1940s and 1970s. Today, in our fifth and perhaps final installment of Cold War history, we seek to determine if Canada was able to act autonomously during the era.

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Judicial Supremacy and the Right of the Individual in Canada

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 A series of recent Supreme Court cases have ruled against the Canadian government. The rejection of their chosen appointee to the Court, Marc Nadon, on constitutional grounds has angered the government in Ottawa. Rumours and allegations of interference by the Chief Justice, Beverely McLachlin, have swirled over the last week. Ultimately, the Conservatives do not like that an unelected judiciary can supersede the democratically elected Canadian government. The place of the Supreme Court in Canada gives it constitutional authority and stems directly from the 1982 Constitution Act. Its section 52 gave the Supreme Court power to strike down legislation that did not align with the new Canadian constitution. To better understand the position of today's government, today we briefly examine how judiciary authority became supreme in Canada.

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Sexuality in the Mainstream: A Brief History of Regulation in Canada and the U.S.

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Michael Sam made sporting headlines recently by making his first public appearance since announcing openly that he is gay. Sam is a 6-foot-2, 255-pound defensive end who played football for the University of Missouri Tigers. Despite having won the Southeastern Conference co-defensive player of the year award, Sam is only projected as a mid-round pick in the upcoming NFL entry draft this May. With impressive credentials and a strong athletic frame, many around NFL circles believe Sam’s draft ranking is being hurt by his sexual orientation.

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The Aboriginal Voice

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This year has seen a revival of Aboriginal community activism focused around the Idle No More movement. Though many commentators have dismissed it since its disappearance from headlines in early 2013, the movement remains a potent force in bringing together Aboriginal peoples. Such activism has not always been a present among Canada's Aboriginal peoples, so today we offer an extremely abbreviated review of its emergence in Canada.

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Remaking Canadian History

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Over the last several years, the Canadian government under Prime Minister Stephen Harper has been trying to revive Canadian history. They have provided millions of dollars to celebrate the bicentenary of the War of 1812. They have reattached the Royal prefix to our armed forces for the first time since 1968. These changes are trying to recreate, or at least reemphasize, an older British Canadian identity that has been on the decline for the last fifty years. The “British” Canada that once defined our nation was marginalized in the 1960s and 70s when it lost its resonance with most Canadians. Since the time of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, Canada has moved away from its British past.

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Why You Don't Vote

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A report by Samara Canada garnered a lot of attention recently as pundits reacted to what has been the elephant in the room for a decade. Another report echoed Samara's conclusions.  To no one's surprise, Canadians care less and less about politics. Less of us vote, less of us volunteer for campaigns, and less of us even talk about politics among ourselves. As a young Canadian, political disengagement among my generation has been a constant part of my life. Samara made sure to define political engagement as more than simply posting about it on Facebook or reading political news – it required active involvement in the political community. For Samara, participating in the politics of a democratic state requires action and effort. It does not work without it, which unfortunately is too much to ask many Canadians especially those under the age of 30.

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