Canadian History Ehx

It took 130 years to get a canal built, and when it was finally finished it would transform Montreal into one of the most important cities on the continent. The Lachine Canal operated for 150 years, expanding and growing and changing the area around it forever. This is the story of that amazing canal Support: patreon.com/canadaehx Merch: https://www.ohcanadashop.com/collections/canadian-history-eh...

As the First World War came to an end, the Canadian government would send troops to another part of the world to take part in a new fight, the Russian Civil War. The Siberian Expeditionary Force would spread the Spanish Flu across the country, deal with a mutiny before leaving Canada and spend most of its time playing soccer and hockey in Russia. After a few short months, it was home.  Support: pa...

Today, we have an interview with Sandra Battaglini, who wrote her thesis on the women who worked at the INCO mine in Sudbury during the Second World War. In her interview, and thesis, she sheds light on a role in the Second World War that women played that is often overlooked, as miners.  Support: patreon.com/canadaehx Merch: www.canadaehx.com/shop Donate: canadaehx.com (Click Donate) E-mail: crai...

Back in the mid-1980s, it was decided that the time was right to get rid of the dollar bill and replace it with a dollar coin. Originally, the Mint had a design already ready but a decision to save $43.50 would change all of that and bring us the iconic Canadiana of The Loonie. This is the story of the arrival of the Loonie Support: patreon.com/canadaehx Merch: https://www.ohcanadashop.com/collect...

He is one of Canada’s greatest figure skaters, and throughout the 1990s his name was synonymous with the sport. Today, I present my interview with the skating icon, who relates about his life and career. Support: patreon.com/canadaehx Merch: www.canadaehx.com/shop Donate: canadaehx.com (Click Donate) E-mail: craig@canadaehx.com Twitter: twitter.com/craigbaird Mastadon: @canadaehx@canada.masto.host...

For a period of just under 30 years, Newfoundland was not a colony, but a dominion. With that title, it also had a prime minister, not a premier. During those 30 years, Newfoundland would go through the good and the bad, before tough economic times and corruption resulted in it reverting back to the status of a colony. This is the story of those Prime Ministers. Support: patreon.com/canadaehx Merc...

While women could run for provincial and federal office, and vote, by 1928 they still could not sit on the Canadian Senate. Seeing this, five women would come together to change things, not only in relation to the Senate, but Canada as a whole. It would be a long journey that would reach even higher than the Canadian Supreme Court. This is the story of the Famous Five and the Persons Case. Support...

She was the first female aeronautical engineer in Canada, and a leader in her industry. She would be help get the Hurricane aircraft off the ground and produced at a record production rate for the Battle of Britain, and help save the United Kingdom from the Nazis as a result. In addition, she spent her later years fighting for women’s rights and the right to choose. Support: patreon.com/canadaehx...

It was once in a logging town in the middle of the frontier, before it eventually became the capital of the second-largest country on the planet. It is a story of moving capitals, squabbles and anger over the eventual choice made by the Queen herself.  Support: patreon.com/canadaehx Merch: https://www.ohcanadashop.com/collections/canadian-history-ehx Donate: buymeacoffee.com/craigu Donate: canadae...

He was born the son of a chief, and he would rise up to become one of the leading Cree in the Canadian Prairies. The last to sign Treaty 6, and only when he had no choice, he knew that the Canadian government would not live up to its promises. He would protect civilians during the 1885 Rebellion, yet still be tried for treason. This is the life of Big Bear E-mail: Support: patreon.com/canadaehx Me...

From 1857 to 1859, five men set out from the Red River area and began exploring and surveying the Canadian West. Their surveys would help lead the railway through in three decades time, and also change the western industry from fur trading to agriculture. They would spur on European settlement, which would also push the Indigenous off their lands. The Palliser Expedition changed the west, for good...

Back in 1989, Baltej Singh Dhillon made national news as a cadet with the RCMP in Regina. After passing all the entrance requirements, Dhillon faced the issue of a ban on turbans and beards with the RCMP, which were key components of his Sikh faith. After a CBC news story went national, he faced racism, protests but also support from many including the RCMP Commissioner. I had the pleasure of spea...

For nearly 100 years, through the entire 17th Century, the Iroquois Confederacy expanded on its territory through the use of European guns in an effort to control the beaver fur trade. It would be a war that would have several battles, many skirmishes and would have lasting repercussions through the 18th Century and beyond. Today, I am looking at The Beaver Wars. Support: patreon.com/canadaehx Mer...

With her husband recovering from a war wound, and Americans staying in her home, Secord would overhear battle plans and venture out on a 32-kilometre trek through the bush to warn the British. Her actions would save much of Canada during the war and have lasting repercussions for years to come. This is the story of Laura Secord, with an interview with Carl Benn of Ryerson University Artwork/logo d...

Next to the Stanley Cup, no trophy in Canada is more important than the Grey Cup. It is the symbol of football supremacy in our country, and the Grey Cup game is often the most watched few hours of television of the year in Canada. This story though isn’t about the history of the Grey Cup, but of the time it was stolen and held for ransom in 1969-70. Support: patreon.com/canadaehx Merch: https://w...

Today, a special episode of the podcast. At Christmas, my wife bought me the excellent book An Irish Heart by Sharon Doyle Driedger, which chronicles the community of Griffintown in Montreal. It is an excellent book you can find at most book stores, as well as on Amazon. It was a pleasure to sit down and speak with her about the book. Support: patreon.com/canadaehx Merch: www.canadaehx.com/shop Do...

The 1837 Lower Canada Rebellion and the 1838 Upper Canada Rebellion were significant events in our history, even if they are lost to history 200 years in the past. The impact of these rebellions, while they were short, would last well into today and form the Canada we know and love right now. Support: patreon.com/canadaehx Merch: www.canadaehx.com/shop Donate: canadaehx.com (Click Donate) E-mail:...

On Feb. 3, 1916, a fire erupted during a session of the House of Commons. Within a few hours, the building was engulfed and the tower had collapsed. Seven people would lose their lives and the repairs to the building would take over a decade. This is the story of a cigar left sitting on papers, the scapegoat blame that was passed around and the efforts of those inside and outside the building to s...

For a brief few years, the KKK was found throughout Canada, with limited success to its efforts except in Saskatchewan. In Saskatchewan, the Klu Klux Klan found a population hungry for their brand of racism and anti-immigration and anti-Catholic rhetoric. Hosting rallies where thousands attended, influencing elections and even committing arson, the Klan’s time in Saskatchewan was brief but memorab...

Harriet Brooks, the first female nuclear physicist in Canadian history, would go on to revolutionize nuclear science before choosing to end her career to focus on her family. During her physics career, she would help three physicists win Nobel Prizes, and would change nuclear science forever. Her story is much more than that though, and in this episode we will learn about her life and speak with h...

He was a highly-decorated Indigenous soldier who served the entire length of the First World War. He is credited with more sniper kills than any soldier of the war, and he added 300 German prisoners to that. After the war, he would go on to be a leader for Indigenous rights before his untimely death related to his exposure to poison gas during the war. Today, I look at Francis Pegahmagabow. Suppor...

There was a community that existed for 150 years right next to Halifax. The black village of Africville dealt with racism, indifference from Halifax and plenty of tragedies. It was also a community with a strong sense of belonging, where people helped each other and some thrived. This is the story of Africville, the community that existed until Halifax literally bulldozed it to dust. Support: patr...

Why is John A. Macdonald knighted for serving as PM for 18 years, but John Tupper, who served for 68 days, also knighted? Why don’t we see knighthoods for Canadians past the 1940s? Today on the podcast, I look at the history of Canada and Knighthoods! Support: patreon.com/canadaehx Merch: https://www.ohcanadashop.com/collections/canadian-history-ehx Donate: buymeacoffee.com/craigu Donate: canadaeh...

In 1918, as the First World War began to come to an end, a new threat arrived on the shores of Canada. It was the Spanish Flu and by the time it burned through the country in 1919, it had killed 55,000 people in the country. From homesteads left empty by entire families losing the battle to the flu, to the cancellation of the Stanley Cup, it was a terrible time for the country. I look at how that...

A few weeks ago we decided to find out, out of 32 individuals, who listeners thought should be on the new $5 bill. The overwhelming choice was Sir Frederick Banting, the co-discoverer of Insulin. Today, we are doing a special episode on Sir Frederick Banting, including speaking with the curator of his former home, a descendant of his, and listening to some vintage audio from the people who knew hi...