Witness to Yesterday (The Champlain Society Podcast on Canadian History)

Greg Marchildon discusses the significance of this event of a hundred years ago with Patrice Dutil and David MacKenzie, authors of "Embattled Nation: Canada's Wartime Election of 1917" (Dundurn Press). This podcast was produced by Sumeet Dhami and Pernia Jamshed in the Allan Slaight Radio Institute at Ryerson University. If you like our work, please consider supporting it: bit.ly/support_WTY. Your...

Greg Marchildon speaks with Kevin Nikkel about his book, Founding Folks: An Oral History of the Winnipeg Folk Festival. Founding Folks tells the story of the Winnipeg Folk Festival, which began in 1974 at Birds Hill Provincial Park in Manitoba. The book explores how founder Mitch Podolak’s vision grew into one of North America’s leading folk festivals. Through interviews with musicians, staff, and...

Larry Ostola speaks with Patrice Dutil about his book, Ballots and Brawls: The 1867 Canadian General Election. Ballots and Brawls by Patrice Dutil explores Canada's first federal election in 1867, shortly after Confederation. The book vividly recounts the idealistic foundations laid in the 1864 Charlottetown and Quebec City conferences and delves into the chaotic and often violent summer election...

Greg Marchildon speaks with Micah True about his book, The Jesuit Relations. The Jesuit Relations were annual reports written between 1632 and 1673 by Jesuit missionaries in what is now Eastern Canada. Traditionally viewed as firsthand missionary narratives, Micah True’s work challenges this notion by revealing that the texts were shaped by many contributors—including Indigenous people, settlers,...

Greg Marchildon speaks with Daniel Macfarlane about his book, The Lives of Lake Ontario: An Environmental History. The Lives of Lake Ontario by Daniel Macfarlane explores the deep and complex relationship between Lake Ontario and the peoples and nations along its shores. For centuries, the lake has shaped the development of surrounding societies, supporting agriculture, energy production, and urba...

Greg Marchildon speaks with Shannon Stunden Bower about her book, Transforming the Prairies: Agricultural Rehabilitation and Modern Canada. Created in 1935, the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration (PFRA) was a Canadian federal agency active for over 70 years, often praised as a model of effective environmental management. Transforming the Prairies challenges this view, highlighting the mixe...

Nicole O’Byrne speaks with Eric Andrew-Gee about his book, The Mind Mappers. This powerful dual biography tells the true story of two neurosurgeons—Wilder Penfield and the lesser-known William Cone—whose partnership revolutionized brain science in the early 20th century. In the 1920s, when brain surgery was still highly risky, the two men joined forces, united by a fascination with the mind’s inne...

Larry Ostola speaks with William E. Moreau about his book, The Writings of David Thompson, Volume 1. Between 1784 and 1812, David Thompson explored and traded across much of western North America, from Athabasca to the Missouri and from Lake Superior to the Columbia River's mouth. In his later years, he recounted these experiences in his autobiographical work Travels. More than just a personal nar...

Larry Ostola speaks with Tim Falconer about his book, Windfall: Viola MacMillan and Her Notorious Mining Scandal. Viola MacMillan was a trailblazing prospector and mining executive who rose to prominence in a male-dominated industry. In 1964, after decades of success, she became the central figure in a major stock scandal. Shares in her company, Windfall Oil and Mines, soared on unverified rumors...

Larry Ostola speaks with Nick Etheridge and Phil Calvert about their book, Supervising a Peace that Never Was: Recollections of Canadian Diplomatic Personnel in Indochina, 1954–1973. Supervising a Peace that Never Was: Recollections of Canadian Diplomatic Personnel in Indochina, 1954–1973 is a collection of essays written by former Canadian diplomats who served on international commissions in Indo...

Nicole O’Byrne speaks with Wayne Sumner about his book, Prairie Justice: The Hanging of Mike Hack. Prairie Justice explores the 1928 murder of George Edey in Saskatchewan and the swift conviction and execution of Mike Hack, a deaf and mentally disabled farmhand. Denied clemency, Hack was hanged in 1929 at the age of twenty-seven. Author Wayne Sumner traces the case from investigation to execution,...

Larry Ostola speaks with Andrew Burtch about his book, Canada and the Korean War: Histories and Legacies of a Cold War Conflict. The Korean War was the first major conflict of the Cold War and Canada’s most significant military engagement after the two world wars. Canada and the Korean War brings together leading scholars to examine key battles and themes of this pivotal yet often overlooked confl...

Larry Ostola speaks with Don Weekes about his book, Picturing the Game: An Illustrated Story of Hockey. Hockey has a long, surprising connection to editorial cartooning and sports illustration—one as storied as the game itself. While writers and photographers have captured the action on the ice, cartoonists have offered a rawer, more mischievous take on the sport. Picturing the Game dives into thi...

Larry Ostola speaks with David A. Borys about his book, Punching Above Our Weight: The Canadian Military at War Since 1867. Punching Above Our Weight offers a comprehensive history of the Canadian military, covering 150 years of evolution from a small, poorly equipped militia to a modern, effective force. It highlights key events such as the Red River Resistance, the Boer War, both World Wars, and...

Greg Marchildon speaks with Lloyd Axworthy about his book, My Life in Politics. In this memoir, Lloyd Axworthy reflects on his journey from a Canadian prairie boy to a prominent politician. He served 21 years in parliament, playing key roles in Canada’s Charter of Rights, the Canada-US free trade debate, and global efforts to ban landmines. Axworthy shares insights from significant moments, includ...

Nicole O’Byrne speaks with Colin Campbell and Robert Raizenne about their book, A History of Canadian Income Tax Volume II, 1948-71. This book offers an in-depth analysis of the creation and enforcement of the 1948 Income Tax Act and its subsequent amendments. It details the policy discussions among senior officials and finance ministers on various tax system matters, drawing extensively from parl...

Nicole O’Byrne speaks with Leila Inksetter about her book, Cultural Change among the Algonquin in the Nineteenth Century. The nineteenth century was a time of disruption for the Algonquin people as they encountered fur traders, missionaries, settlers, and other outside forces. Despite this, they retained some control over the changes they faced, adapting where possible to serve their own interests...

Nicole O’Byrne speaks with Joshua MacFadyen about his book, Time Flies: A History of Prince Edward Island from the Air. Time Flies provides a unique perspective on Prince Edward Island’s transformation over 85 years (1935–2020) through aerial photography and historical analysis. The book showcases iconic landscapes, highlighting changes in land use and ecosystems. It is divided into four chapters...

Greg Marchildon speaks with Christopher Patrick Aylward about his book, Beothuk: How Story Made a People (Almost) Disappear. The Beothuk were once thought to be an isolated people made extinct in 1829 due to conflicts with settlers and the Mi’kmaq. This narrative became widely accepted in history. In Beothuk, Christopher Aylward critiques how external accounts, from Viking sagas to European explor...

Greg Marchildon speaks with Julian Sher about his book, The North Star: Canada and the Civil War Plots Against Lincoln. The North Star explores the complex and often overlooked role of Canada during the American Civil War, focusing on its unexpected involvement in both supporting the Confederate South and plotting against President Abraham Lincoln. The book reveals the darker side of Canada's hist...

Nicole O’Byrne speaks with George Pavlich about his book, Thresholds of Accusation: Law and Colonial Order in Canada. This socio-legal history examines pretrial accusations in colonial criminal law in western Canada, focusing on Alberta, 1874–1884. The establishment of the Northwest Mounted Police aimed to enforce Dominion law, using accusatory procedures to investigate crimes, arrest suspects, an...

Greg Marchildon speaks with Asa McKercher about his book, Building a Special Relationship: Canada-US Relations in the Eisenhower Era, 1953–61. Building a Special Relationship explores a lesser-known period in U.S.-Canada relations during the 1950s, when officials from both countries developed a strong culture of bilateral cooperation amid the escalating tensions of the Cold War. Asa McKercher is a...

In this podcast episode, Greg Marchildon interviews Molly P. Rozum, the author of Grasslands Grown: Creating Place on the U.S. Northern Plains and Canadian Prairies. This book was jointly published by the University of Nebraska Press and the University of Manitoba Press in 2021. Molly Rozum is currently the Ronald R. Nelson Chair of Great Plains and South Dakota History at the University of South...

In this podcast episode, Simon Nantais talks to Asa McKercher and Michael D. Stevenson about their co-edited book North of America: Canadians and the American Century, 1945-60, which will be published by UBC Press in October 2023. North of America: Canadians and the American Century, 1945-60, is an edited volume that looks at postwar Canada and Canadian-American relations of the 1940s and 1950s. F...

On this week's re-issue of Witness to Yesterday, Greg Marchildon talks to Andrew Lawton about his book, Pierre Poilievre: A Political Life. When Pierre Poilievre was elected leader of Canada’s Conservative party in 2022, he vowed to put Canadians back in control of their own lives. He took aim at the country’s elites and “gatekeepers” as well as governments that sneer at their own citizens. Railin...