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

How did Macdonald leverage the Northwest Rebellion to further his own interests? In this week’s re-run, we revisit Greg Marchildon’s conversation with Bill Waiser, Professor Emeritus at the University of Regina, as they explore this intriguing question. Waiser explores these documents in the Champlain Society’s Finding/Trouvaille: Prime Minister Macdonald Deliberately Portrayed Indians as Rebels.

Greg Marchildon speaks with Patrice Dutil about his book, Sir John A. Macdonald - And The Apocalyptic Year 1885. In 1885, Sir John A. Macdonald faced a series of unprecedented challenges during his long political career. These included threats to Canada's sovereignty, armed resistance in the North-West, food insecurity among Indigenous peoples, a financial crisis jeopardizing the Canadian Pacific...

Nicole O’Byrne speaks with Greg Marchildon about his book, Tommy Douglas and the Quest for Medicare in Canada. Tommy Douglas and the Quest for Medicare in Canada examines how Tommy Douglas led the creation of universal health care in Saskatchewan during the 1930s Depression. It explores his efforts to implement hospital insurance and build support for a national Medicare system, despite strong opp...

Greg Marchildon speaks with Stephen Maher about The Prince. The Prince is a comprehensive biography of Justin Trudeau's time as prime minister, written by Stephen Maher. Based on over 200 interviews, it details how Trudeau transformed the Liberal Party from third place to a majority government in 2015. The book examines his political skills, achievements like poverty reduction, climate progress, a...

Larry Ostola speaks with David Roberts about Boosters and Barkers: Financing Canada's Involvement in the First World War. Boosters and Barkers by David Roberts explores Canada's efforts to finance its participation in World War I through public contributions, particularly war bonds. The book examines how Ottawa appealed to citizens for financial support, incorporating imperial funding, taxation, a...

Nicole O’Byrne speaks with Geoff Hudson, Megan Davies, John Belshaw, Darrel Manitowabi, and Sasha Mullally about An Accidental History of Canada published by McGill-Queen’s University Press in 2024. An Accidental History of Canada explores the often overlooked smaller-scale accidents in Canadian history, from the 1630s to the 1970s. Covering incidents in workplaces, homes, and leisure activities,...

Larry Ostola talks to Gregory Kennedy about his book, Lost in the Crowd: Acadian Soldiers of Canada's First World War. In December 1915, Acadian leaders in New Brunswick expressed concerns about their soldiers being "lost in the crowd" within the Canadian Expeditionary Force during World War I. They successfully lobbied for the creation of a French-speaking, Catholic, and Acadian-led national unit...

Larry Ostola talks to Barry Gough about his book, The Curious Passage of Richard Blanshard: First Governor of Vancouver Island. This biography by historian Barry Gough focuses on Richard Blanshard, the first governor of Vancouver Island, and explores the early days of Canada's westernmost province. Blanshard arrived on Vancouver Island in 1850, after a long sea voyage, to begin his short and troub...

Nicole O’Byrne talks to Ryan Manucha about his book, Booze, Cigarettes, and Constitutional Dust-Ups: Canada’s Quest for Interprovincial Free Trade. In 2012, Gerard Comeau, a retiree from rural New Brunswick, became an unlikely Canadian hero when he was fined for purchasing cheaper beer in Quebec and bringing it back across provincial borders. His case highlighted Canada's strict interprovincial tr...

Larry Ostola talks to Tim Cook about his book, The Good Allies: How Canada and the United States Fought Together to Defeat Fascism during the Second World War. The Good Allies is a compelling narrative by Canada’s leading war historian, exploring the evolving relationship between Canada and the United States during World War II. Initially marked by rivalry and mutual suspicion, the two nations eve...

Nicole O’Byrne talks to Adam Dodek about his book, Heenan Blaikie: The Making and Unmaking of a Great Canadian Law Firm. In 1973, three young lawyers founded Heenan Blaikie in Montreal, which grew to be a prominent Canadian law firm with notable members, including former political leaders. Despite its close-knit atmosphere, the firm faced significant internal issues, leading to its collapse in 201...

Greg Marchildon talks to Ken McGoogan about his book, Shadows of Tyranny: Defending Democracy in an Age of Dictatorship. Shadows of Tyranny by Ken McGoogan explores how figures like Donald Trump reflect the authoritarianism of the mid-20th century. Drawing on thinkers like Orwell and Atwood, McGoogan examines how paranoia and demagoguery contributed to democracy's decline and argues these same for...

Nicole O’Byrne talks to David Frank about his book, J.B. McLachlan: A Biography: The Story of a Legendary Labour Leader and the Cape Breton Coal Miners. J.B. McLachlan: A Biography presents a vivid portrait of a significant early twentieth-century Canadian rebel. Recognized as a remarkable biography, it chronicles the life of a Canadian labor hero and provides an unparalleled account of twentieth-...

Greg Marchildon talks to Mairi Cowan about her book The Possession of Barbe Hallay: Diabolical Arts and Daily Life in Early Canada. A timely arrival for the upcoming spooky season, this episode features a reissue from 2022 in which Greg Marchildon interviews Mairi Cowan, author of The Possession of Barbe Hallay: Diabolical Arts and Daily Life in Early Canada. Cowan's work explores the social and r...

Greg Marchildon talks to Sandra Rollings-Magnusson about her book, Folklife and Superstition: The Luck, Lore and Worldviews of Prairie Homesteaders. The homesteading era on the Canadian Prairies (1867–1914) saw hundreds of thousands of migrants from northwestern and eastern Europe settle in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, seeking prosperity or fleeing hardship. Historian Sandra Rollings-Magnu...

Greg Marchildon talks to Eric Cline about his book, Squandered: Canada’s Potash Legacy. An exposé of the reality of Saskatchewan’s potash industry management—prioritizing private profit over public interest. Eric Cline practiced law in his hometown of Saskatoon prior to serving 16 years in the Saskatchewan legislature, where he held several senior cabinet positions, including Health, Finance, and...

Nicole O’Byrne talks to Catharine Anne Wilson about her book, Being Neighbours: Cooperative Work and Rural Culture, 1830–1960. Being Neighbours takes the reader into the heart of neighbourhood - the set of people near and surrounding the family - through an examination of work bees in southern Ontario from 1830 to 1960. The bee was a special event where people gathered to work on a neighbour’s far...

Nicole O'Byrne talks to Greg Marquis about his book "Canada's State Police: 150 Years of the RCMP. Drawing upon all of the available literature related to the organization's history, Marquis lays bare what he regards as 150 years of state police action and seeks to challenge what he claims are the carefully constructed myths about the RCMP's role in Canadian life. Greg Marquis is a historian at th...

Nicole O’Byrne talks to Ronald Rudin about his book, Against the Tides: Reshaping Landscape and Community in Canada’s Maritime Marshlands. Against the Tides is the never-before-told story of the Maritime Marshland Rehabilitation Administration (MMRA), a federal agency created in 1948. As farmers could not afford to maintain the dykes, the MMRA stepped in to reshape the landscape and with it the co...

Larry Ostola talks to Ross Fair about his book, Improving Upper Canada: Agricultural Societies and State Formation, 1791–1852. Agricultural societies founded in the colony of Upper Canada were the institutional embodiment of the ideology of improvement, modelled on contemporary societies in Britain and the United States. In Improving Upper Canada, Ross Fair explores how the agricultural improvers...

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. Railing against the housing crisis and spiralling infla...

Larry Ostola talks to Richard White about his book, The Beaches: Creation of a Toronto Neighbourhood. The Beaches is one of Toronto’s best known and most admired neighbourhoods. It has no striking works of architecture or splendid public spaces, no must-see galleries or public institutions, and no associations with historic events or great celebrities – the sort of things that create neighbourhood...

Greg Marchildon talks to Raymond B. Blake about his book, Canada’s Prime Ministers and the Shaping of a National Identity. This incredibly thorough analysis of the words of prime ministers will find an appreciative audience among scholars and students in Canadian and political history, and political science and rhetoric studies – and readers of Canadian history will discover a new take on Canada’s...

Greg Marchildon talks to Gerald Friesen about his book, The Honourable John Norquay: Indigenous Premier, Canadian Statesman. John Norquay, orphan and prodigy was a leader among the Scots Cree peoples of western Canada. Born in the Red River Settlement, he farmed, hunted, traded, and taught school before becoming a legislator, cabinet minister, and, from 1878 to 1887, premier of Manitoba. Once desc...

Nicole O’Byrne talks to Ian MacLaren about his four-volume set, Paul Kane's Travels in Indigenous North America. An all-encompassing exploration of the nineteenth-century painter’s documentary record and controversial place in Indigenous studies in North America. Paul Kane has been called the founding father of Canadian art, and Wanderings of an Artist among the Indians of North America a classic...