Canadian Time Machine

In today’s episode, we’re commemorating over 125 years of the creation of the Yukon Territory. We speak with Paul Caesar-Jules, a Kaska youth from Watson Lake. He tells us about his work at Liard First Nation’s Language Department, where he digitizes tapes of elders communicating in Dene languages. We also hear from Yukon historian Michael Gates, who takes us back to the 1978 discovery of Hollywood silent films, buried under the permafrost in Dawson City -- and what this discovery tells us about the Gold Rush. Finally, we speak with Regional Chief Kluane Adamek. She speaks about the essential role that Indigenous youth play in shaping the future of the Yukon, and about the importance of matrilineal leadership in her community.To read the episode transcripts in French and English, and to learn more about historic Canadian milestones, please visit thewalrus.ca/canadianheritage.This podcast receives funding from The Government of Canada and is produced by The Walrus Lab.Check out the French counterpart podcast, Voyage dans l'histoire canadienne.

In this episode, we travel back to the moment Prince Edward Island entered Confederation, over 150 years ago. Historian Dr. Edward MacDonald takes us back to the Charlottetown Conference, where it’s said that discussions about the Dominion of Canada flowed over several glasses of champagne. He’ll also help us understand why PEI joined the country six years after it was formed. This episode also features reflections on reconciliation from Julie Pellissier-Lush, an actress, knowledge keeper, storyteller, and the first Mi’kmaq Poet Laureate for PEI.To read the episode transcripts in French and English, and to learn more about historic Canadian milestones, please visit thewalrus.ca/canadianheritage.This podcast receives funding from The Government of Canada and is produced by The Walrus Lab.Check out the French counterpart podcast, Voyage dans l'histoire canadienne.

In May 2023, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) commemorated its 150th anniversary. The federal police force – which originally started out as the North-West Mounted Police – is almost as old as the Dominion of Canada itself. This episode examines the complex and painful history of an institution that has historically mistreated Indigenous peoples and women. It also takes us back to the scene of one of the RCMP’s largest manhunts – the search for fugitive Albert Johnson, also known as “The Mad Trapper.” Our guests on this episode are Sam Karikas, CEO of the RCMP Heritage Centre, and Jean Teillet, a recently retired Métis lawyer, author, and lecturer, who is also the great-grand niece of Louis Riel. This episode also has a counterpart on the French feed for this show! If you want to listen to more about the history of Louis Riel and the RCMP, head over to the podcast called “Voyages Dans L'Histoire Canadienne.”To read the episode transcripts in French and English, and to learn more about historic Canadian milestones, please visit thewalrus.ca/canadianheritage.This podcast receives funding from The Government of Canada and is produced by The Walrus Lab.Check out the French counterpart podcast, Voyage dans l'histoire canadienne.

Chinese-Canadians have a long history in Canada. In the 1880s, thousands of Chinese men helped build the Canadian Pacific Railway for a fraction of the wages paid to other labourers. Immediately after the railroad's completion, the Canadian government imposed the head tax, a fee that was exclusively applied to most people arriving from China. Soon enough, though, the government found that the head tax was not "enough" to dissuade immigration, and on July 1st, 1923, they passed the Chinese Immigration Act, also known as The Exclusion Act. The law barred Chinese immigrants from entering for nearly 25 years, with very few exceptions, and many came to refer to the date the law was passed as “Humiliation Day”. In this episode we’ll hear about the intergenerational impacts of the legislation on Vancouverite Gillian Der and her family. We’ll also speak to Dr. Melissa Lee, the CEO of the Chinese Canadian Museum. She’ll tell us about an exhibit commemorating the 100th anniversary of the law, called "The Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act,” which features identity documents collected from the time of the head tax through the years of the Exclusion Act.To read the episode transcripts in French and English, and to learn more about historic Canadian milestones, please visit thewalrus.ca/canadianheritage.This podcast receives funding from The Government of Canada and is produced by The Walrus Lab.Check out the French counterpart podcast, Voyage dans l'histoire canadienne.

Why did the Yukon split from the Northwest territories? Who were the first inhabitants of Prince Edward Island? Plus… what does the Universal Declaration of Human Rights mean for Canadians?Welcome to season two of Canadian Time Machine – a podcast that unpacks key milestones in our country’s history.To read the episode transcripts in French and English, and to learn more about historic Canadian milestones, please visit thewalrus.ca/canadianheritage.This podcast receives funding from The Government of Canada and is produced by The Walrus Lab.Check out the French counterpart podcast, Voyage dans l'histoire canadienne.

In 2022, Canada celebrated its 50th anniversary of the Decorations for Bravery. The medals recognize courageous Canadians who risk their lives trying to save others from imminent danger. In this episode, we speak with former Governor General, Madame Adrienne Clarkson, about what she's learned from the everyday heroes she awarded during her tenure. We'll also hear from Russ Fee, a Medal of Bravery recipient who saved a family from a wolf attack. To read the episode transcripts in French and English, and to learn more about historic Canadian milestones, please visit thewalrus.ca/canadianheritage.This podcast receives funding from The Government of Canada and is produced by The Walrus Lab.Check out the French counterpart podcast, Voyage dans l'histoire canadienne.

En 1845 la Grande Famine est arrivée en Irlande. Pendant les années qui ont suivi, on a trouvé un grande exode d'Irlandais. Cette migration massive a changé profondément la face de la culture irlandaise.Le Canada était une destination importante pour les migrants qui arrivaient d’Irlande. Dans cet épisode, nous sommes rejoints par Laurent Colantonio, Professeur à L'Université de Québec à Montréal, un expert au sujet de la Grande Famine en Irlande. Également, nous avons Lori Morrison, Vice Présidente de la United Irish Societies of Montreal qui va partager avec nous l'impact des Irlandais sur l'identité Canadienne, et surtout à Montréal.Pour découvrir d’autres découvrire d’autres histoires au sujet des jalons Canadiens veuillez visiter thewalrus.ca/patrimoinecanadien

In August 1972, Ugandan President Idi Amin announced that all residents of Asian descent had to leave the country within 90 days. The expulsion impacted over 50,000 people — many of whom had ties to East Africa for several generations. Canada played a crucial role in helping resettle over 7,000 Ugandan asylum seekers. In this episode, we’ll hear from two people who were resettled in Canada following the expulsion order: historian and anthropologist Zulfikar Hirji, and writer/editor Tasneem Jamal.To read the episode transcripts in French and English, and to learn more about historic Canadian milestones, please visit thewalrus.ca/canadianheritage.This podcast receives funding from The Government of Canada and is produced by The Walrus Lab.Check out the French counterpart podcast, Voyage dans l'histoire canadienne.