Curious Canadian History

Today we are changing things up! Several months ago David published his newest book titled Punching Above Our Weight: The Canadian Military at War Since 1867 which is a single-volume history of the Canadian Armed Forces at war since confederation. This book has proved timely. In recent months the Canadian military has been in the news frequently, more so than at any point since the end of Canada’s combat mission in Afghanistan in 2011. Part of the rhetoric surrounding the CAF addresses current issues of sovereignty and our ability (or lack thereof) to protect said sovereignty. Much of this is focused on the Arctic, however, there are also rampant discussions of Russia’s threat to Europe and Canada’s brigade group that is currently expanding in size in Latvia. Even the upcoming election has leaders putting defence issues at the forefront, something not seen in an election for decades. With the zeitgeist being as it is CCH has decided to change up the format for today and post an episode from the podcast Witness to Yesterday – brought to us by the Champlain Society and University of Toronto Press. Recently David was on discussing his new book and the state of the military today, so for today’s CCH episode David will be the interviewee and Larry Ostola will be the interviewer. Don’t forget! You can purchase a copy of Punching Above Our Weight: The Canadian Military at War Since 1867 right now at the below links:AmazonIndigoDundurnGoodreadsIndiebookstores.ca

The Beatles are one of the most influential bands in the history of popular music. When they arrived in North America in the early 1960s, they forever changed the musical landscape. Countless musicians in both Canada and the United States speak of the arrival of the Beatles as if it was their own personal musical awakening and there are untold numbers of modern day rock stars who publicly state that their entrance into music was because of the ‘Fab 4’. The ‘arrival’ of the Beatles in North America is often attributed to their famous appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in February of 1964. What many don’t know is that the Beatles had already established a presence on the continent before this, but in Canada.  To help us dive into this incredible subject we have brought on legendary broadcaster and radio personality Terry O’Reilly. Terry has had a long career in radio and broadcasting including CBC shows such as The Age of Persuasion and O’Reilly on Advertising. He has published several books on marketing and Canadian society and his most recent book titled My Best Mistake: Epic Fails and Silver Linings won the National Business Book Award in 2022. Terry is also the creator and host of the podcast Under the Influence which has just launched a new series called The Beatlology Interviews exploring the deep influence the Beatles have had on the North American musical landscape. Don’t forget! You can purchase a copy of Punching Above Our Weight: The Canadian Military at War Since 1867 right now at the below links:AmazonIndigoDundurnGoodreadsIndiebookstores.ca

While Canada is in the midst of immense economic uncertainty as a result of Donald Trump’s wildly unpredictable tariff threats, the border is continuously brought up by the American president as a key issue in why he seeks to create such economic chaos. In today’s episode we wrap-up a two-part conversation with Benjamin Hoy on the history of the Canadian-US border. We chat about cross-border cooperation, the reaction to the border by First Nations in both countries, efforts to modernize the border post-WW1 and the historic issue of crime and the border. Finally, Ben shares some thoughts on Trump’s current obsession over the border.Benjamin Hoy is an associate professor of history at the University of Saskatchewan. His research focuses on the creation of the Canada-US border as well as on how communities, both past and present, have learned about history through the games they play. His first book, A Line of Blood and Dirt: Creating the Canada-United States Border across Indigenous Lands received the Governor General's Prize, the Albert Corey Prize, and the Best Book in Political History Prize.Please fill out a survey here to provide feedback on what you love (or don’t love) about Curious Canadian Historyhttp://bit.ly/curiouscanadianhistory-surveyDon’t forget! You can purchase a copy of Punching Above Our Weight: The Canadian Military at War Since 1867 right now at the below links:AmazonIndigoDundurnGoodreadsIndiebookstores.ca

Since the election of Donald Trump, one of the most frequently discussed issues has been that of the Canadian-American border. President Trump has labelled accusations that Canada has not done enough to stem the tide of fentanyl and illegal immigrants into the US. While the veracity of Trump’s claims is hotly debated, his emphasis on the border as a concern in Washington brings up some interesting historical questions. How did this massive national delineation get created? Have drugs and immigration always been a border issue? Are there historical precedents for what Trump is arguing? To take us through a two-parter exploring the Canadian-American border from an historical lens is historian Benjamin Hoy. Benjamin is an associate professor of history at the University of Saskatchewan. His research focuses on the creation of the Canada-US border as well as on how communities, both past and present, have learned about history through the games they play. His first book, A Line of Blood and Dirt: Creating the Canada-United States Border across Indigenous Lands received the Governor General's Prize, the Albert Corey Prize, and the Best Book in Political History Prize. Please fill out a survey here to provide feedback on what you love (or don’t love) about Curious Canadian Historyhttp://bit.ly/curiouscanadianhistory-surveyDon’t forget! You can purchase a copy of Punching Above Our Weight: The Canadian Military at War Since 1867 right now at the below links:AmazonIndigoDundurnGoodreadsIndiebookstores.ca

You cannot turn on the news right now without hearing about President Donald Trump’s threat to apply a 25% tariff to Canadian goods. While his claim that our border is contributing to America’s fentanyl and illegal immigrant problem may be dubious, the ramifications of a tariff war are very real. Has a tariff war like this ever happened before? How has Canada historically responded to American economic aggression? What would the consequences of a trade war be today? To help us walk through these complex issues we have brought on economist Trevor Tombe. Trevor is a Professor at the University of Calgary’s Department of Economics and the Director of Fiscal and Economic Policy at The School of Public Policy. His research explores a broad set of topics, from international trade to public finances to fiscal federalism. He has published in top economics journals, is co-author of the textbooks Public Finance in Canada and Macroeconomics, co-editor of the recent volume Fiscal Federalism in Canada, and is Co-Director of Finances of the Nation. In addition to his academic work, he actively advises various governments on a wide range of issues (currently a member of the Government of Canada Working Group on Productivity in the Public Sector; and previously a member of the Bank of Canada panel reviewing its pandemic response) and contributes to policy development and discussions through regular op-eds, articles, and media engagement.Website: www.trevortombe.comPlease fill out a survey here to provide feedback on what you love (or don’t love) about Curious Canadian Historyhttp://bit.ly/curiouscanadianhistory-surveyDon’t forget! You can purchase a copy of Punching Above Our Weight: The Canadian Military at War Since 1867 right now at the below links:AmazonIndigoDundurnGoodreadsIndiebookstores.ca

William Lyon Mackenzie King was Canada's longest-serving Prime Minister, from 1922 to 1930 and from 1935 to 1948. Historians have ranked him as Canada's greatest Prime Minister for his political leadership in winning Canada's autonomy from the British Empire and for organizing Canada's enormous war effort that enabled Winston Churchill and President Roosevelt to lead the western allies to victory in World War II. But what many people don’t realize is that Mackenzie King was also a die-hard spiritualist. From fortune tellers, to mystics, to seances with the dead, Mackenzie King used every tool in his spiritualist toolbox to communicate with his dead family and to help guide him in important political decisions. To help us dive into this matter we’ve brought on the show Anton Wagner. Anton Wagner was a founding executive member of the Association for Canadian Theatre Research and has edited ten books on Canadian theatre and drama. He was the Director of Research and Managing Editor of The World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theatre, published by Routledge. Anton was a member of the Hiroshima Nagasaki Day Coalition steering committee in Toronto for more than a decade, and produced and directed Our Hiroshima on Canada, Mackenzie King, and the atom bomb for Canadian and international television. He holds doctorates in drama (University of Toronto) and theatre (York University). Anton has recently published a two-volume history of William Lyon Mackenzie King titled The Spiritualist Prime Minister which offers a uniquely fresh look at Canada’s longest serving PM. Don’t forget! You can purchase a copy of Punching Above Our Weight: The Canadian Military at War Since 1867 right now at the below links:AmazonIndigoDundurnGoodreadsIndiebookstores.ca