Category Archives: Canadian history

A Review of Peter Fortna’s The Fort McKay Métis Nation: A Community History

The cover of a book, "The Fort McKay Metis Nation: A Community History" by Peter Fortna.

Ultimately, The Fort McKay Métis Nation: A Community History makes a vital contribution to Métis historiography and to the growing body of scholarship that centers Indigenous voices in historical research. Fortna’s work is respectful, informed, and grounded in his deep connections with the community. In a time when questions of Indigenous rights, land, and sovereignty remain urgent, this book offers both historical grounding and forward-looking insight into the future of Métis political and social movements. Accessible to both scholars and community members, the book’s concise narrative (at 225 pages) ensures its broad appeal, particularly among those interested in Indigenous histories and community-driven scholarship.

An Historian Beyond the University

      No Comments on An Historian Beyond the University

With my work now, I try to share engaging and unexpected stories — history that will catch people’s attention — and then connect those stories to their broader historical context. The story of the Toronto Circus Riot for instance — sparked by a brawl between clowns and firefighters at a downtown brothel — has a lot to teach us about the influence of the Orange Order and systems of power in Victorian Toronto. My hope is that if I can catch someone’s attention, provide them with some of that broader context, and point them toward the work of historians who’ve explored that context more deeply, that person might be curious enough to want to carry on learning more.

Professors or Propagandists? McGill’s Socialist Professors and their Students in the 1930s

This is the final post in a three-part series about socialism at McGill in the 1930s. Raffaella Cerenzia 1930s McGill was a small, tight-knit place. Only 3,000 or so students roamed the university’s campus. They were taught by a short roster of professors; the Department of Economics and Political Science numbered just six in the early thirties. In this intimate… Read more »

The Chancellor and His Principals: Administrative Reponses to Socialist Professors at McGill, c. 1930-1941

Edward Beatty at his desk

This is the second post in a three-part series about socialism at McGill in the 1930s. Raffaella Cerenzia As the 1930s unfolded, the soaring unemployment and general miseries of the Great Depression breathed new life into the Canadian left. Socialism began to take root in federal politics, a process exemplified by the founding of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) in… Read more »

“Time to Wake Up!”: Principal Currie and the McGill Labour Club’s Alarm Clock

Front page of the newspaper The Alarm Clock, with the headline, "Time to Wake Up!"

This is the first post in a three-part series about socialism at McGill in the 1930s. Raffaella Cerenzia Tick tock, tick tock. “Time to wake up!” In January 1933, deep in the midst of the Great Depression, a new student publication announced its arrival on McGill University’s campus. The paper was the production of McGill’s Labour Club, to which all… Read more »

Against Lament: Developmentalism and Fourth-World Perspectives

An image of an article from the publication CUSO Bulletin. The featured image is of a 24-year old woman named Marie Smallface, of the Blackfoot Nation.

Jody Mason In her incisive discussion of Elon Musk’s recent gutting of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Jill Campbell-Miller correctly assesses the move as motivated by MAGA-movement isolationism. She further notes that Musk’s actions are complicated by the fact that, for many decades, the aid paradigm has also been subject to substantive critique from those who, unlike… Read more »

An Unsung Chinese Canadian: Yick Wong

      No Comments on An Unsung Chinese Canadian: Yick Wong

Andrew R.S. Marchese As Canadians continue to reflect on the centennial of the 1923 Chinese Immigration Act (Exclusion Act), growing attention is being paid to the everyday, untold stories of those who resisted its harsh impact. Likewise, there has been a hunger for historical figures that highlight complexities and intersectional identities in both a community and national-historical context. Among the… Read more »

Saying Yes to the (Royal) Dress

      No Comments on Saying Yes to the (Royal) Dress
Black-and-white photograph of Queen Elizabeth stepping out of an automobile wearing a long dress and tiara. A man in a tail coat, wearing a sword, is greeting her while a Mountie in uniform salutes.

The case of the Queen’s Dress illustrates the strength of some Canadians’ fascination with royal clothing and the messages it can send. To Elizabeth Delafield, the dress was an inspiring souvenir of a magical moment. To federal officials, including archivist Gustave Lanctôt, it recalled an important episode in Canada’s constitutional evolution, the first time a reigning monarch had presided in Parliament. For the ROM’s C.T. Currelly, it commemorated Canada’s war contributions, but mainly contributed to an ambitious collections and exhibition project on historical clothing.  The fight over the frock also revealed the divisions and jealousies among Canada’s emerging heritage institutions, whose mandates were, as yet, broadly defined and sometimes overlapping. Sleeveless though it was, the Queen’s Dress inspired custodians of the nation’s memory to put their elbows up – if only to assert or defend their own institutional turf.

Lessons from the Past: How Mark Carney and the Liberals Can Tackle Housing Challenges in First Nations with a Renewed Focus on Building Homes and Reconciliation

A black-and-white copy of a house blueprint. It is a modest one-and-a-half story home with a little porch. The cladding is labeled "1X8 rustic". The roof is labeled "shingles". A feature on the roof is labeled "ventilator." The whole image is labeled "perspective view."

The Indigenous and Northern Housing plan within Canada’s current National Housing Strategy is a good start, but it does not go nearly far enough to meet the long-standing housing needs of First Nations communities. With the new Liberal platform prioritizing the rapid development of affordable and sustainable homes, Prime Minister Mark Carney has a chance to begin remedying some of the historical and ongoing injustices that First Nations peoples encounter regarding housing on reserves. This can be accomplished by integrating the AFN’s proposal into the National Housing Strategy, providing a streamlined process for First Nations to benefit, and working directly with First Nations to meet the specific needs of each community, steering clear of the paternalistic dynamics that have largely fueled the housing crisis experienced by First Nations communities throughout Canada.

How Do We Reflect on Our Past Without Knowing It?: YWCA Canada, Residential Schools, and Indian Hospitals

Black and white photo of two teenage girls bent over a table, working with fabric.

Our findings are not unique to YWCA Canada. We know that similar work in Residential Schools and Indian Hospitals was carried out by service organizations and philanthropic societies across Canada. We believe our report joins the important work of many others who seek to move the history and ongoing impact of Residentials Schools and Indian Hospitals beyond the narrow scope allowed by the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement.