Category Archives: Canadian history

The Royal Proclamation – “the Indians’ Magna Carta”?

      1 Comment on The Royal Proclamation – “the Indians’ Magna Carta”?

By J.R. Miller Because its concluding paragraphs deal with First Nations and their lands, the Royal Proclamation of 1763 is sometimes referred to as “the Indians’ Magna Carta.” Many people regard George III’s policy for the new territories the United Kingdom had acquired following the Seven Years’ War as the guarantor of Aboriginal title law in Canada today. Its greatest… Read more »

The politics of proclamation, the politics of commemoration

      1 Comment on The politics of proclamation, the politics of commemoration

By Tom Peace October 7th 2013 marks the 250th year since King George III issued what is, for Canadians, the Crown’s most famous Royal Proclamation.  Over the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the English monarch released over a hundred royal proclamations.  Some of these proclamations declared war (usually against France), others – such as the Royal Proclamation of October 23rd 1759 –… Read more »

125 Years of Stanley Park: Before and After

      2 Comments on 125 Years of Stanley Park: Before and After

By Sean Kheraj [also see Sean’s website for a version with the Before and After plugin]   Stanley Park, Vancouver, British Columbia, 1926 & ca. 2004. Sources: City of Vancouver Archives, Photograph Collection, Van Sc P66; Stanley Park Ecology Society, Aerial Photograph of Stanley Park, ca. 2004   Stanley Park has changed quite significantly since it first opened to the… Read more »

Podcast: “History Under Harper: A Micro-Lecture Discussion”

https://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/History-Under-Harper-Roundtable-podcast.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadAs part of Congress 2013, the Canadian Historical Association co-sponsored a panel with the Canadian Political Science Association on Wednesday June 5 entitled “History Under Harper: A Micro-Lecture Discussion.” Featuring 10 panelists and two discussants, the session analyzed the Harper Government’s use and understanding of Canadian history. An extremely well-attended panel, the discussion featured… Read more »

Tone Up, Tone Out, Tone Deaf: Author attitude and writing history

By Merle Massie I’m working on a new manuscript set during the Great Depression in Canada. The exploratory process of writing (for me, the weft) is threaded through the warp of reading – be that primary documents, oral history, my family history, or secondary sources. Sometimes I’ll catch myself. My writing style can change in response to whatever I’m reading…. Read more »

Lessons from the past: “So What is Government for Anyway?”

By Greg Kennedy I have recently made a habit of asking this question at opportune moments in classes and public lectures.  Hilarious bewilderment usually ensues.  Younger people shrug, while older people often get angry because of corrupt senators. I am increasingly convinced that this has become an esoteric question in our modern society.  Political scientists for example, would probably answer… Read more »

Into the Secret Archive: An Interview with the Authors of Secret Service

By Daniel Ross Discussed in this post: Reg Whitaker, Gregory S. Kealey and Andrew Parnaby, Secret Service: Political Policing in Canada from the Fenians to Fortress America (University of Toronto Press, 2012). Beginning before Confederation—but especially since the mid-twentieth century—political policing has been something of a growth industry in Canada. As a landmark new book on the subject makes clear, over… Read more »

Ten Books to Contextualize Idle No More

      1 Comment on Ten Books to Contextualize Idle No More

ActiveHistory.ca is on a two-week hiatus, but we’ll be back with new content in early September. During the hiatus, we’re featuring some of our favourite and most popular blog posts from this site over the past year. Thanks as always to our writers and readers! The following post was originally featured on January 4 2013. By Andrew Watson and Thomas… Read more »

The Raccoons

      1 Comment on The Raccoons

ActiveHistory.ca is on a two-week hiatus, but we’ll be back with new content in early September. During the hiatus, we’re featuring some of our favourite and most popular blog posts from this site over the past year. Thanks as always to our writers and readers! The following post was originally featured on August 30 2012. By Daniel Macfarlane The Raccoons… Read more »

The Need for Speedy History in the Post-War Canadian North

ActiveHistory.ca is on a two-week hiatus, but we’ll be back with new content in early September. During the hiatus, we’re featuring some of our favourite and most popular blog posts from this site over the past year. Thanks as always to our writers and readers!  The following post was originally featured on April 29 2013. By Ken Coates and Bill… Read more »