Tag Archives: Politics

John Turner & Political Leadership – What’s Old is News

By Sean Graham  John Turner & Political Leadership | RSS.comIn our premier episode, I’m joined by Steve Paikin of TVO’s The Agenda to talk about Prime Minister John Turner, whose lengthy career spanned the decriminalization of homosexuality and abortion, stagflation, and free trade. We discuss Turner’s career, legacy, and what we can learn about modern politics from studying Canada’s 17th… Read more »

History Slam 215: Provincial Political Trends & Saskatchewan’s Transition from Left to Right

https://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/History-Slam-215.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadBy Sean Graham In the past two years, 7 provinces and territories have held elections, with Quebec and Ontario holding campaigns this year. And if that wasn’t enough, Jason Kenney’s resignation earliere this week further thrust provincial politics into the news. While campaigns and leadership changes generate plenty of interest, the pandemic has served as… Read more »

The threat of the truckers protest

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Lesley Wood The trucker’s convoys are a serious problem, not because of their demands, nor even their disruptive tactics, but because of their appeal to the many folks, frustrated about their jobs, their lives and the inaction of governments. Their ostensible goal is to end vaccine mandates.  Which were happening anyway, despite the risk, because all levels of government are… Read more »

Remember/Resist/Redraw #32: Police Surveillance and Democratic Socialism in Cold War Canada

The Graphic History Collective recently released RRR #32, by historian and illustrator Frances Reilly, that looks at police surveillance and democratic socialism in Cold War Canada. In particular, the poster examines RCMP spying and the thirty-five year long covert program, Operation Profunc (PROminent FUNCtionaries of the Communist or Labor Progressive Party) that began in 1948. This program planned to arrest Canadians… Read more »

Did you hear the One about the Cardinal, the Rabbi, and the Minister? Spiritual Leaders and Big Social Problems in 1970s Toronto

David M. K. Sheinin People sometimes do a double take when they learn that longtime Toronto city councilor Joe Mihevc holds a doctorate in theology. “How did you go from theology to politics?” they ask in mock opprobrium for the latter. Mihevc smiles: “It was easy to make the jump.” Though most active in post-1990 Toronto, Mihevc is a holdover… Read more »

History Slam Episode 161: Identity, Race, & Sports

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https://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/History-Slam-161.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadBy Sean Graham On August 26, as the scheduled start time of the Milwaukee Bucks-Orlando Magic playoff game approached, word started to circulate that Bucks players would not be taking to the floor. Three days earlier in Kenosha, WI, about 40 miles from Milwaukee, Jacob Blake was shot 7 times in the back by… Read more »

History Slam Episode 148: Why Political Leaders Matter

https://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/History-Slam-148.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadBy Sean Graham As an undergraduate student, I had an idea for a paper in my fourth year seminar on Canadian history to write about the 1930 federal election. It was a campaign that I was intrigued by – you had an economic collapse, a new leader of the Conservative Party, and a Prime… Read more »

History Slam Episode 147: Influence

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https://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/History-Slam-147.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadBy Sean Graham Influence debuts tonight on CBC and GEM at 8 pm (8:30 NT) and 9 ET/PT on documentary Whenever I teach a course about popular culture, the final class always includes a discussion about the importance of being critical consumers of content. We are bombarded with information on a daily basis, whether… Read more »

The Generation of 2020: Coming of Age in Covid-Time

Cynthia Comacchio Although not always the most important identity marker, age has always mattered in the making of roles, rights, status and power structures. It signifies as much as, and occasionally more than, class, gender, race, sexuality, heritage. Only partly a biological/chronological category, it is also socially-constructed and consequently historical, varying in time and place. The time-shifting meanings of age… Read more »

History Slam Episode 141: Golda

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https://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/History-Slam-141.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadBy Sean Graham Golda will begin its theatrical run at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema in Toronto on January 3. You can watch the trailer here and find showtimes here. In March, 1969, a then 70-year old Golda Meir came out of retirement to serve as Israeli Prime Minister following the sudden death… Read more »