Very shortly after I started this blog I wrote a piece called Canada is not 150 years old which, if nothing else, was a needed addition to the “Canada is not” genre. My main argument was that 150 years is an arbitrary age to apply to Canada, “too large a number to mark Canada’s independence, … Continue reading Canada is 150 years old
This week, a woman named Sylvia, who tweets as @LawladyINM where she describes herself as “a Treaty 6 descendant” and “proud nehiyaw & Anishnabe woman,” shared this: My mom passed away so purging her papers & came across this #UNsettle150 @canada150th @RussDiabo @1mohawklawyer @LeahArcand @LeahGAZ pic.twitter.com/zXzDLCgPvt — Sylvia (@LawladyINM) June 22, 2017 This 1921 letter … Continue reading “The holding of dances by the Indians”
Today in Manhattan I saw a new painting called Quebec by an American named Adam Miller. The Montreal Gazette reported that the painting “was privately commissioned by Salvatore Guerrera, a Montreal patron of the arts” to coincide with Canada’s 150th and Montreal’s 375th anniversaries. Since it’s being shown in New York first before coming to Canada … Continue reading Quebec
At the start of the year, when I committed to blogging weekly about Canadian history, I didn’t really understand what I was getting myself into, nor did I plan to give myself any days off. I’ve defined a “week” as Monday to Sunday, which means that to keep my commitment I need to blog once during … Continue reading Hawaiian pizza and blogging weekly
The above photo was taken 36 years ago this week in Toronto, on the front porch of a Riverdale house on Dundas East. It was brought to my attention by a Torontoist post that gives a brief overview of the KKK’s history not just in Toronto, but throughout Canada. And it stands out personally because I was … Continue reading The Toronto chapter of the KKK
This morning I visited the Pointe-à-Callière museum in Montreal. Pointe-à-Callière is special because it’s not just a museum, but an archeological dig. The modern building sits on top of the ruins of the earliest French settlements, which you can view through a glass floor or, in some cases, actually walk through. A small river called Rivière St. Pierre used … Continue reading I spent the morning in a sewer
The introduction of the Summary of the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which documents the more than 100 year history of an Indian residential school system designed to achieve the Canadian government’s policy objective of cultural genocide of Indigenous peoples, includes this observation: Too many Canadians know little or nothing about the deep historical roots of … Continue reading The report the government doesn’t want you to read
I’ve mentioned before that I’m reading the report of the Truth and Reconciliation Committee, which documents the history and fallout of Canada’s Indian residential school system. For more than 100 years, as a matter of government policy, children were taken from their homes and placed into this system designed to annihilate Indigenous languages and cultures, in … Continue reading “I guess we’ll never speak to this little girl again”
I’ve often failed to appreciate just how logistically difficult war is, and how much creativity is required as constantly changing technology presents new possibilities and makes old strategies obsolete. For example, if you want to invade heavily-fortified Nazi Europe from the water, that’s really hard! You need special boats to transport all your troops and equipment, absurdly detailed plans and … Continue reading Let’s invade France in swimming tanks
I almost wish I’d never seen this tweet. Please note, today is Queen Elizabeth II birthday as a natural person. The Queen of Canada's birthday is 22 May. — Philippe Lagassé (@pmlagasse) April 21, 2017 If I’d never seen it then I’d never have dumbly decided it was a good idea to try to understand it. But I … Continue reading How many birthdays does the Queen have?
