John A. Macdonald stands as one of the most influential and controversial figures in Canadian history, a political architect whose vision helped bring a nation into being. The first Prime Minister of Canada. His rise through colonial politics, his central role in Confederation and his leadership in the first decades of this country’s existence shaped the nation we understand today in so many ways. He was a man of ambition, a man of compromises, and a man of contradictions and the complexities th...
May 05, 2026•40 min
Prince Edward Island is often imagined as a quiet, pastoral place—rolling fields, red sand beaches, and small communities shaped by the rhythms of the sea. But beneath that picturesque surface lies a history that is far more complex, contested, and revealing than its postcard image suggests. Today we trace parts of that story. From its earliest days as Mi’kmaq territory, through European contact and colonization, to its reluctant entry into Canadian Confederation. We’ll explore how land ownershi...
Apr 21, 2026•47 min
In this CCH special episode, we bring together two expert historians for a gripping confrontation of perspectives, examining—and challenging—the significance of two defining Canadian battles of the Second World War: D-Day Phase One and the Battle of the Scheldt. These were not just moments on a battlefield, but crucibles of chaos, courage, and consequence, where the fate of thousands—and the trajectory of the war itself—hung in the balance. Each historian steps forward to argue why their battle ...
Apr 07, 2026•59 min
In the heart of the Red River Settlement, a vibrant Métis community forged a distinct identity shaped by kinship, trade, and resistance. The latter half of the 19th century was a time of profound upheaval, when the Red River Resistance challenged Canadian expansion into the region. Yet history is not always what it seems. Alongside real leaders and lived struggles, one figure—long woven into the story—was never real at all. How did a ghost of the past become accepted as truth? And what does that...
Mar 24, 2026•42 min
Born free in a slaveholding nation and unafraid to confront it, Mary Ann Shadd Cary carved out a life defined by intellect, defiance, and relentless public action. A teacher, lawyer, and the first Black woman in North America to publish a newspaper, she challenged both American slavery and Canadian complacency. Through the pages of The Provincial Freeman , she argued for self-reliance, integration, and equal rights at a time when such demands invited hostility. Her story moves across borders—fro...
Mar 10, 2026•45 min
In the 17th century, across an ocean and a continent, the will of Louis XIV stretched deep into New France. This episode examines how an absolutist monarchy governed a fragile colonial frontier. How did royal officials impose order on distant settlements along the St. Lawrence? What roles did intendants, governors, and bishops play in enforcing law, regulating trade, and structuring society? From seigneurial land grants to military defense and missionary ambition, we explore the administrative m...
Feb 24, 2026•44 min
The Nigerian Civil War (1967–1970) produced widespread famine, particularly in Biafra, prompting an unprecedented humanitarian response from abroad. Canadian churches helped found CANAIRELIEF, an ecumenical coalition that raised funds, mobilized volunteers, and supported clandestine airlifts of food and medical supplies. Motivated by moral urgency and graphic media coverage, these churches sought to bypass political paralysis. Yet the effort was deeply complicated: relief flights risked prolongi...
Feb 10, 2026•48 min
Names like Auschwitz, Dachau, and Bergen Belsen immediately bring to mind the horrors of the Nazi concentration camp system. At the liberation of Bergen Belsen in particular, Canadian forces contributed medical staff, engineers, and relief supplies to Allied efforts after that camp was liberated and in the dramatic weeks that followed. They helped treat survivors, bury the dead, and restore sanitation. Governing the camp meant managing disease, displaced persons, trauma, and justice while transf...
Jan 27, 2026•52 min
In this episode, we step back in time with the Canadian Time Machine podcast to explore the 50th anniversary of the beaver becoming an official national symbol. For more than 50 years, this small but mighty animal has shaped rivers, driven trade, and quietly transformed the land. Wildlife ecologist Dr. Glynnis Hood and Jan Kingshott, director of animal welfare at Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, take us inside the beaver’s world—from its role in the fur trade to its work as an ecosystem engineer...
Jan 13, 2026•33 min
Cigarette smoking in Canada is a fascinating look at how consumer products, social rituals, and corporate misinformation interact. While widespread cigarette use began in the 1930s it was in the 1950s where a causal link between smoking and lung cancer surfaced in medical journals and mainstream media. Yet the best years for the Canadian cigarette industry were still to come, as per capita cigarette consumption rose steadily in the 1960s and 1970s. The persistence of smoking owes to such factors...
Dec 16, 2025•46 min
The Jesuit Relations , a series of annual reports produced between 1632 and 1673 detailing the experiences of Society of Jesus missionaries in what is now Eastern Canada, have long been an influential source on the history of New France and encounters between European settlers and Indigenous Peoples. The question of what exactly the Relations are, and who had a hand in composing the versions that circulated, has been given far less attention. Recent research has shown that they were in fact shap...
Dec 02, 2025•48 min
Recently our very own David Borys had the pleasure of having a long chat with Angus Wallace of The WW2 Podcast to explore Canada's military legacy from confederation to the Second World War. Angus and David start at the very beginning with Canada’s military (or lack there-of) in 1867 and trace its development through the next near-century all the way to the start of the Second World War. They then cover the incredible expansion of the Canadian military from 1939-1943 and detail the unbelievable ...
Nov 18, 2025•1 hr 7 min
Our very own David Borys was flattered when recently he was made a fellow at the CDA (Conference of Defence Associations) Institute, Canada's leading think tank on defence and security issues. The Institute immediately put David to work interviewing Canadian veterans as part of a Remembrance Day special series titled "Remembrance in their Own Words." CCH felt like sharing one of those episodes. In this one, David interviews Vice Admiral Duncan "Dusty" Miller, CMM, MSC, CD (Ret’d). VAdm Miller se...
Nov 11, 2025•21 min
During the course of the Second World War nearly 22,000 Japanese-Canadians were uprooted and forcible interned by the government of Canada. More than half of those had been born in Canada, thousands more were naturalized British subjects. Despite no shred of evidence that the population posed any threat to the Canadian nation at war the internment continued until after the war in the Pacific had ended. In September 1945, Canada proposed exiling Japanese Canadians to Japan, a country devastated b...
Nov 04, 2025•1 hr 1 min
On October 26th news broke of the passing of Canadian historian Tim Cook. Tim was a leading voice in the field of Canadian military history and the chief historian and director of research at the Canadian War museum. He is someone I personally have known for most of my academic career and he has been a mentor at times for me during a variety of ups and downs throughout my career. In August I had the pleasure of interviewing Tim about his most recent book The Good Allies, and with the news of his...
Oct 28, 2025•43 min
In British Columbia, land acknowledgements often refer to “unceded territory.” Yet many people remain uncertain about the history behind these words or their implications for the future of the province. B.C. has a long history of injustice toward First Nations where government officials refused to negotiate treaties and instead coerced First Nations onto small and scattered reserves while granting settlers access to vast tracts of land. Despite sustained Indigenous resistance, the situation only...
Oct 21, 2025•57 min
The Sacred Band of Thebes was an elite military unit of 300 highly trained heavy infantry soldiers (hoplites), famously composed of 150 pairs of male lovers. Formed in the 4th century BCE the Thebans, who came from a uniquely gay-tolerant society, believed that soldiers would fight more ferociously to protect their partners and to avoid showing cowardice in front of them. They were not wrong. The Sacred Band quickly became the shock troops of the Theban army and one of the most dominant phalanx ...
Oct 14, 2025•34 min
What is it called when the Canadian Armed Forces go about purchasing something? It’s called procurement. While most Canadians probably understand that the CAF goes through some process to buy new equipment very few truly understand how deeply complex the process actually is. Defence procurement involves several federal agencies and several different stages. Recently, the Canadian government has announced a new initiative called the Defence Investment Agency which is an agency designed to streaml...
Oct 07, 2025•1 hr 4 min
Illustration has been an integral part of human history. Particularly before the advent of media such as photography, film, television, and now the Internet, illustrations in all their variety had been the primary visual way to convey history. The comic book, which emerged in its modern form in the 1930s, was another form of visual entertainment that gave readers, especially children, a form of escape. As World War II began, however, comic books became a part of propaganda as well, providing inf...
Sep 30, 2025•49 min
After punk found commercial success in the ’90s, with bands like Green Day, the Offspring, and Blink-182, a new wave of punk bands emerged, each embodying the DIY spirit of the movement in their own way. While Southern California remained the spiritual home of punk rock in the early 2000s, an unexpected influx of eager punks from Canada took the world by storm, changing the genre forever. This incredible period of music is explored by authors Matt Bobkin and Adam Feibel in their book In Too Deep...
Sep 23, 2025•46 min
David Borys has started a brand new podcast and we here at CCH are bringing you its very first episode. The Conflict and Culture Podcast explores everything and anything to do with military history beyond the battlefield. Please head on over to the show page on Apple and Spotify and click follow! For the first episode we look at the myth of the "clean Wehrmacht," the false belief that the regular German armed forces were not involved in Nazi war crimes or the Holocaust, but were instead a profes...
Sep 16, 2025•1 hr 1 min
While the summer may be coming to an end it's not all bad news because Curious Canadian History is coming back for Season 11! The first episode airs September 23rd and we are pumped for what is going to be a fascinating season! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 03, 2025•49 sec
Surprise! We here at CCH decided to drop a special final episode for Season 10. The Canadian flag is iconic. In almost all parts of the globe people recognize the red maple leaf as distinctly ours, or at the very least a symbol of us…Canadians. Yet, the modern flag’s birth is a story of complexity and is utterly fascinating. It comes out of a distinctly unique period where Canada was changing dramatically and today represents a very modern sense of what it means to be Canadian. Happy Canada Day ...
Jul 01, 2025•47 min
The 2025 Federal Election was one of the most dynamic and issue-filled elections to have occurred since the 1980s. Threats to Canadian sovereignty, an unpredictable US president, issues over Canadian defence, a glaringly vulnerable economy, a global order that seems to be more and more unstable coupled with a brand new Prime Minister attempting to prove to the voting public that he is the right man for the job. The outcome of the election identified serious fault lines within Canada. A massive b...
Jun 24, 2025•57 min
The Trans-Canada highway is such a part of the everyday Canadian experience that we often take this lengthy route for granted. Across this country many Canadians drive on it every single day, most without realizing that they are on one the most important infrastructure projects in Canadian history. But this highway is so much more than just a simple strip of asphalt. It represents a period in Canada where the nation was flourishing in the post-war world and where leaders sought to connect Canadi...
Jun 10, 2025•34 min
In 2024 Jared McBride, Professor at UCLA, conducted a research methodology class with his students. As Jared is an expert on war crimes they investigated war criminals in North America and through their research shifted focus to Nazi war criminals who were able to settle in Canada in the aftermath of the Second World War. In the process of this project, they uncovered an incredible list. Known as the Deschênes List, it was a two-page list written from 1986 that identified hundreds of suspected N...
May 27, 2025•1 hr 6 min
The St. Lawrence River can turn treacherous in a second. What was just a moment ago clear sailing can suddenly into dangerous fog and almost no visibility. In 1914 the Empress of Ireland learnt this firsthand and what ensued is the deadliest maritime tragedy in peace time Canadian history. To help us dive into this subject today we’ve brought on Eve Lazarus. Eve is a reporter, author and the host and producer of the Cold Case Canada true crime podcast. She has written eleven non-fiction books, a...
May 13, 2025•40 min
The town of Frank, Alberta is tucked into the bosom of Turtle Mountain which sits in the beautiful Crows Pass of the majestic Rocky Mountains. In the early 20th century, the town revolved around the local coal mine. 100 men (out of roughly 600 people who lived in Frank) worked at the mine. A couple dozen were working the night shift when in late April 1903 over 100 million tonnes of limestone came crashing down from the mountain. What ensued was the deadliest rockslide in Canadian history. To he...
Apr 29, 2025•36 min
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 i...
Apr 15, 2025•42 min
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 Ameri...
Apr 01, 2025•41 min
