Witness to Yesterday (The Champlain Society Podcast on Canadian History)

The Champlain Society

This series of podcasts furthers the Champlain Society mission of deepening awareness of Canada’s documentary past and of the people who created it.

  • 34 minutes 23 seconds
    The North Star: Canada and the Civil War Plots Against Lincoln
    Greg Marchildon speaks with Julian Sher about his book, The North Star: Canada and the Civil War Plots Against Lincoln. The North Star explores the complex and often overlooked role of Canada during the American Civil War, focusing on its unexpected involvement in both supporting the Confederate South and plotting against President Abraham Lincoln. The book reveals the darker side of Canada's history, which contrasts with its widely recognized support for escaped slaves. It highlights key figures such as Anderson Abbott, Emma Edmonds, and Edward P. Doherty, as well as the Canadian elite’s ties to the Confederacy, including funding operations and hiding conspirators. Through vivid portraits of cities like Montreal and Toronto, the book uncovers Canada’s hidden role in the war, offering a meticulously researched and relevant account of historical events. Julian Sher is an award-winning journalist and author of seven books, including Until You Are Dead and White Hoods. He has worked as an investigative reporter for the Toronto Star and Globe and Mail and was Senior Producer for CBC's The Fifth Estate. His documentaries, like Nuclear Jihad and Ghosts of Afghanistan, have won major awards. Sher also advocates for media freedoms as a Senior Fellow at Toronto Metropolitan University's Centre for Free Expression. Image Credit: Penguin Random House If you like our work, please consider supporting it: bit.ly/support_WTY. Your support contributes to the Champlain Society’s mission of opening new windows to directly explore and experience Canada’s past.
    23 February 2025, 12:00 am
  • 32 minutes 52 seconds
    Thresholds of Accusation: Law and Colonial Order in Canada
    Nicole O’Byrne speaks with George Pavlich about his book, Thresholds of Accusation: Law and Colonial Order in Canada. This socio-legal history examines pretrial accusations in colonial criminal law in western Canada, focusing on Alberta, 1874–1884. The establishment of the Northwest Mounted Police aimed to enforce Dominion law, using accusatory procedures to investigate crimes, arrest suspects, and determine trial eligibility. George Pavlich highlights how police and justices of the peace translated local social knowledge into criminal law, reflecting power dynamics of sovereignty and control. These processes held individuals legally responsible while obscuring the social impacts of settler actions. The book suggests we learn from Indigenous laws to address societal issues with new forms of accusation and responsibility. George Pavlich is H.M. Tory Chair and Professor at the University of Alberta. His research examines the social and historical processes through which individuals are labeled as "criminals" and subjected to crime control. By exploring the history of criminal accusation, his work highlights how these processes have shaped reliance on punitive justice. He has authored several books and articles and co-edited multiple collections. Image Credit: Cambridge University Press If you like our work, please consider supporting it: bit.ly/support_WTY. Your support contributes to the Champlain Society’s mission of opening new windows to directly explore and experience Canada’s past.
    13 February 2025, 12:00 am
  • 31 minutes 10 seconds
    Building a Special Relationship: Canada-US Relations in the Eisenhower Era, 1953–61
    Greg Marchildon speaks with Asa McKercher about his book, Building a Special Relationship: Canada-US Relations in the Eisenhower Era, 1953–61. Building a Special Relationship explores a lesser-known period in U.S.-Canada relations during the 1950s, when officials from both countries developed a strong culture of bilateral cooperation amid the escalating tensions of the Cold War. Asa McKercher is an associate professor at St. Francis Xavier University, a senior fellow at the Bill Graham Centre, and a fellow at Queen’s Centre for International and Defence Policy. He is editor-in-chief of International Journal and the author of several books, including Canada and the World since 1867 and Camelot and Canada: Canadian-American Relations in the Kennedy Era. Michael D. Stevenson is a history professor at Lakehead University. He authored Canada’s Greatest Wartime Muddle: National Selective Service and the Mobilization of Human Resources during WWII and edited the 1957–58 volumes of Documents on Canadian External Relations. Image Credit: UBC Press If you like our work, please consider supporting it: bit.ly/support_WTY. Your support contributes to the Champlain Society’s mission of opening new windows to directly explore and experience Canada’s past.
    7 February 2025, 12:00 am
  • 35 minutes 28 seconds
    A Region of the Mind: U.S. Northern Plains and Canadian Prairies (2025 Reissue)
    In this podcast episode, Greg Marchildon interviews Molly P. Rozum, the author of Grasslands Grown: Creating Place on the U.S. Northern Plains and Canadian Prairies. This book was jointly published by the University of Nebraska Press and the University of Manitoba Press in 2021. Molly Rozum is currently the Ronald R. Nelson Chair of Great Plains and South Dakota History at the University of South Dakota. She received her PhD in history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and has worked on the history of this transnational region throughout her career. Although she grew up and was educated in the United States, she has spent time in Canada as a visiting professor and researcher. In this book, Rozum explores how the northern grasslands in North America were perceived by second and third generations of those who settled in the region to live, work, farm and ranch, including their relationship with the Indigenous peoples. If you like our work, please consider supporting it: bit.ly/support_WTY. Your support contributes to the Champlain Society’s mission of opening new windows to directly explore and experience Canada’s past.
    31 January 2025, 12:00 am
  • 29 minutes 50 seconds
    The American Century in Canada: Canadian-American Relations from 1945-1960 (2025 reissue)
    In this podcast episode, Simon Nantais talks to Asa McKercher and Michael D. Stevenson about their co-edited book North of America: Canadians and the American Century, 1945-60, which will be published by UBC Press in October 2023. North of America: Canadians and the American Century, 1945-60, is an edited volume that looks at postwar Canada and Canadian-American relations of the 1940s and 1950s. From constitutional reform to transit policy, from national security to the arrival of television, Canadians were ever mindful of the American experience. The volume explores the opinions and perceptions of a broad range of Canadians – from consumers to diplomats, jazz musicians to urban planners, and a diverse cross-section in between. Asa McKercher and Michael D. Stevenson discuss the topics covered in the volume such as international relations in a nuclear armed early Cold War era, domestic politics, and national identity. Asa McKercher is an assistant professor of history at the Royal Military College of Canada. His publications include Canada and the World Since 1867 and Canada and Camelot: Canadian-American Relations in the Kennedy Era. Michael D. Stevenson is a professor of history at Lakehead University. He is the author of Canada’s Greatest Wartime Muddle: National Selective Service and the Mobilization of Human Resources in Canada during World War II and editor of the 1957–58 volumes of Documents on Canadian External Relations. Image Credit: Office National du Film du Canada / Bibliothèque et Archives Canada If you like our work, please consider supporting it: https://bit.ly/support_WTY. Your support contributes to the Champlain Society’s mission of opening new windows to directly explore and experience Canada’s past.
    21 January 2025, 12:00 am
  • 36 minutes 15 seconds
    Pierre Poilievre: A Political Life (2025 reissue)
    On this week's re-issue of Witness to Yesterday, Greg Marchildon talks to Andrew Lawton about his book, Pierre Poilievre: A Political Life. When Pierre Poilievre was elected leader of Canada’s Conservative party in 2022, he vowed to put Canadians back in control of their own lives. He took aim at the country’s elites and “gatekeepers” as well as governments that sneer at their own citizens. Railing against the housing crisis and spiralling inflation, Poilievre was telling ordinary Canadians he was on their side. As the adopted son of two Alberta teachers, Poilievre knows the middle class. But he’s also the embodiment of a career politician, having spent nearly his entire adult life in politics. Andrew Lawton is a senior journalist at True North and host of The Andrew Lawton Show. He previously hosted a daily talk show on Global News Radio. He has published written work across the world, including in the Washington Post, the National Post, the Toronto Sun, and on Global News. He is the bestselling author of The Freedom Convoy. Image Credit: Sutherland House Books If you like our work, please consider supporting it: https://bit.ly/support_WTY. Your support contributes to the Champlain Society’s mission of opening new windows to directly explore and experience Canada’s past.
    15 January 2025, 12:00 am
  • 18 minutes 41 seconds
    John A. Macdonald and “The Crisis” of 1885 (2025 reissue)
    How did Macdonald leverage the Northwest Rebellion to further his own interests? In this week’s re-run, we revisit Greg Marchildon’s conversation with Bill Waiser, Professor Emeritus at the University of Regina, as they explore this intriguing question. Waiser explores these documents in the Champlain Society’s Finding/Trouvaille: Prime Minister Macdonald Deliberately Portrayed Indians as Rebels.
    14 January 2025, 12:00 am
  • 40 minutes 28 seconds
    Sir John A. Macdonald: And The Apocalyptic Year 1885
    Greg Marchildon speaks with Patrice Dutil about his book, Sir John A. Macdonald - And The Apocalyptic Year 1885. In 1885, Sir John A. Macdonald faced a series of unprecedented challenges during his long political career. These included threats to Canada's sovereignty, armed resistance in the North-West, food insecurity among Indigenous peoples, a financial crisis jeopardizing the Canadian Pacific Railway, protests against Chinese immigration, nationalist dissent in Quebec, a devastating smallpox epidemic in Montreal, and opposition to expanding voting rights. Political historian Patrice Dutil examines how Macdonald, at the height of his powers, managed these crises, stabilized his government, and helped secure the future of Canada. Patrice Dutil is the author or editor of a dozen books, and a professor at Toronto Metropolitan University. He founded and edited the Literary Review of Canada and led the Champlain Society for seven years and used to be a host on Witness to Yesterday. Dutil is a senior fellow at the Bill Graham Centre and the Macdonald-Laurier Institute. His works include Ballots and Brawls: The 1867 Canadian General Election and Prime Ministerial Power in Canada (co-edited with Roger Hall). Image Credit: Simon & Schuster If you like our work, please consider supporting it: bit.ly/support_WTY. Your support contributes to the Champlain Society’s mission of opening new windows to directly explore and experience Canada’s past.
    27 December 2024, 12:00 am
  • 39 minutes 12 seconds
    Tommy Douglas and the Quest for Medicare in Canada
    Nicole O’Byrne speaks with Greg Marchildon about his book, Tommy Douglas and the Quest for Medicare in Canada. Tommy Douglas and the Quest for Medicare in Canada examines how Tommy Douglas led the creation of universal health care in Saskatchewan during the 1930s Depression. It explores his efforts to implement hospital insurance and build support for a national Medicare system, despite strong opposition. The book highlights how Douglas's leadership, vision, and coalition-building were key to establishing Medicare in Canada. Gregory P. Marchildon is a professor emeritus at the Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation at the University of Toronto and the founding director of the North American Observatory on Health Systems and Policies. Image Credit: UTP If you like our work, please consider supporting it: bit.ly/support_WTY. Your support contributes to the Champlain Society’s mission of opening new windows to directly explore and experience Canada’s past.
    23 December 2024, 12:00 am
  • 28 minutes 27 seconds
    The Prince
    Greg Marchildon speaks with Stephen Maher about The Prince. The Prince is a comprehensive biography of Justin Trudeau's time as prime minister, written by Stephen Maher. Based on over 200 interviews, it details how Trudeau transformed the Liberal Party from third place to a majority government in 2015. The book examines his political skills, achievements like poverty reduction, climate progress, and Indigenous reconciliation, as well as his struggles, including errors in judgment and internal conflicts. Maher explores how Trudeau’s leadership, once promising, faltered due to missteps and strained relationships, leading to a decline in popularity and the potential collapse of his government. Stephen Maher has been writing about Canadian politics since 1989. As a columnist and investigative reporter for Postmedia News, iPolitics, and Maclean’s, he has often set the agenda on Parliament Hill, covering political corruption, electoral wrongdoing, misinformation, and human rights abuses. He has also won many awards, including the Nieman Fellowship at Harvard University, the Michener Award for meritorious public service journalism, the National Newspaper Award, two Canadian Association of Journalism Awards, a Canadian Hillman Prize, and has been nominated for several National Magazine Awards. Image Credit: Simon & Schuster If you like our work, please consider supporting it: bit.ly/support_WTY. Your support contributes to the Champlain Society’s mission of opening new windows to directly explore and experience Canada’s past.
    18 December 2024, 12:00 am
  • 28 minutes 14 seconds
    Boosters and Barkers: Financing Canada's Involvement in the First World War
    Larry Ostola speaks with David Roberts about Boosters and Barkers: Financing Canada's Involvement in the First World War. Boosters and Barkers by David Roberts explores Canada's efforts to finance its participation in World War I through public contributions, particularly war bonds. The book examines how Ottawa appealed to citizens for financial support, incorporating imperial funding, taxation, and other revenue sources. Using print, images, and music, Canada’s bond campaigns generated significant public engagement, raising nearly a third of the country’s $6.6 billion war costs. The story highlights the necessity of funding, propaganda strategies, public resistance, and the lasting financial impact of the war. David Roberts is a retired editor of the Dictionary of Canadian Biography/Dictionnaire biographique du Canada. In addition to writing many entries for the DCB, he is also the author of In the Shadow of Detroit: Gordon M. McGregor, Ford of Canada, and Motoropolis. He lives in Don Mills, Ontario. Image Credit: UBC Press If you like our work, please consider supporting it: bit.ly/support_WTY. Your support contributes to the Champlain Society’s mission of opening new windows to directly explore and experience Canada’s past.
    13 December 2024, 12:00 am
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