Joe Clark’s term as Canada’s 16th Prime Minister was brief, lasting 273 days in 1979–1980. But those nine months represent only a key moment in the long career of this proud Albertan, who left his mark as a party activist, member of Parliament and federal minister. Coming of age in Alberta Charles Joseph Clark was born on June 5, 1939, in High River, a small town in southwestern Alberta. High River is known for its wide-open spaces, vast skies, and prosperous farmers. The Clark family was involved in journalism: Clark’s father, Charles, was editor-in-chief of the weekly High River Times, found ..read more

Paraskeva Clark – Maintenance Jobs in the Hangar, 1945 – CWM 19710261-5678 – Beaverbrook Collection of War Art – Canadian War Museum Women artists experienced war in distinct ways. Through their art, they reflect different perspectives on war and Canada’s military history, influenced by their own lived experiences and identities. Outside the Lines, which opened on May 24, 2024, is the Museum’s latest and most extensive look at war and conflict through the eyes of women artists. Drawing primarily upon the renowned Beaverbrook Collection of War Art, the exhibition features 65 works by 55 artis ..read more

Participants in the inaugural week of Encounters with Canada programming in Ottawa, September 1982. Photo: Historica Canada Over the past few years, research staff at the Canadian Museum of History have been collecting and documenting various aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. This post focuses on a longstanding educational program that closed its doors for good as a result of the pandemic. March marked the anniversary of the nearly global adoption of public health restrictions in response to the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020. These policies transformed schools, workplaces, and other ..read more

Jean Chrétien served as Canada’s Prime Minister for 10 years, from 1993 to 2003. That alone would have been enough to earn him an enduring place in Canadian history. However, for Chrétien himself, the role of Prime Minister was simply the crowning moment in a long and eventful career. Aerial view of Shawinigan, Quebec — glass slide, around 1930. Jean Chrétien spent his childhood in this small industrial town. Canadian Museum of History, IMG2011-0036-4444-LS. Born on January 11, 1934, in Shawinigan, in the central Quebec region of La Mauricie, Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien would one day leave ..read more

In Their Own Voices: Stories From Canadian Veterans and Their Families is a different kind of oral history project about war and military service. Most exhibitions or books about the military focus on a particular conflict or period of service, and conclude when hostilities end or when a soldier takes off their uniform and becomes a civilian again. This is where In Their Own Voices begins. The project is built on the belief that the impacts of war and military continue long after a veteran’s military service ends in ways that can be intimate and far-ranging. CWM 20080028-001_IMG_8641a – Georg ..read more

Although Paul Martin was Canada’s Prime Minister for a relatively brief period, from December 2003 to February 2006, he had a major impact on the political and economic history of the country. Born in Windsor, Ontario, in 1938, he was long viewed as the son of the “other” Paul Martin, a political heavyweight. Paul Martin, Sr. (1903–1992) was a federal Liberal Party MP for 35 years before being named a senator, then High Commissioner (ambassador) to London. In addition to being a high-ranking minister, he also campaigned to become party leader on three separate occasions. Button for Paul Marti ..read more

The Far Northeast: 3000 BP to Contact The Far Northeast: 3000 BP to Contact is a long-awaited synthesis representing decades of research in the field of Archaeology across the North Atlantic region of Canada and the United States. It could not have been a better choice as we marked the 50th anniversary of the Mercury Series in 2022. The editors, Kenneth R. Holyoke and M. Gabriel Hrynick, are stellar examples of this dynamic discipline. The 39 contributors were equally enthusiastic to be part of this important edited volume, attesting to the steadfast interest in the Museum monograph series ..read more

In July 1953, the Korean War armistice was negotiated between the United States and the Soviet Union, marking the end of eight arduous years of conflict between the two superpowers. The Korean War is being remembered with a new exhibition titled Canada, Korea and the War. This exhibition explores not only the War itself, but also the enduring relationship forged between Canada and South Korea. Through personal accounts, photographs, and select objects, this new exhibition shares the stories of Canadian soldiers, nursing sisters, and Korean Canadians, from the early 1950s to the present day. C ..read more

The metal box in situ prior to excavation (Mortimer, 2017) On the last day of excavations in the lot behind 62 Sparks Street, while digging a hole to get a good stratigraphic profile of an area of disturbance, a hollow thump was heard. Further investigation by lead archaeologist Ben Mortimer (Matrix Heritage) revealed that beneath a darkened deposit of sand, cinder, clinker, coal and refuse, sat a strange metal box. It was closed with a lock, suggesting that it may have been some sort of safe or insulated chest, and that it possibly dated back to the late 19th or early 20th centuries. Remova ..read more

Trivial Pursuit co-creator Chris Haney holds a copy of the original sketch for the game. Getty Images 543860724. One afternoon in December 1979, Montréal journalists Chris Haney and Scott Abbott sketched out an idea for a board game. It would have a pinwheel-shaped board and six thematic categories covering a broad cross-section of general knowledge about geography, science, entertainment, literature and sport, among other topics. By the time it was finished, the game consisted of 6,000 questions (six per card) and could be played by two to 24 players. Each player or team must work their way ..read more