The Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line was a radar defence network in Canada’s Arctic. It was a Cold War engineering marvel, but it had terrible effects on the land and Inuit communities. With Arctic defence once again a topic of concern, Canada's History Society CEO Melony Ward interviews experts about the DEW Line and its impact.  ..read more

From Black stevedores in the American Deep South, to Hawaiian Inuit dances, to folk singers on Canada's East Coast music scene -- discover the fascinating world of sea shanties in a special episode by Canada's History contributor Jonah Grignon. With music recorded live by the Bytown Sea Shanty Collective.  Music credits: Traditional shanties performed by the Bytown Sea Shanty Collective, used with permission of the artists "Heave Away," traditional, performed by Roger McGuinn, licensed from freemusicarchive.org "Hawaiian Ciribiribin" composed by Alberto Pestalozza, recorded in 1919 by Lou ..read more

In 1948, the people in the British colony of Newfoundland faced a choice. They could become an independent country within the British Commonwealth. Or, they could vote to join Canada in Confederation. In this special series of episodes we travel to St. John’s, Newfoundland, to interview four prominent Newfoundlanders about their memories of the Confederation debate, and ask if they think Newfoundland made the right choice when  it joined Canada. In Episode 3, Life after Confederation, our guests discuss the consequences of Newfoundland's big decision.  Guests: Former Newfoundland Pre ..read more

In 1948, the people in the British colony of Newfoundland faced a choice. They could become an independent country within the British Commonwealth. Or, they could vote to join Canada in Confederation. In this special series of episodes we travel to St. John’s, Newfoundland, to interview four prominent Newfoundlanders about their memories of the Confederation debate, and ask if they think Newfoundland made the right choice when  it joined Canada. In Episode 2, The Confederation Debate, we hear the voices of Confederation's most ardent supporter, Joseph Smallwood, and its most vocal advocat ..read more

In 1948, the people in the British colony of Newfoundland faced a choice. They could become an independent country within the British Commonwealth. Or, they could vote to join Canada in Confederation. In this special series of episodes we travel to St. John’s, Newfoundland, to interview four prominent Newfoundlanders about their memories of the Confederation debate, and ask if they think Newfoundland made the right choice when  it joined Canada. In Episode 1, Life in a British Colony, we explore life in Newfoundland in the 1930s and 1940s, the years leading up to the Confederation debate ..read more

In 1948, the people in the British colony of Newfoundland faced a choice. They could become an independent country within the British Commonwealth. Or, they could vote to join Canada in Confederation. In an upcoming series of episodes we travel to St. John’s, Newfoundland, to interview former Premier Clyde Wells, artist Kathleen Knowling, writer Bernice Morgan, and former MP Richard Cashin about their memories of the Confederation debate, -- and to ask them if they think Newfoundlanders made the right choice when they joined Canada.  ..read more

Wilhelm Rahn was a 19-year-old German naval ensign when his U-boat was torpedoed by a British submarine off the coast of Corsica in 1943. Plucked from the water by the submarine's helmsman, he ended up in a POW camp in the backwoods of Canada. Join Rahn's grandson Sebastian Koester and historical researcher Bernard Wood for a discussion of life in a Second World War Canadian prisoner of war camp. Sound credits: Claude Debussy, “Dialogue du vent et de la mer,” performed by US Air Force band, licensed under creative commons: https://musopen.org/music/14381-la-mer/  Scream “Hilfe!” made by P ..read more

The war in Ukraine has reinvigorated NATO as a bulwark against Russian aggression. But has NATO been a force for peace, or for military escalation?  Historian Timothy Sayle digs into the alliance's 75-year history and explores its role in the world today.  Episode graphic: copyright NATO Theme music: "Red River Jig" by Alex Kusturok  Music & soundclip credits: All soundclips courtesy NATO except the following: 00:00 - Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46 - II. Aase's Death – Edvard Grieg - Czech National Symphony Orchestra – Public Domain / creative commons license / https://musope ..read more

When King George II signed Treaties of Peace and Friendship with  PEI's MI'kmaw Chiefs more than 200 years ago, the British monarch promised the Mi'kmaw people the right to hunt and fish on the island forever. But what happened to those treaties when PEI joined Canada in 1873? Historian Christopher Moore and Mi'kmaw legal scholar Cheryl Simon discuss how British law,  international treaties, and the deal PEI made with Canada at Confederation  have affected everything from fishing rights to property ownership in Canada's smallest province ..read more

The obsessive quest to find a sea route through the Arctic to the riches of China and India claimed the lives of hundreds of European mariners. Best-selling historical author Ken McGoogan discusses the bold and gruesome three-hundred-year search for the Northwest Passage with Kate Jaimet, senior editor of Canada's History magazine.  ..read more