It’s election day in Canada and tonight I’ll be glued to the television and computer to keep track of what’s going on. I’ll be twittering as well, but I was reminded last night of the law in Canada against publishing information about results in one part of the country before polls close in other parts [...]
18 years ago today
Every year on December 6, I mark the anniversary of the Montreal Massacre by taking a moment of silence in class after reading the names of the murdered women. Talking to my students, the vast majority of whom have never heard of the events of eighteen years ago even though it happened only about 90 [...]
The Parliamentary library
One of the highlights of our class trips to Ottawa is always our visit to Parliament. For the last several years, though, our students have been unable to see the amazing Parliamentary Library. This past year, however, it was finally open again after years of being closed to the public while it was being restored. [...]
First Nations take to YouTube
Interesting to see First Nations activists taking to YouTube to bring attention to their very just cause in conjunction with the June 29 National Day of Action in Canada which will see people across Canada protesting the continued shameful treatment of First Nations people. This set of three videos on YouTube, which seem aimed more [...]
Residential schools and the Truth About Stories
(I posted this earlier tonight on the blog for my English 182 course, which wraps up tomorrow. I thought it would be of interest to the regular readers of this blog as well.) Over the last week or so, the Globe and Mail has published an important series of stories about the history of the [...]
April 9, 1917
Today’s the 90th anniversary of Vimy Ridge, perhaps the most important battle in Canadian military history. Lots of media coverage going on about this in Canada, but here are a few links from the CBC site for some great current and past coverage.
2006 Canadian census data out today…
Very interesting data is starting to emerge from the 2006 census. One of the more surprising revelations, at least to me, is that Canada had the highest population growth of all G8 countries and most of this growth has come from immigration, to Alberta and Ontario in particular. Edmonton and Calgary now officially have populations [...]
ESPN feature on the history of the Coloured Hockey League
Here’s a great feature on the history of the Coloured Hockey League done by ESPN for Black History Month in the US. The piece features an interview with George and Darril Fosty, authors of Black Ice. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhC8ODcL_H4
Where Are the Children?
Where Are the Children? Healing the Legacy of the Residential Schools is an incredible online multimedia exhibit that accompanies a physical exhibit touring Canada right now. I’d like you all to spend some time here learning more about the legacy of the residential school system. There’s lots of important information here that connects to the [...]