A narrative history of Canada from its first inhabitants to the present day.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-nations-of-canada--4572969/support.
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Sep 30, 2026 · 35:05
1919-1920. Politicians and business leaders attempt to manage Canada's transition to a peacetime economy, but discover the task far more challenging than they anticipated. Become…
Sep 23, 2026 · 41:18
1919-1920. Canadian delegates gather in Paris for the greatest diplomatic conference in history, determined to win recognition of their nation's status on the international…
Sep 16, 2026 · 36:07
1919-1920. In a series of trials the federal government attempts to fashion a narrative of what happened in Winnipeg in the spring of 1919. Become a supporter of this podcast:…
Sep 9, 2026 · 39:54
Spring 1919. Months of mounting tension culminates in a general strike in Winnipeg - the outcome of which could re-shape post-war Canada. Become a supporter of this podcast:…
Sep 2, 2026 · 35:29
May 1919. Labour unrest in Winnipeg spills over into the largest strike in Canadian history to that point, threatening the status quo throughout the country. Become a supporter…
Aug 27, 2026 · 44:52
1919. Before Canadians can recover from the trauma of war, a deadly pandemic reaches the nation's shores. Become a supporter of this podcast:…
Aug 19, 2026 · 36:49
1919. The Canadian government faces the daunting task of transporting 260,000 soldiers across the Atlantic and re-incorporating them into a rapidly changing domestic society and…
Aug 12, 2026 · 50:45
1918-1919. Determined to tackle the forces of international revolution head on, Canada leads an imperial military expedition to Siberia. Become a supporter of this podcast:…
Aug 5, 2026 · 40:08
1919. As the war comes to an end Canada faces a threat just as grave at home - international revolution. Become a supporter of this podcast:…
Jul 29, 2026 · 43:34
1919: Indigenous veterans of the Canadian Expeditionary Force return home to find that the freedom and democracy they fought for in Europe is not much in evidence in Canada.…
Jul 22, 2026 · 37:44
1918. Explorer Vilhjalmur Stefansson returns from five years in the Canadian arctic with a new vision for 20th century geopolitics - with the far north at the centre of it.…
Jul 15, 2026 · 44:55
1918. German attacks on Canadian nurses become the subject of war crime trials after the conflict ends. Become a supporter of this podcast:…
Jul 8, 2026 · 43:01
Summer-Fall 1918. The Canadian Corps completes a three-month-long marathon of battles until Germany finally sues for peace. The end of the war brings a mixture of joy, relief,…
Jul 1, 2026 · 38:37
1918. After months of speculation, the Canadian government begins forcibly enlisting young men in earnest, sparking resistance in expected and unexpected corners of the country.…
Jun 24, 2026 · 45:37
December 1917. Disaster strikes Halifax, one of the busiest ports in the world due to the trans-Atlantic convoy system, as a collision between two ships creates the largest…
Jun 17, 2026 · 47:12
December 1917. Canada holds its most contentious federal election yet, as both sides (Union vs. Laurier Liberals) see the outcome as setting the country down an irrevocable path.…
Jun 10, 2026 · 36:32
Summer/Fall 1917. Arthur Currie takes command of the Canadian Corps, but finds it difficult to replicate the success of Vimy Ridge in the mud of Passchendaele. Become a supporter…
Jun 3, 2026 · 36:11
1917. As Quebec roils with anger over the Military Service Act, French Canadians in Ottawa and Windsor clash with police over French language rights in Ontario's schools and…
May 27, 2026 · 40:17
1917. On the prairies, the war reinvigorates the politics of minority rights, as Anglophone majorities restrict the use of other languages in schools, and Francophone and…
May 20, 2026 · 50:44
1917. Prime Minister Robert Borden uses every instrument at his disposal to undermine Liberal party cohesion and form a Union government ahead of Canada's first war-time…
May 13, 2026 · 49:53
1917. A revolution in China (partially funded by contributions from British Columbia) upends life for Chinese-Canadians. Become a supporter of this podcast:…
May 6, 2026 · 32:07
1917. With Black Canadians rejected at recruiting offices in suspiciously high numbers, a campaign emerges to form a distinctly black unit within the Canadian Expeditionary…
Apr 29, 2026 · 43:03
1917. After touring the battlefield at Vimy, Prime Minister Robert Borden determines that conscription is necessary to maintain the Canadian Corps, sparking Canada's most…
Apr 22, 2026 · 33:40
Spring 1917. All four divisions of the Canadian Corps work together for the first time, demonstrating a distinctively Canadian approach to the conundrum of trench warfare at Vimy…
Apr 15, 2026 · 37:26
1916 Faced with war-time budget cuts, the Commissioner of Canada's National Parks system, James Harkin, sees an opportunity in labour provided by interned enemy aliens. Become a…
Apr 8, 2026 · 56:56
1916. The residents of Berlin, Ontario face the challenge of being German-Canadians in a nation mobilized for war against Germany. Become a supporter of this podcast:…
Apr 1, 2026 · 40:49
1916. After two years (and intense study of battlefield conditions), the Canadian Expeditionary Force begins its evolution from colonial auxiliary to vanguard of the British…
Mar 25, 2026 · 39:56
1916. The Newfoundland Regiment finds itself at the centre of the worst day in the history of the British Army. Become a supporter of this podcast:…
Mar 18, 2026 · 39:37
1916. As the Canadian Expeditionary Force matures, its soldiers, officers, and (eventually) the politicians back in Ottawa come to realize it has outgrown its erratic creator,…
Mar 11, 2026 · 41:09
1915. A group of writers, journalists and activists based in Winnipeg, score the first victory for Canada's women's suffrage movement. Become a supporter of this podcast:…
Mar 4, 2026 · 36:41
The Canadian economy, still reeling from a post-war recession, struggles to meet the production total war demands. Become a supporter of this podcast:…
Feb 25, 2026 · 38:52
Spring 1915. The Canadian government grapples with the fact that over 100,000 residents in the country are foreign nationals, native to countries Canada is now at war with.…
Feb 18, 2026 · 44:34
Spring 1915. The Canadian Expeditionary Force prepares for its first battle outside the Belgian city of Ypres, where, unbeknownst to the Canadians, the Germans make their own…
Feb 11, 2026 · 41:41
Summer 1914. Canadians prepare for a war far from their shores, that will nevertheless change their lives forever. Become a supporter of this podcast:…
Feb 4, 2026 · 29:46
1867-1914. How did we get here? Where are we going next? Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-nations-of-canada--4572969/support .
Jan 28, 2026 · 44:10
Summer 1914. Ireland teeters on the brink of civil war, re-opening old sectarian divisions in Canada. Become a supporter of this podcast:…
Jan 21, 2026 · 51:30
1914. A Sikh businessman charters a Japanese passenger liner to test Canada's anti-Asian immigration laws, while anxious British officials and Indian nationalists look on. Become…
Jan 14, 2026 · 37:28
1914. In India, the British government attempts to convince a growing independence movement that Indians enjoy all the benefits of subjecthood, including free movement within the…
Jan 7, 2026 · 46:47
Spring 1914. A disastrous seal hunt raises questions about the growing social and economic inequalities of an industrializing Newfoundland. Become a supporter of this podcast:…
Dec 31, 2025 · 47:22
1913. Over a decade of consistent economic growth comes to an end, souring relations between Ottawa and the provinces, and forcing the military occupation of the Vancouver Island…
Dec 24, 2025 · 43:01
1912. Robert Borden finds that his broad coalition (which was so successful on the campaign trail) makes for an unruly government. Especially with Britain ever more insistent on…
Dec 17, 2025 · 34:22
1912. New regulations on the use of French in Ontario public schools galvanizes the province's growing francophone population and sets off a fresh round of French Canadian…
Dec 10, 2025 · 39:57
1911. A panic over black settlers moving into western Canada sparks a heated debate on Canada's immigration laws, and the country's racial politics. Become a supporter of this…
Dec 3, 2025 · 39:31
September 1911. An unlikely partnership of conservative imperialists and French Canadian nationalists bring an end to Wilfrid Laurier's fifteen-year rule in Ottawa. Become a…
Nov 26, 2025 · 39:10
1911. Desperate for a distraction from the Navy Question, Wilfrid Laurier is presented with a golden opportunity to fulfill a decades-long ambition by developments in Washington.…
Nov 19, 2025 · 30:40
1911. A damning report from a public health official sparks a national conversation on the future of the Indian Residential Schools program. Become a supporter of this podcast:…
Nov 12, 2025 · 31:25
As a growing pile of Canadian capital seeks new investment opportunities, a group of entrepreneurs, engineers, and corporate lawyers descend on the fast growing coffee economy of…
Nov 5, 2025 · 37:37
1910. When Britain calls on Canada to help fund its naval arms race with Germany, Wilfrid Laurier faces his greatest political test since the Boer War. Become a supporter of this…
Oct 29, 2025 · 35:17
1910. Disillusioned with the governance provided by the elites of St. John's, Newfoundland's outport fishermen form their own political and social movement. Become a supporter of…
Oct 22, 2025 · 34:48
1910. Nova Scotia enters the industrial age with ambitions to become an international steel-making power. However, by extension, the province also enters a new, modern age of…
Oct 15, 2025 · 39:38
1909. Canadians grapple with the implications of large scale migration from continental Europe, and begin a long-running debate on how so-called "New Canadians" fit into the…
Oct 8, 2025 · 32:01
1909. A hustler from New Brunswick exemplifies a novel class of stock brokers and promoters who transform Canada's financial environment, and usher in a new era of industrial…
Oct 1, 2025 · 41:33
1908. In southwestern Ontario, oilmen, brewers, and cabinet-makers forge a complicated relationship with a different nation-defining sport - baseball. Become a supporter of this…
Sep 24, 2025 · 42:09
1908. From Montreal and Toronto, to the mines of Timiskaming and old Rat Portage, Canadians battle over the soul of the nation's most important institution - hockey. Become a…
Sep 17, 2025 · 37:15
1908. Disillusioned with Wilfrid Laurier's Liberal party, a group of French Canadians commemorate the 300th anniversary of the founding of Quebec by mapping out a new kind of…
Sep 10, 2025 · 40:24
1908. In the aftermath of the Vancouver anti-Asian race riot, Canadian officials visit Tokyo, Washington, London, Bombay, Shanghai, and Beijing - in the process, crafting a…
Sep 3, 2025 · 41:24
September 1907: An anti-Asian race riot in Vancouver thrusts Canada into the centre of a multi-faceted trans-Pacific geopolitical puzzle involving Japan, Britain, the United…
Aug 27, 2025 · 39:45
1907. A new technology sparks national debates about public utilities, labour relations, and gender. Become a supporter of this podcast:…
Aug 20, 2025 · 37:27
1906-1907. A coal miner's strike in southern Alberta restricts the supply of fuel on the prairies, just as the region enters the coldest winter on record. Become a supporter of…
Aug 13, 2025 · 34:54
1906. Hoping to encourage a national railroad to rival the Tory-aligned CPR, Liberal Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier gets more than he bargained for. Become a supporter of this…
Aug 6, 2025 · 35:58
1905. After more than thirty years of Liberal rule in Ontario, a new Conservative government makes a splash by re-writing the rules of the hydroelectricity industry. Become a…
Jul 30, 2025 · 32:37
1905. A railway construction boom couples with a global arms race to unlock the economic potential of northern Ontario's mineral deposits. Become a supporter of this podcast:…
Jul 23, 2025 · 32:00
1905. Under pressure from prospectors, the Hudson's Bay Company, and Ojibwe and Cree groups, the federal and Ontario governments put aside their differences and negotiate a…
Jul 16, 2025 · 41:46
1905. Alberta and Saskatchewan join Canada as the eighth and ninth provinces, sparking a fresh round of contentious debates over minority rights, and the division of federal and…
Jul 9, 2025 · 39:46
1903. In the wake of the Alaska border dispute, Canada looks to strengthen its claims on the islands off its northern coast, in the Arctic Ocean. The only problem is, no one in…
Jul 2, 2025 · 33:23
1903. Canada disputes American territorial claims in the Alaskan panhandle, in the hope/expectation that recent sacrifices in South Africa will ensure British diplomatic support.…
Jun 30, 2025 · 31:51
1902. In the aftermath of the Boer War, delegates from the settler Dominions gather in London to discuss the future of the Empire - only to find Canadian Prime Minister Wilfrid…
Jun 29, 2025 · 41:09
1901-1902 Canadian soldiers find themselves in a Boer War that has turned into a brutally modern counter-insurgency. Meanwhile, a group of Canadian women volunteer to do their…
Jun 28, 2025 · 36:57
Montreal's school system, delicately balanced between the city's Catholic and Protestant communities struggles to accommodate the arrival of Jewish migrants, who fit into neither…
Jun 25, 2025 · 45:44
As the Fraser River fishery prepares for the largest salmon run in its history, tensions rise between its labour force of white, indigenous, and Japanese fishermen. Become a…
Jun 18, 2025 · 40:54
The indigenous nations of the prairies attempt to reap the benefits of the western wheat boom, but find their work obstructed by interference from the Indian Department. Become a…
Jun 11, 2025 · 40:11
The rise of the Canadian west attracts a new type of migrant-settler from continental Europe, establishing new communities in Canada - none more consequential than that of the…
Jun 4, 2025 · 44:41
As a new century dawns, Canadian women establish political organizations pursuing goals from prohibition to suffrage; and spanning ideologies from radical anarchism to…
May 28, 2025 · 33:30
Canadian soldiers arrive in South Africa to discover that the war is going much worse than anyone had anticipated. Meanwhile, the divisions at home only deepen. Become a…
May 21, 2025 · 44:43
A war in South Africa threatens to divide Canada, presenting Wilfrid Laurier with his greatest test yet as Prime Minister. Become a supporter of this podcast:…
May 14, 2025 · 35:22
With the British Empire increasingly anxious about its global strategic position, Canada faces pressure to take on a greater share of imperial defence. Become a supporter of this…
May 7, 2025 · 39:18
The Indian Department's attempts to impose a new system of governance sparks a wave of Haudenosaunee nationalism, from Kahnawake to the Grand River. Become a supporter of this…
Apr 30, 2025 · 38:27
Chinese-Canadians join an effort to modernize the Chinese state, in hopes that a strong Beijing can better advocate for their civil and political rights in British Columbia.…
Apr 23, 2025 · 41:13
The Yukon gold rush creates a new urban centre in the far north, and forces the Canadian government to revisit its treaty-making efforts, after a twenty year hiatus. Become a…
Apr 16, 2025 · 43:23
A gold find, this time in the sub-arctic Yukon, once again transforms Canada's Pacific region. But if the rush promises prosperity, it also brings political, diplomatic, and…
Apr 9, 2025 · 36:09
After decades of constitutional reform and millions spent on railway construction, the Canadian confederation finally fulfills its economic potential thanks to technological…
Apr 2, 2025 · 40:14
Liberal leader Wilfrid Laurier ends a generation of Conservative rule through a canny combination of optimism and opportunism. Become a supporter of this podcast:…
Mar 26, 2025 · 38:44
A series of Conservative Prime Ministers struggle to hold together the party that the late John A. Macdonald spent his career building. Become a supporter of this podcast:…
Mar 19, 2025 · 37:02
A devastating fire in St. John's, and a comprehensive financial meltdown threaten the very existence of Newfoundland as a self-governing colony. Become a supporter of this…
Mar 12, 2025 · 38:13
In an effort to speed indigenous assimilation, the federal government turns to a new program that will define its Indian policy for the next seventy years - Indian Residential…
Mar 5, 2025 · 37:39
Twenty-five years after the Hudson's Bay Company land purchase, and ten years after the CPR, impatient Canadians begin to wonder if the northwestern frontier will ever fulfill…
Feb 26, 2025 · 37:02
In the wake of a divisive federal election, and in the face of bullying economic policies emanating from Washington, the Governor General turns to hockey as a unifying force in…
Feb 19, 2025 · 39:27
Canada's Christians take their reforming zeal abroad to Asia, establishing the trans-Pacific links that Canadian politicians and businessmen have thus far failed to achieve.…
Feb 12, 2025 · 41:42
Ambitious to overtake Montreal as Canada's first city, Toronto grapples with its dual self-proclaimed identities as the nation's economic engine, and its moral compass. Become a…
Feb 5, 2025 · 42:08
With fresh tariffs and loose talk about annexation emanating from Washington, an ageing John A. Macdonald carries the banner of Canadian nationalism into one last election.…
Jan 29, 2025 · 37:50
The burden of railway debt forces Newfoundland to contemplate joining the Canadian confederation, until a patriot emerges, calling on Newfoundlanders to believe in themselves and…
Jan 22, 2025 · 36:21
A bill to excise the French language from Manitoba's government and schools sparks a debate on what kind of nation Canada is. Become a supporter of this podcast:…
Jan 15, 2025 · 41:50
The passage of a bill regarding the Jesuit Order in Quebec's legislature sparks a heated debate on the kind of nation Canadians have been building since confederation. Become a…
Jan 8, 2025 · 41:31
The new premier of Quebec, Honore Mercier, hosts his colleagues from across the country as they fashion a constitutional program that puts the provinces, not Ottawa, at the…
Jan 1, 2025 · 44:43
A new wave of labour unrest hits Canada, culminating in a battle over Toronto's public transit. Become a supporter of this podcast:…
Dec 25, 2024 · 43:31
The Canadian Pacific Railway completes its trans-continental line, revolutionizing the economy, demographics, and politics of British Columbia Become a supporter of this podcast:…
Dec 18, 2024 · 41:44
A public health crisis in Montreal spins out of control, the product of mistrust between the mostly Protestant, Anglophone municipal officials and the French Catholic population…
Dec 11, 2024 · 43:05
In the aftermath of the fighting, the meaning and legacy of 1885 is determined in a series of trials in Regina. Become a supporter of this podcast:…
Dec 4, 2024 · 49:42
The Canadian militia arrives in the northwest to suppress a Metis rebellion, but finds the situation there more complicated than anyone in the east imagined. Become a supporter…
Nov 27, 2024 · 41:47
While the Canadian government organizes a military response, and the Metis provisional government contemplates its next move, the initiative in the northwest passes to the Cree…
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