Precisely 125 years ago, the City of Vancouver opened Stanley Park to the public. This past summer in Vancouver, the city celebrated the anniversary about a month early. However, what many people might not know is that Vancouverites began to use Stanley Park as a recreational area months before the […]
Commemoration
[audio: http://seankheraj.com/newhistorywars.mp3] Audio from Montreal History Group May Day Symposium, 26 April, 2013 [16:56] Download Link The new history wars are not battles over the meaning of Canadian history. They are battles over public financing of historical research and historical preservation. Historians, archaeologists, anthropologists, librarians, and archivists all have a […]
“Canada’s history is worth emphasizing,” according to a recent pathetically inoffensive editorial headline in the Globe and Mail. Such an argument is so bland and broad as to be almost entirely pointless. What drove the editorial team at the Globe to boldly stick its neck out with such a feeble statement? The […]
As cities and towns across the country prepare for fireworks and crowds this weekend, this 145th anniversary of Confederation once again calls into question the meaning of Canada Day and Canadian national identity. Toronto city councilor Doug Ford and his brother, Mayor Rob Ford recently mused on their weekly radio […]