History Matters by Canadian Institute for Historical Education

Canadian Institute for Historical Education

Canada’s history is full of triumphs, tensions, and turning points. Yet too often, it’s reduced to headlines or overshadowed by present-day debates. History Matters was created to give space for deeper conversations — ones that connect the past to the present, and help us see why context matters more than ever.

  1. Patrice Dutil on Mackenzie King and Conscription

    May 7

    Patrice Dutil on Mackenzie King and Conscription

    In this episode Allan talks with Patrice Dutil, professor of Politics and Public Administration at Toronto Metropolitan University, about his edited volume The Enduring Riddle of Mackenzie King and what it reveals about one of Canada’s most puzzling political figures: how did someone with no obvious charm or charisma remain in office so long? The conversation focuses on the issue of conscription as a way into understanding King’s leadership, especially during the Second World War, the tension King had to manage between English and French Canada, and how carefully he navigated that divide. Dutil argues that King made little effort to understand French Canada, instead relying on Quebec lieutenants, first Ernest Lapointe and later Louis St. Laurent, who became his successor as Prime Minister. www.cihe.ca

    39 min
  2. Duncan McDowall on the Life and Legacy of Sir John A Macdonald

    Apr 30

    Duncan McDowall on the Life and Legacy of Sir John A Macdonald

    In this episode Allan talks with Professor Duncan McDowall, University Historian Emeritus at Queen’s University, about the life and legacy of Sir John A. Macdonald. McDowall suggests that Macdonald’s early years in Kingston were critical in shaping his appreciation for the importance of building ties between Protestant and Catholic, English and French, and with the thousands of immigrants, particularly the Irish, who passed through Kingston en route to destinations beyond. The conversation explores Macdonald’s political rise, his essential role in achieving Confederation, and his accomplishments as Canada’s first Prime Minister, including building the CPR and bringing Manitoba, British Columbia, and Prince Edward Island into Confederation. It also looks at relations with Indigenous Peoples and provides context on how Macdonald operated within the realities of 19th-century society while shaping a nation. www.cihe.ca

    43 min
  3. Ty Seidule on the ‘Myth of the Lost Cause”

    Apr 23

    Ty Seidule on the ‘Myth of the Lost Cause”

    In this episode of History Matters, host Allan Williams speaks with historian and former U.S. Army officer Ty Seidule about how history is remembered, interpreted, and debated in the United States. The conversation begins with recent controversies over the renaming of U.S. military bases previously associated with Confederate figures, including the work of the Naming Commission. From there, Seidule reflects on his upbringing in the American South and the beliefs that shaped his early understanding of the past—an experience he examines in Robert E. Lee and Me. The discussion explores the origins and influence of the “Lost Cause” narrative, how it has been sustained through education and popular culture, and how historical evidence can challenge deeply held assumptions. Drawing on his time teaching at West Point, Seidule explains how institutions and commemorative practices reflect broader social and political dynamics. The episode also considers how societies decide whom to honour, the differences between historical figures such as Robert E. Lee, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson, and why their legacies are evaluated differently. While focused on the United States, the conversation raises wider questions about public memory and the challenges of engaging with difficult histories. www.cihe.ca

    37 min
  4. Joanne Archibald on Business History

    Apr 16

    Joanne Archibald on Business History

    In this episode, Allan speaks with Joanne Archibald, Executive Director of the Canadian Business History Association, about the role of business history in shaping Canada’s past. The discussion begins with a business and logistical perspective on the Battle of Vimy Ridge, highlighting the contribution of Canadian industry and railways to the war effort. Archibald then outlines how business history connects with political, military, and social history, and why it remains an important but often overlooked field of study. The conversation also explores how business records are preserved, the challenges facing archives, and the importance of collaboration between historians and the business community. Drawing on her work with Livy Consulting, Archibald discusses how organizations can use their history to better understand and communicate their identity. www.cihe.ca

    35 min
  5. Eric McGeer on Vimy Ridge: the Battle and the Memory

    Apr 9

    Eric McGeer on Vimy Ridge: the Battle and the Memory

    In this episode, posted on the April 9th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge in 1917, Allan talks with military historian Dr. Eric McGeer about the battle and its place in Canadian memory. The conversation covers the battle itself and its significance in the Arras Offensive and in the course of the First World War, the men who led the planning and preparations in the months leading up to April 9th primarily Sir Julian Byng and Arthur Currie, under Sir Douglas Haig, the Commander in Chief of the British Expeditionary Force, how Vimy came to be the focus of Canada’s memorialisation of the Great War, and how the meaning of Vimy has shifted over time. In the process Eric and Allan discuss books about Vimy by Pierre Berton, Ted Barris, Jonathan Vance and Tim Cook. https://cihe.ca/ Pictures from the podcast: https://cihe.ca/2026/04/09/episode-21-eric-mcgeer-on-vimy-ridge-the-battle-and-the-memory/

    45 min
  6. Jerry Amernic on his book Sleepwoking

    Apr 2

    Jerry Amernic on his book Sleepwoking

    In this episode, Allan talks with journalist Jerry Amernic about his book Sleepwoking, published in November 2025. The conversation opens with an anecdote about the founding of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York in 1939, ostensibly because the first ever baseball game had been played there in 1839, an origin story subsequently debunked by the Hall of Fame itself. Sleepwoking, in a similar vein, considers the accusations that Sir John A. Macdonald “starved the Indigenous Peoples,” Egerton Ryerson was the “architect” of residential schools, Henry Dundas “delayed” the abolition of the slave trade, Edward Cornwallis put a bounty on the scalps of Mi’kmaq “men, women and children,” and Matthew Begbie sentenced six innocent “Chilcotin Chiefs” to death by hanging. “None of this is true,” says Amernic. It is history shaped by ideology rather than evidence. But the vilification of these six follows a common pattern: an initial charge amplified by activists, then quoted by deferential media and politicians until it becomes orthodoxy. Historians who present evidence to the contrary do so at the risk of their careers. All of this is possible, says Amernic, because “people do not know the history of their country. https://www.jerryamernic.com/sleep-wokinghttps:// cihe.ca/

    31 min
  7. Richard Stursberg on the ‘Collapse’ of Canadian Book Publishing

    Mar 26

    Richard Stursberg on the ‘Collapse’ of Canadian Book Publishing

    In this episode, Allan talks with writer and media executive Richard Stursberg to explore the rise and decline of Canadian book publishing. The conversation breaks down how Canada once built a thriving literary culture, why English-Canadian publishing has lost ground, and what that means for national identity, history, and cultural sovereignty today, along with what can be done to rebuild it. Stursberg examines the dramatic decline of English Canadian publishing, tracing the rise of a vibrant national literary culture in the 1960s through the 1990s and the policy failures that allowed foreign multinationals to dominate the market. The discussion considers the relationship between publishing, national identity, cultural sovereignty, and historical literacy in Canada. Richard Stursberg’s leadership roles have included CBC English, language services, Telefilm Canada, the Canadian Television Fund, and PEN Canada. Richard Stursberg

    43 min
  8. Christina Blizzard Fifty Years in Journalism

    Mar 19

    Christina Blizzard Fifty Years in Journalism

    In this episode of History Matters, Allan speaks with veteran journalist Christina Blizzard about her fifty plus years in journalism, a career that began at the old Toronto Telegram in an era of linotype and “hot lead” printing, included being a “Day One” employee at the Toronto Sun in 1971, and continued into today’s era of social media, digital printing and the AI-driven newsroom. Blizzard discusses her years covering Ontario politics at Queen’s Park, including such key moments as Mike Harris’ “Common Sense Revolution” in 1995, offering insight into how political reporting has changed as the press gallery has shrunk and the pace of news has accelerated dramatically. The challenge journalists face when reporting on unfolding events that later take on new meaning with the benefit of hindsight, including the Walkerton water tragedy. Blizzard shares stories from covering royal events, including the funeral of the Queen Mother, and reflects on the enduring importance of historical literacy, museums, and public access to history, and how journalism both records and shapes the historical record.

    38 min
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Canada’s history is full of triumphs, tensions, and turning points. Yet too often, it’s reduced to headlines or overshadowed by present-day debates. History Matters was created to give space for deeper conversations — ones that connect the past to the present, and help us see why context matters more than ever.

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