Maurice Duplessis sat at the forefront of the Legislative Assembly by the time he was in his mid-forties; Québec was virtually at his command. His memory was long, and he [read on]
Up-and-coming politician Paul Gouin would also follow in the footsteps of his family. The grandson of Honoré Mercier and the son of Lomer Gouin, the young Paul Gouin would [read on]
Lionel Groulx’s political and social thought came from his work and his upbringing. An historian and a priest, as well as a writer, Groulx grew up in the shadow of Henri [read on]
Henri Bourassa’s lineage bears some mention: the Bourassa household was able to trace their ancestry back on both sides all the way back to the first settlers in New [read on]
Many people stop by their local Caisse Desjardin to do their banking, but did you know that there was a man behind the name? Alphonse Desjardins (not to be confused with [read on]
Founded in 1884 by William-Edmond Blumhart, La Presse’s ideology at the beginnings of its publication was to be an independent newspaper. Independence, however, was [read on]
The story of residential schools is first and foremost a tragic one. Initially considered by both the Canadian government and leaders of the Plains Nations as something that [read on]
Not only the terminus of East End’s green line, Honoré Beaugrand was a person with quite the interesting life. A lifelong traveller and politician, Beaugrand’s family [read on]
The game of speculation and the idea of putting things on risk at the chance of reaping great rewards have been central to the financiers of yesterday and today. The [read on]
A chance partnership at The Montreal Gazette of two men sparked the idea of a satirical magazine that eventually paved the way for the popular anglophone newspapers that [read on]
How did an Irishman become one of the Fathers of Confederation? The story begins, oddly enough, with a young man living in the United States. Thomas D’Arcy McGee originally [read on]
Problems existed almost from the very beginning of the Province of Canada’s new system of government. It seemed to achieve not only the semblance of a democratic system but [read on]
In 1858, a young man arrived in Montréal, unknown to many but a select few who had seen his potential as a scholar back in Manitoba. This man, Louis Riel, was supposed to [read on]
The concept of the Underground Railroad had existed since the late eighteenth century but it was only until the 1830s when its name, part of a code for interested peoples to [read on]
The effects of the 1837-8 Rebellions when the Canada East and Canada West were still Upper and Lower Canada respectively ran deep, and in some regards, it seemed that some of [read on]
Part of the reason why La Fontaine and his team were successful in obtaining responsible government in 1848 was due to the arrival of Lord Elgin the previous year. La [read on]