Marilla’s Journey of Letting Go

Anne of Green Gables is a 1908 novel written by Lucy Maud Montgomery which explores the coming of age of a girl named Anne Shirley in the town of Avonlea. While Anne’s imaginary adventures make the book resonate with children, it is Marilla’s struggles that adults identify with. In the beginning of the novel Marilla... Continue Reading →

Canada from 1945 to 1995

At the end of the war, Canada had plentiful wealth and was in a powerful position. Anxieties of a postwar decline and large-scale unemployment were shown to be unwarranted, as the industrial war apparatus, designed by C.D. Howe, the federal Munitions and Supply Minister, was smoothly shifted to regular, peacetime use. Not only did the... Continue Reading →

Canada in the early 20th century

Canada entered the 20th century with indefinite wealth and advancement. Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier's government continued building the railway and by 1914 it reached both coasts. While diplomatic relationships began to form with the rest of the world Britain directed most of Canada's international relationships, and Canadians started to get sick of being beholden to... Continue Reading →

Canadian Confederation

The wake of the War of 1812 instilled in Canadians new feelings of dynamism and self-determination. As the economy prospered, settlers in Upper Canada started to take a closer look at Britain's political and economic place in the colonies. Similar inquiries were being made in Lower Canada but for separate reasons: French Canadians bitterly criticized... Continue Reading →

British Canada

When the British took over Canada, few people cared in France. New France, which Voltaire had described as merely "a few acres of snow", had turned into a stinging liability for French administrators and they were more relieved than upset at its loss from the French empire. The period's political elite also thought that the... Continue Reading →

1600s Canada

The rulers of 17th century Europe had trouble colonizing Canada. A freezing, harsh, rugged and unexplored land, Canada was not too likeable for England, France and Spain. But those who did go to Canada found a flourishing system of trade and recognized that it could be an economic boon. The fur trade: The Indian tribes... Continue Reading →

Venturing past the World’s End

Canada has no ancient buildings or monuments, no written records or large-scale conquering civilizations. Our history is not carved in stone. European nations and others in the Old World have long written histories, have seen the rise of large civilizations and have constructed large, ancient cities. We are unique in another way. Our history is... Continue Reading →

The Original Inhabitants

Long before the Europeans arrived in Canada, there were people already living here. Their ancestors were nomads who crossed the Bering Strait from Siberia around 20,000 to 40,000 years ago. These rugged and brave people settled in the frozen wastelands of northern Alaska and the Yukon. It is a wonder that they were able to... Continue Reading →

A Land of Promise

"The national voice of Canada is muted" said the writer George Woodcock many years ago. Canadians often leave it to foreigners to glorify their land before they themselves join in. In 1946, Field Marshal Lord Montgomery noted about Canada: "I saw a great and wonderful country; a land containing in its soil everything that a... Continue Reading →

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