Since Confederation, Canadian prime ministers have consciously constructed the national story. Each created shared narratives, formulating and reformulating a series of unifying national ideas that served to keep this geographically large, ethnically diverse, and regionalized nation together. This book is about those narratives and stories.Focusing on the post–Second World War period, Raymond B. Blake shows how, regardless of political stripe, prime ministers worked to build nation...

Asked in 2010 about his pugnacious approach to federal-provincial relations, Newfoundland premier Danny Williams declared “I would rather live one more day as a lion than ten years a jellyfish.” He was only the latest in a long line of Newfoundland premiers who have fought for that province’s interests on the national stage. From Joey Smallwood and the conflict over Term 29 of the Act of Union to Williams and his much-publicized clashes with Paul Martin and Stephen Harper, Newfoundland and...

Driven by its strong narrative, Conflict and Compromise presents Canadian history chronologically, allowing a better understanding of the interrelationships between events. Its main objective is to demonstrate that although Canadian history has been marked by cleavages and conflicts, there has been a continual process of negotiation and a need for compromise which has enabled Canada to develop into arguably one of the most successful and pluralistic countries in the world. The aut...

Driven by its strong narrative, Conflict and Compromise presents Canadian history chronologically, allowing a better understanding of the interrelationships between events. Its main objective is to demonstrate that although Canadian history has been marked by cleavages and conflicts, there has been a continual process of negotiation and a need for compromise which has enabled Canada to develop into arguably one of the most successful and pluralistic countries in the world. The aut...

Every family has a story. Some just haven’t been told – until now. Outport Woman uncovers the remarkable life of Minnie Beatrice Blake, a woman who spent nearly eighty years on Newfoundland’s rugged South Coast. Through Minnie’s experiences, readers are invited into a world of resilience, loss, laughter, and love – where women held families and communities together in the face of hardship and change. Drawing from family memories, local stories, and archival discoveries, this vivid narrativ...

From Confederation in 1867 up to the present day, A History of Canada in 15 Moments investigates 15 key moments in the making of modern Canada. Starting with the treatment of First Peoples and the establishment of the federal union, it takes the reader through the decades to explore the changing place of women, the advent of same-sex marriage and the evolution of a multicultural, diverse society. Taken together, these moments provide a comprehensive understanding ...

Popular and government-funded anniversaries and commemorations, combined with national symbols, play significant roles in shaping how we view Canada, and also provide opportunities for people to challenge the pre-existing or dominant conceptions of the country. Volume 2 of Celebrating Canada continues the scholarly debate about commemoration and national identity. Raymond B. Blake and Matthew Hayday bring together emerging and established scholars to consider key moments in Canadi...

Where Once They Stood challenges popular notions that those who voted against Confederation in 1869 and for union in 1948 were uninformed and gullible. Raymond Blake and Melvin Baker demonstrate that voters fully understood the issues at stake in both cases, and women became instrumental in determining the final outcome, voting for Canada in 1948, believing it provided the best opportunities for their children.

Plusieurs croient que le 1er juillet 1867 représente la date de la Confédération canadienne, le jour de la création du nouveau pays. Mais le processus ne faisait que s'amorcer en 1867. Du petit dominion aux frontières restreintes, le pays est devenu une fédération beaucoup plus grande, avec dix provinces, trois territoires, et des centaines de communautés autochtones. Les politiciens ont longtemps débattu le concept de pays; ils ont bien pesé les avantages et les inconvénients d'une adhési...

July 1st 1867 is celebrated as Canada's Confederation - the date that Canada became a country. But 1867 was only the beginning. As the country grew from a small dominion to a vast federation encompassing ten provinces, three territories, and hundreds of First Nations, its leaders repeatedly debated Canada's purpose, and the benefits and drawbacks of the choice to be Canadian. Reconsidering Confederation brings together Canada's leading historians to explore how the provinces, territories, ...

History provides some interesting case studies of what happens when trade barriers come down. Among them is the story told in this book of Newfoundland's integration into Canada in the aftermath of the province's 1948 referendum. Raymond B. Blake takes a refreshing approach to this episode in Canadian history, avoiding the old shibboleths of conspiracy and local nationalism, and instead making a down-to-earth study of economic and political events.Canadians at Last explore...

Located in the very heart of Burgundy, Côte-d’Or stretches for a narrow 35-mile band but holds some of the world’s most expensive vineyard real estate, where some of the great names of French wine, such as Gevrey-Chambertin, Nuits-Saint-Georges and Puligny-Montrachet, are produced. There is hardly another wine region where knowledge of the back-story is so critical to understanding the wine, for it is impossible to understand burgundy without reference to the place it comes from and the pe...