Canada's History - Canada's History

Spring 2026

Cover story: Funny Bones — How comedy made its way into Canada’s national consciousness

Article / In This Issue

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With 7 uniquely curated newsletters to choose from, we have something for everyone.

Changing Minds

How a small-town Ontario doctor persuaded Canada to rethink mental illness.

Show Boat

It was meant to last two decades, but traditional repairs to the 89-year-old Samson V are keeping the steamboat afloat as a museum.

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Rulers of the Court

The Edmonton Grads spent 25 years at the top of their game.

Finding a Place

One woman’s journey from displaced person to mother of four in Toronto.

In the 1960s, Montreal was a Modern architectural showcase. From Place Ville Marie to Place Bonaventure to Expo 67, the city reverberated with the construction of new and remarkable buildings. Remarkable, too, for the time were the number of women architects at the centre of this activity.

2025 Governor General’s History Awards

Géo-visualiser les patrimoines de Mercier–Hochelaga–Maisonneuve

This project actively breathes new life into the stories of a Montreal working-class neighbourhood whose collective identity continues to inspire and unite.

Erin Quinn

Through Discovering Our Roots, Erin Quinn’s students became historians and museum curators as they explored their community’s local history.

Hans-Jürgen Lüsebrink

In his superb intellectual biography of an important but largely forgotten figure in Quebec’s media and political scene at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th, Hans-Jürgen Lüsebrink makes a major contribution to Canadian history.

The Governor General's History Awards

Celebrating the very best in Canadian achievements in the field of history and heritage.

View all the recipients, past and present

Latest Stories

The Wind Whisperer

Lauchie McDougall kept trains safe with his uncanny ability to gauge Newfoundland’s wind velocities.

Heart Attack

Vancouver's oldest hospital wing may not survive its latest operation.

Funny Bones

Is comedic talent part of Canada’s DNA? Not quite, but here’s how it made its way into our national consciousness.

The Next War

Book review: Sayle guides us through top-secret documents that the U.S., U.K. and Canada developed to reveal “indicators” of “any impending Soviet attack.”

Any Sound You Can Imagine

Canada’s music history hasn’t included much, if anything, about Hugh Le Caine. These researchers want to change that.

Watershed Moments

How four mid-century floods altered Canadian urban history.

Education

Discussion Guide: “Shots Fired”

This activity explores the history of public health in Canada from pre-Confederation to the present.

Tracing the Tensions of the Cold War

In this lesson, students will examine the context of the Cold War and the causes that led to the conflict.

Running Towards Change

In this lesson, students will learn about Terry Fox and explore the history and development of lower limb prostheses.

Learning about Indigenous Law and Legal Orders Through Story

Societies throughout the world have different sources, or authorities, of law. In this activity, students will explore authorities of law in Indigenous societies. Students will specifically look at stories and use laws found in a story to approach solving a problem.