Canadian-History

Wilfrid Laurier PhD graduate, Eric Story, and adjunct professor there, follows the journey of thousands of men and women who paid an entirely different price than did the dead in service to Canada after the Great War: the 180,000 military service members who suffered some form of wounding, injury or illness on the battlefields of the Western Front.

The lecture premieres in-person at the Civic Museum. The recorded conversation will be available on YouTube, and our Museum Everywhere Portal.

The Military Lecture series is a partnership between the Laurier Centre for the Study of Canada and Guelph Museums.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the presentation starts at 7 p.m., followed by a question period.

University of Guelph MA graduate, Austin Foster, presents the history of the University of Guelph’s War Memorial Hall, based on archival research for the War Memorial Hall: Its Early History, Heritage, and Legacy – A Centennial Retrospective (1924–2024) report. 

The lecture will premiere in-person at the Guelph Civic Museum. The recorded conversation will be available on YouTube, and the Museum Everywhere Portal.

The Military Lecture series is a partnership between the Laurier Centre for the Study of Canada and Guelph Museums.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the presentation starts at 7 p.m., followed by a question period.

Join Jane Thomas, to discuss her recently published book, Wilful Neglect. Drawing on the Department of Indian Affairs annual reports, memoranda, and budgets over more than seventy years, Thomas' work reveals how federal health policies, shaped without Indigenous input and rooted in colonial ideologies, allowed tuberculosis to devastate First Nations in Canada. This conversation will explore the lasting impact of these policies today and the urgent need to reckon with the legacy of systemic racism in Canada’s health systems.

• In person at Laurier Centre for the Study of Canada, 232 King St. N., Waterloo
• On Zoom -  Register for the Zoom livestream

Drawing upon his 20+ years of experience as a War of 1812 reenactor, Tom Fournier will talk about his motivation for being a reenactor.  He will share his memories on the field, travelling the globe, meeting royalty, and even experiencing the paranormal.

Did you know that the Region of Waterloo is home to a Cold War nuclear shelter? Built in 1966 and designed by the same architectural firm responsible for the CN Tower, the bunker was constructed to ensure the continuity of government in the event of a catastrophic nuclear strike.

Join Dr. Sara Matthews for a discussion about how communities imagined nuclear survival and the role of Canadian Cold War propaganda. Together we will explore the visual communication of public safety and consider the question, “how is citizenship constructed in relation to threat?”

On March 26 at 7PM, Laurier Brantford's History program presents its biannual People Make History event, featuring a panel discussion on historical Canadian-American relations and contemporary links with Dr. Lara Campbell, Dr. Tim Cook, and Dr. Asa McKercher.

Register on Zoom.

Three graduate history students present their research on Pride themes. Tuesday, April 29, 2025 at 1:00 pm. Register to be sent the Zoom link.

The Battle of Britain in the summer of 1940 was the greatest aerial battle in history. In this talk at Laurier Centre for the Study of Canada, Ted Barris uncovers the unknown stories of Canadian airmen, ground crew, as well as engineers, aeronautical designers, medical officers and civilians who answered the call and turned back the very real threat of Nazi invasion. Barris is an award-winning journalist, author, broadcaster and author of 22 best-selling non-fiction books.

Donald Trump wants Canada to be his 51st State. He isn’t the first American leader to think that way, and he won’t be the last. At the Laurier Centre for the Study of Canada (LCSC), Norman Hillmer, a leading historian of the Canadian-American relationship, reflects on how Canada resisted the United States in the past, and he asks whether and how much present challenges are different from yesterday’s.

Henry Tsang, visual and media artist from Vancouver, talks about his 360˚ Riot Walk project and book, White Riot: The 1907 Anti-Asian Riots in Vancouver.