“On the morning of December 6, 1917, in the midst of the First World War, the munitions ship SS Mont-Blanc and the freighter SS Imo collided in the narrows of Halifax Harbour,” Trudeau said. “The SS Mont-Blanc caught fire and erupted in an explosion that levelled the north end of Halifax – changing the city forever.

“It …. remains one of the deadliest disasters in Canadian history. Nearly 2,000 people were killed in the blast, including hundreds of children. Thousands more were gravely injured. Half the city’s population was left without shelter in the immediate aftermath.

“The tragedy devastated Halifax, but Nova Scotians, like Vincent Coleman, responded with resilience and courage. A railway dispatcher, Coleman gave his life to warn incoming trains of the danger. Soldiers, sailors, police, firefighters, and hundreds of civilians rushed to the disaster zone to help the injured and rescue those trapped under debris. Communities across the province and country offered support, and help poured in from friends beyond our borders – from Massachusetts to Australia. Together, Nova Scotians recovered, rebuilt, and emerged stronger than before.”

Arthur Milnes is an accomplished public historian and award-winning journalist. He was research assistant on The Rt. Hon. Brian Mulroney’s best-selling Memoirs and also served as a speechwriter to then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper and as a Fellow of the Queen’s Centre for the Study of Democracy under the leadership of Tom Axworthy. A resident of Kingston, Ontario, Milnes serves as the in-house historian at the 175 year-old Frontenac Club Hotel.