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Art’s History

Arthur Milnes, an accomplished public historian, is an award-winning journalist, now residing in Kingston, Ontario, where he serves as the in-house historian at the Frontenac Club Hotel. He has edited or co-edited 13 books that highlight the lives and legacies of Canada’s Prime Ministers and U.S. Presidents, the latter in the Canadian context. These include his ‘Canada Always: The Defining Speeches of Sir Wilfrid Laurier’ (2016) and ‘Canada Transformed: The Speeches of Sir John A. Macdonald’, and ‘A Bicentennial Celebration’ (2014), a Globe and Mail bestseller, which he co-edited. He was research assistant on The Rt. Hon. Brian Mulroney’s best-selling Memoirs. Milnes 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.

In this series — launched December 8, 2020 — Art Milnes explores milestone moments in Canada’s political history, occasionally drawing upon his own interactions with some of the notables figures as he offers insightful glimpses and anecdotes that remind us that Canada, too, has a rich and colourful political history.

Today in Canada’s Political History: Kim Campbell formally enters the PC leadership race called to replace Brian Mulroney

Mar 25 2023 — Arthur Milnes — — It was exactly 30-years-ago today that British Columbia’s Kim Campbell announced her candidacy for the PC party’s leadership on this date in 1993. She quickly became the front-runner and was easily elected leader, also becoming Prime Minister, in June 1993. With her victory she became Canada’s first (and so far, only) female Prime Minister. Arthur […]

Today in Canada’s Political History: Ernie Eves elected Ontario PC leader, replacing Mike Harris

Mar 23 2023 — Arthur Milnes — — Veteran Ontario MPP Ernie Eves was elected his province’s Tory leader on this date in 2002. He was replacing Mike Harris who had stepped down after receiving back-to-back majority mandates from voters in Canada’s largest province. Under Harris, Eves had served as both Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance. Eves officially became Premier of Ontario […]

Today in Canada’s Political History: Stephen Harper elected leader of the new Conservative Party of Canada

Mar 20 2023 — Arthur Milnes — — Canada’s new Conservative Party had a new leader on this date in 2004 with the selection of Stephen J. Harper as their standard bearer. He received almost 70 per cent of the vote, easily defeating Tony Clement and Belinda Stronach. Two-years later Harper would be elected Prime Minister and the newly merged Conservative Party, a […]

Today in Canada’s Political History: U.S.-led invasion of Iraq begins

Mar 19 2023 — Arthur Milnes — — United States’ forces, joined by the British, Australian and Polish contingents, began the invasion of Saddam Hussein’s Iraq on this date in 2003. Approximately 160,000 armed forces personnel would be involved in this part of the military campaign. By March 1 President George W. Bush had announced “mission accomplished” and the end of hostilities. Canada, […]

Today in Canada’s Political History: Sudden death of Secretary of State for External Affairs, Sydney Smith

Mar 17 2023 — Arthur Milnes — — Sydney Earle Smith, the veteran President of the University of Toronto, was tapped by rookie PM John Diefenbaker to be the latter’s Secretary of State for External Affairs in 1957. A respected scholar, who had also served as Dean of Dalhousie’s Law School, Smith answered the call to duty and entered Dief’s cabinet. It proved […]

Today in Canada’s Political History: John N. Turner announces he is running for the Liberal leadership in the race to replace Pierre Trudeau

Mar 16 2023 — Arthur Milnes — — History was made on this date in 1984 when former cabinet minister John Turner announced he was putting his name forward in the race to succeed Pierre Trudeau. In his ground-breaking new biography of Turner, John Turner: An Intimate Biography of Canada’s 17th Prime Minister, journalist Steve Paikin describes what the future PM brought to the leadership […]

Today in Canada’s Political History: Foreign Minister Lester Pearson causes a stir after Toronto speech on Canada-US relations

Mar 14 2023 — Arthur Milnes — — Canadian sensitivities about our southern neighbour kicked into high gear on this date in 1955 after Lester B. Pearson, Canada’s Secretary of State for External Affairs, addressed the Canadian Club of Toronto. In his speech, Pearson described the reality of Canadian-American relations, arguing that Canada depended on the U.S. more than was the reverse. Nationalists […]

Today in Canada’s Political History: Former PM Brian Mulroney celebrates the anniversary of Canada-US Acid Rain Treaty

Mar 13 2023 — Arthur Milnes — — Historians and commentators agree that one of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney’s greatest legacies is the Acid Rain Treaty he signed, in 1991, with President George H.W. Bush. As Leader of the Opposition and then Prime Minister, Mulroney had used every lever available to him to bring America to the table to jointly combat this environmental […]

Today in Canada’s Political History: Commons motion, introduced by Joe Clark, officially recognizes Louis Riel as a founder of Manitoba

Mar 9 2023 — Arthur Milnes — — On this date in 1992 the House of Commons officially recognized the role Métis leader Louis Riel played in founding the province of Manitoba. The motion, introduced by Joe Clark in his capacity as the Minister of Constitutional Affairs, came almost 100 years after Riel was hanged in 1885. “It is now time to recognize […]