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.
Aug 28 2023 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — Canada’s future wartime Prime Minister, Robert Borden, delivered his maiden address in the House of Commons on this date in 1896. Later in life, and writing in his memoirs, Borden recalled his early impressions of the Commons. “There seemed a lack of dignity in the attitude and behaviour of members as well as in the […]
Aug 27 2023 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — Former Prime Minister Sir Mackenzie Bowell distinguished himself on the floor of the Senate on this date in 1896. The Laurier government had just taken power after racial and religious strife had been on full display in the national election earlier that year. At issue was the Manitoba Schools issue which pitted Catholic against Protestant. […]
Aug 26 2023 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — Environmentalist Elizabeth May was elected Green Party leader on this date in 2006. Before entering the leadership race, she had headed the Sierra Club of Canada, and was a Conservative staffer in the office of a Tory Environment during the Mulroney years. May had also helped found the Canadian Environmental Defence Fund and had global experience working […]
Aug 25 2023 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — Legendary Quebec Liberal Bryce Mackasey was born in Quebec City on this date in 1921. Starting in 1962, his province’s voters would end up sending him to Ottawa seven times as a MP. Under Pierre Trudeau, this popular Irishman served in a number of portfolios and was said to be a personal favourite of Trudeau’s. […]
Aug 24 2023 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — President John F. Kennedy’s Secretary of State, Dean Rusk, visited Ottawa on this date in 1963. He was in Canada’s capital to brief Prime Minster John Diefenbaker on the Soviet Union’s recent military buildup on the island of Cuba. At this point, however, it was not known if the Soviets were moving missiles onto the […]
Aug 23 2023 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — It appeared that cracks were appearing on Pierre Trudeau’s backbench on this date in 1983. In light of devastating polls that showed Liberals trailing the new Tory leader Brian Mulroney and his party by 55 percent to a paltry 27 per cent for the Grits, six Liberal MPs had called publicly for Trudeau to step […]
Aug 22 2023 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — If there was one aspect of about public life that John Diefenbaker particularly enjoyed, it was signing autographs. All one has to do is look at the many copies of his Bill of Rights he hand-signed with pleasure, or how he happily autographed copy after copy of his three volume memoirs, One Canada for admirers. Dief was never […]
Aug 21 2023 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — In a wily move worthy of Sir John A. Macdonald or Mackenzie King, Jean Chrétien announced on this date in 2002 that he would be stepping down as Liberal Party leader and PM. But in revealing his plan Chrétien had a surprise. Yes, he said, he’d be stepping down – in 18 months! It was […]
Aug 20 2023 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — U.S. President Richard Nixon was at his California retreat at San Clemente (the Western White House it came to be known) on this date in 1969. He spent part of his day briefing six Ambassadors he had appointed before they headed off to represent the United States in various world capitals. Incoming US Ambassador to […]
Aug 19 2023 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — It was an exciting and historic day on Parliament Hill on this date in 1896. The inaugural Parliament of the Sir Wilfrid Laurier era got underway. As always, the first order of business was the nomination of a new Speaker of the House of Commons. Sir Wilfrid put forward the name of Liberal David James […]
Aug 18 2023 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — Canada was at war. It was August 18, 1914 and MPs gathered for the first time since World War I had begun. Prime Minister Robert Borden and former Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier both addressed the House that day. Laurier spoke first. Sir Wilfrid Laurier: “It is our duty to let Great Britain know, and […]
Aug 17 2023 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau lost his finance minister on this date with the resignation of Bill Morneau. He had been Trudeau’s first Minister of Finance, appointed to the all-important portfolio when the 23rd PM assumed office in 2015. Morneau was replaced by Chrystia Freeland. He later wrote a memoir detailing his policy differences with Trudeau and his […]
Aug 16 2023 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — Andrew Wetmore had a lot to celebrate on August 16, 1867. Not only was it his birthday, it also happened to be the date he became New Brunswick’s first post-Confederation Premier. Wetmore had been against Confederation when he entered the Legislature, but switched to the pro-Confederation forces and found success. He would hold the post […]
Aug 15 2023 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — On this date in 1808 Charles Fisher, a future New Brunswick Father of Confederation, was born. He was only 29 when he entered colonial politics in what would become the province of New Brunswick. Fisher was an important reformer who advanced education and electoral reform between 1854 and 1861. Later, he was a delegate to […]
Aug 14 2023 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — Canada’s wartime Prime Minister, Sir Robert Borden, was in England on this date in 1915. He was meeting with his British colleagues and Canadian military officials as World War I continued. He also took time to visit a fellow Nova Scotian who had retired to the U.K. “On August 14,” Borden wrote in his diary, […]