Jan 29 2022 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — The United Kingdom’s Harold Wilson, in his second period as British Prime Minister, was in Ottawa on this day in 1975 for talks with Canada’s Pierre Trudeau. As any political history fan knows, our British friends are masters at keeping diaries. In Ottawa with Wilson was his senior policy advisor, Bernard Donoughue, who turned out […]
Jan 27 2022 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — Walter Gordon was born on this date, in 1906, in Toronto. Today’s anniversary of the birth of Canadian economic nationalist allows us to recall the life and legacy of this very important and impactful political leader from the 1960s. In 1957, as Chair of the Royal Commission on Canada’s Economic Prospects, Walter Gordon had warned […]
Jan 26 2022 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — It was a big moment in Newfoundland politics on this date in 1996 with former federal MP and cabinet minister Brian Tobin becoming Premier of his home province. First elected to Ottawa’s House of Commons in 1980, Tobin was re-elected in 1984 and quickly became a well-known critic of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney’s Progressive Conservative […]
Jan 25 2022 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — It was a big day in political history on the Prairies on this date in 1912 as MLAs in Saskatchewan first held their discussions in their brand-new legislative chamber. The legislative complex had been under construction for four years. Premier Walter Scott and his government had led the charge to build the new home for […]
Jan 24 2022 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — A remarkable political and cultural relationship was cemented on this day in 1848 with early Canadian reformers, Robert Baldwin and Louis-Hippolyte LaFontaine, and their followers winning convincing victories in legislature elections in Canada West (Ontario) and Canada East (Quebec). In a matter of months, with these two giants of Canadian political history serving as co-Premiers […]
Jan 23 2022 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — History was made on this date in 2006 with Stephen J. Harper and his Tories earning a minority mandate from Canadians to form the first Conservative government in more than a decade. They would be returned to power with another minority victory after the 2008 campaign and then, in 2011, Harper won a convincing majority […]
Jan 22 2022 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — When I worked at Queen’s Park as a young political assistant in the 1980s, I was fascinated by the portraits of the past Premiers that adorned the Ontario Legislature. And for whatever reason, seeing the portrait of Ontario’s first (and only) United Farmers of Ontario (UFO) Premier, Ernest Drury, left me with a great interest […]
Jan 21 2022 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — Lester Pearson was in Washington, D.C. on this date in 1964 and Canada’s Prime Minister hosted a small dinner for President Lyndon Johnson at Canada’s embassy. At the end of the night, Lady Bird Johnson, America’s First Lady, recorded her impressions of Pearson (who was joined at the dinner by Paul Martin Sr. and Canada’s […]
Jan 20 2022 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — The late Lester B. Pearson would not enjoy the fact we are recalling today perhaps the worst day in his political life. It was a Monday and, on the previous weekend in 1958, he’d been elected national leader of the Liberal party. Entering the Commons for the first time as Leader of the Opposition, it […]
Jan 19 2022 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — One of the giants of Canadian broadcasting and journalism marks his 88th birthday today and I know all the readers of Art’s History will join me in sending best wishes to Lloyd Robertson. A proud son of Stratford, Ontario, Robertson, who was born on this date in 1934, became interested in broadcasting and journalism at […]
Jan 18 2022 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — Recalling the events in Ottawa on this date in 1904 reminds us all of the confidence our early leaders – men like Sir Wilfrid Laurier and Robert Borden – had in the future of Canada. At the inaugural banquet of the Canadian Club of Ottawa, the sitting Prime Minster and two future PMs – as […]
Jan 17 2022 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — On this date in 1974 Ontario’s Pauline McGibbon broke the vice-regal glass ceiling by becoming the first-ever provincial representative of the Queen in any Canadian province. McGibbon served in Ontario’s highest non-political office until 1980. A life-long volunteer, particularly in the Arts, the first time she ever received a salary came when she served as […]
Jan 16 2022 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — As Canadians work to come to terms with the dangers of the protectionism evidenced by the administration of Joe Biden, it seems a good time to recall better days in the relations between Canada and the United States. On this date in 1965 Prime Minister Pearson and President Johnson inked the Auto Pact at the […]
Jan 15 2022 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — It is time today to celebrate the life and legacy of one of the most powerful and important cabinet ministers in Canadian history. I speak, of course, of the legendary C.D. Howe. Clarence Decatur Howe was born in Massachusetts, on this date in 1886. Howe earned an engineering degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology […]
Jan 14 2022 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — It is an important anniversary today involving one of Manitoba’s most significant 20th century politicians. On this date in 1943 Stuart Garson was sworn-in as his province’s 12th Premier. In doing so Garson, who had first been elected to the Manitoba Legislature in the 1920s, replaced John Bracken who had been elected national leader of […]