May 20 2023 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — Prime Minister Stephen J. Harper appointed a new Chief of Staff on this date in 2013. Ray Novak would serve with great distinction as the PM’s top assistant during the following two years, becoming one of the anchors of the Harper government. Previously, he held the positions of Principal Secretary and Executive Assistant to Harper. […]
May 19 2023 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — Canada’s greatest Prime Minister (equaled only by Sir Wilfrid Laurier) wrote the last letter of his life on this date in 1891. His final written communication was sent to British Columbia Premier John Robson. “It has occurred to me that the present would be an opportune season for your government to discuss with ours the […]
May 18 2023 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau was in Australia around this date in 1970, holding talks with leaders from our Commonwealth from partners Down Under. Along with official discussions with his Auzzie counterparts, Canada’s 15th Prime Minister highlighted an often forgotten chapter in pre-Confederation Canadian history during his stay. He unveiled a plaque and monument on […]
May 17 2023 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — The voice of a pioneering Canadian woman was first heard in the House of Commons on this date in 1963. Pauline Jewett had just been elected as a Liberal MP when she took to her feet in the Commons on May 17, 1963. She was participating in the debate on the new Pearson government’s Speech […]
May 16 2023 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — One of his era’s most important political advisors was born in High River, Alberta on this date in 1938. Jim Coutts went on to serve as Prime Minister Lester Pearson’s Appointments Secretary. Later, he became Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau’s Principal Secretary and served in this crucial non-elected post from 1975 until 1981. He passed into […]
May 15 2023 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — Over the decades Canada has received grief internationally because of Canadian participation in the seal hunt. But on this day in 1978, during one of his famous radio broadcasts, past Governor of California (and future President) Ronald Reagan came to Canada’s defence. “Now for the record, I couldn’t hit one of those seals with a […]
May 13 2023 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — On this date in 1901 Mackenzie King had his first encounter with the new Tory leader, Robert Borden of Halifax. “I received an invitation to Mr. Borden’s reception,” he wrote in a letter to his parents. “I had a short talk with Mr Borden there. I have seen him several times since and he has […]
May 12 2023 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — John Abbott, who had served as a Tory MP since 1881, was made a member of the Senate of Canada on the advice of Sir John A. Macdonald on this date in 1887. A former Mayor of Montreal, Abbott was also a highly regarded corporate lawyer in his pre-politics career. Upon entering the upper house, […]
May 11 2023 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — Future Prime Minister Louis St.-Laurent grew up in Compton, Quebec. It was a small community and no one could have predicted that one day one of its residents would occupy the most important position in the country. On May 11, 1949 during his first national election campaign as party leader and Prime Minister, St-Laurent returned […]
May 10 2023 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — Canada’s longest-serving Prime Minister, the Right Honourable William Lyon Mackenzie King, entered the House of Commons for the first time as an elected MP on this date in 1909. “I feel quite at home,” he told his diary. “In fact, I have never felt more at home in my life than in going about as […]
May 9 2023 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — The great Sir Robert Borden enjoyed a lengthy retirement. He stepped down as PM in 1920 and lived until 1937. Throughout this period Borden kept in touch with many of the friends he had made during his public service. In one letter, dated May 9, 1932, he painted a peaceful picture of his life in […]
May 8 2023 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — It is a great pleasure to send out birthday greetings from Art’s History to that tireless champion of human rights, Irwin Cotler. Over his distinguished career he has served as federal Minister of Justice, helped represent Canada at the funeral of Nelson Mandela (where I had the honour to meet him), combatted antisemitism in all […]
May 7 2023 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — It was on this date in 1880 that Canada established the position of High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. And in filling the post Sir John A. Macdonald turned to a political heavyweight to represent Canada in London, Father of Confederation Alexander Tilloch Galt. To illustrate the importance Canada attached to relations with the British […]
May 6 2023 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — It is a great pleasure to send out birthday greetings from Art’s History to one of Ottawa’s most highly regarded political journalists, CTV’s Vassy Kapelos. She turns 42 today. This broadcast journalist, respected by partisans of all stripes, joined by viewers from coast-to-coast-to-coast, started her career with Global T.V. in Saskatchewan and Alberta, even winning […]
May 5 2023 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — Margaret Trudeau helped lift the stigma faced by the countless Canadians who have experienced mental health challenges on this date in 2006. She did so during an interview with the Globe and Mail in discussing her own struggles with bipolar disorder throughout her adult life. “It’s not just what life throws at you,” Trudeau told the Globe. “Bipolar […]