HOW CANADIAN ELECTIONS WORK Whee! It’s election time in Canada again. Last Sunday Justin Trudeau put the rumours to rest by requesting and receiving dissolution of the 43rd parliament. We head to the polls for the second time in two years on 20 September. Aside from the — you know

THE ROAD TO 1914 Margaret MacMillan, Penguin Books, 2013 The War That Ended Peace is a giant doorstop of a book: more than 700 pages (with notes) in the Penguin trade paperback. But then, it’s tackling a big, difficult question: how could Europe — so peaceful, prosperous, and powerful in

A CANADIAN CROWN If you walk past a Canadian government building on any 11 December, you may be surprised to see the Royal Union Flag (popularly, the Union Jack) flying alongside the Maple Leaf. That's because 11 December 1931 is Statute of Westminster Day. “What the hell is

A HISTORY OF FAILURE Mike Duncan: 2013-2020 I’m proud to say I didn’t spend the whole pandemic bingeing Netflix and eating doughnuts; I also listened to Mike Duncan’s Revolutions podcast. This was a perfect COVID project; the ten seasons run as long as fifty-five (!) episodes each and,

THE RUTHLESS TRUTH OF WAR Vasily Grossman, Edited & Translated by Antony Beevor and Luba Vinogradova Vintage Books 2007 In 1941 Vasily Grossman was a Russian-Jewish intellectual and novelist living in Moscow. When Germany invaded, he promptly volunteered for service, but was too old and unfit for combat. Instead he

THE MEMOIR OF RAYMOND COLLISHAW, CB, DSO, DSC, DFC CEF Books 2008 It’s remarkable that the highest ranking WWI flying aces in British service are almost all Canadian. Billy Bishop, with 72 credited victories, is the top scorer for the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) while Raymond Collishaw, at 60,