In honour of #FathersDay, here is a thread about the fathers of our Canadian Prime Ministers!
23. Pierre Trudeau (Justin Trudeau)
Pierre was Canada's 13th prime minister from 1968-1979 & 1980-1984.
Pierre & Justin are the only father and son to serve as PM of Canada.
22. Joseph Harris Harper (Stephen Harper)
Joseph Harper was an accountant for Imperial Oil. He had an avid interest in military history & meticulously researched military insignia for his 1992 book Old Colours Never Die.
21. Paul Martin Sr (Paul Martin Jr.)
One of Canada's most influential politicians, Paul Martin Sr. was a member of Parliament from 1935 to 1968. He served as a cabinet minister for three prime ministers & was heavily influential in the creation of Universal Healthcare.
20. Wellie Chretien (Jean Chretien)
Jean's father was a major influence on him. While the family grew up poor, he wanted his children to escape the working-class life. He made Jean read the dictionary as a young boy. He was also a lifelong Liberal.
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19. George Thomas Campbell (Kim Campbell)
Kim's father was born in Scotland and worked as a barrister. He had served with the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada during the Second World War.
After Kim's mother left when Kim was 12, George raised Kim & her sister.
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18. Benedict Martin Mulroney (Brian Mulroney)
Benedict Mulroney worked as a paper mill electrician in Baie-Comeau, Quebec. He often worked overtime & also ran a repair business to earn extra money for his children to attend university.
17. Leonard Hugh Turner (John Turner)
Leonard, an English journalist, unfortunately died of a botched operation when John was still a toddler. Frank Ross, the future Lt. Governor of British Columbia, became John's stepfather in 1945 when John was 16.
16. Charles Clark (Joe Clark)
Charles was a newspaper publisher in High River, Alberta, where he established the High River Times. The newspaper still exists. Joe (pictured here as a baby) worked at his dad's newspaper in several capacities.
15. Charles-Emile Trudeau (Pierre Trudeau)
Charles-Emile worked as a lawyer and then grew a fortune by building gas stations around the Montreal area & starting the Automobile Owners' Association.
He died suddenly of pneumonia in 1935 when he was 47.
14. Edwin Pearson (Lester B. Pearson)
Edwin was a Methodist, and later United Church, minister. He later became the minister at the Aurora Methodist Church. Edwin is standing to the right. Lester's grandfather Marmaduke, also a minister, is seated.
13. William Thomas Diefenbaker (John Diefenbaker)
The son of German immigrants, William Diefenbaker worked as a teacher and had a deep interest in history and politics. Out of the 28 students in his 1903 class, four, including his son, served in Parliament.
12. Jean-Baptiste-Moise Saint-Laurent (Louis St. Laurent)
Jean was a prominent person in the village of Compton, Quebec and his home was a social centre. He owned a store in the community, ran for the Quebec Legislature in 1894 & was a staunch Liberal.
11. Henry John Bennett (R.B. Bennett)
Henry was a shipbuilder in New Brunswick, but his business did not do well and the family was often short on money. He also attempted to work as a blacksmith, merchant and farmer. He also tried to develop a gypsum mine.
10. John King (William Lyon Mackenzie King)
John was a lawyer who had a struggling practice in Berlin (now Kitchener), Ontario. Despite barely making ends meet, he employed servants and tutors in the home. King described his father as providing a happy home.
9. Joseph Meighen (Arthur Meighen)
Joseph owned a dairy farm near St. Mary's, Ontario and Arthur said his father instilled in him the value of an education & the importance of habits of industry and thrift.
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8. Andrew Borden (Sir Robert Borden)
Andrew was a farmer. He was called by his son, a man of good ability and excellent judgement, who was calm and philosophical. He added he lacked energy & had no aptitude for affairs.
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7. Carolus Laurier (Sir Wilfrid Laurier)
Carolus was bilingual and dynamic. He instilled in Wilfrid an interest in politics from an early age. He had several hobbies including astronomy & mathematics. He also served as mayor of the community and a local inventor.
6. Charles Tupper Sr. (Sir Charles Tupper)
Charles was the co-pastor of a Baptist Church in Amherst, Nova Scotia. He was also an accomplished Biblical scholar and wrote two books on Biblical Scriptures.
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5. John Bowell (Sir Mackenzie Bowell)
John emigrated to Canada with his family when Mackenzie was 10. He worked as a cabinet maker and taught that trade to his son.
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4. John Sparrow Thompson (Sir John Sparrow David Thompson)
John made his son recite poetry at school ceremonies and meetings of the Halifax Mechanics' Institute in order to overcome his shyness. He also taught his son shorthand.
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3. Joseph Abbott (Sir John Abbott)
Joseph was a prominent Anglican missionary and he wrote two books, one about emigrating to Canada and another that was his memoirs.
His great-great grandson was Christopher Plummer.
2. Alexander Mackenzie Sr. (Alexander Mackenzie)
Alexander was a carpenter and ship's joiner who moved frequently for work during the Napoleonic Wars. He died suddenly when his son was only 13, forcing Alexander to end his education to support the family.
No picture found.
1. Hugh Macdonald (Sir John A. Macdonald)
Hugh was an unsuccessful merchant in Glasgow, forcing a move to Upper Canada when John was a child. Hugh then operated a series of businesses in Upper Canada & became the magistrate for Midland District.
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During the fur trade era, the Red River Jig emerged as a dance that blended European step-dancing with the traditional dances of the First Nations.
Over time, the dance became an important part of Metis culture.
Let's learn more!
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The origin of the Red River Jig is believed to be a combination of the dancing of the First Nations, French-Canadians and Scottish-Canadians.
The dance tended to be complex, with the foot never rising higher than the ankle.
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Many fur trade clerks made sure to learn the Red River Jig so they could perform it alongside their trading counterparts to show friendship and an acceptance of other cultures.
Competition among dancers could be fierce during these performances.
On this day in 1980, six American diplomats, travelling with valid Canadian passports, escaped Iran.
They were hidden for months by Canadians, who played a massive role in their escape.
Let's learn the real (not the Argo version) story of The Canadian Caper.
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Amid the Islamic Iranian Revolution in 1979, people stormed the US Embassy in Tehran on Nov. 4, 1979. Dozens of diplomats were captured and held hostage.
They demanded that the Shah of Iran come back to the country and face trial.
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Six American diplomats were able to escape from the embassy. For six days they went from house-to-house. One of the diplomats, Robert Anders, contacted Canadian immigration officer John Sheardown (pictured). Sheardown invited them to stay in his home.
On this day in 1700 CE at approximately 9 p.m. PT, an 8.7-9.2 magnitude earthquake hit the coast of present-day British Columbia.
The Juan de Fuca plate slipped by 20 metres along 1,000 km fault rupture.
Let's learn more about this event
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While there are no written records of the earthquake, much of what happened has been related in the oral histories of the First Nations.
The exact time and day comes from the record of a tsunami that hit Japan hours after the earthquake.
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One oral history tells of an earthquake and ocean wave that destroyed settlements in Pachena Bay. On the north end of Vancouver Island, the oral history states there was a nighttime earthquake that destroyed nearly every home in the settlement.
In the summer of 1970, a CNR train journeyed across Canada. On that train was a non-stop party and jam session consisting of Janis Joplin, The Grateful Dead, The Band, Ian & Sylvia, and others who took part in the Festival Express.
Let's learn more!
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When the Transcontinental Pop Festival, better known as the Festival Express, was being planned there were planned concert stops in Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg and Vancouver.
The festival was developed by Ken Walker and promoted by Eaton-Walker Associates.
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The train consisted of 14 cars that included two engines, one diner, five sleepers, two lounge cars, a baggage car, two flat cars and a staff car.
The first stop was planned for Montreal at the Autostade on June 24, 1970.
Over the course of centuries, Canadian English developed as its own distinct form of the language.
It takes elements from French, First Nation languages and United States English to form something completely unique.
Let's learn more about Canadian English!
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There are several varieties of Canadian English.
There is Standard Canadian English, spoken from British Columbia to Ontario.
There is also Quebec English, Atlantic Canada English, Newfoundland English and Indigenous English.
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Standard Canadian English is defined by the cot-caught merger, a chain shift of vowel sounds called the Canadian Shift and the Canadian Raising feature. That feature makes words like height and hide have different vowel qualities.
Today is Winnie-The-Pooh Day. It commemorates the birthday of A.A. Milne, who wrote Winnie-the-Pooh.
But without Canada, there would have never been a Winnie, Tigger, Rabbit, Eeyore, or the Hundred Acre Wood.
Let's learn more about Winnie the Pooh and Canada!
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On Aug. 24, 1914, a train stopped in White River, Ontario on its way to Camp Valcartier in Quebec. The train contained members of the Canadian Army Veterinary Corps. One soldier on that train was Captain Harry Colebourn.
He was on his way to serve in France.
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While he was stopped in White River, a trapper came up to Colebourn and offered to sell him a bear cub. Colebourn bought the bear for $20. He named the bear cub Winnie after his hometown of Winnipeg.
The bear became his companion all the way to England.