C.P. Champion

C.P. Champion, Ph.D., is the author of two books, was a fellow of the Centre for International and Defence Policy at Queen's University in 2021, and edits The Dorchester Review magazine, which he founded in 2011.

The Offspring of Canadian Prime Ministers

Commentary It’s interesting how talent in a family gets passed down—or doesn’t. Sir Winston Churchill’s father, Lord Randolph, ...

Viewpoints July 17, 2026
Is July 1 Canada’s ‘Independence Day’?

Commentary The first thing to know about the July 1 holiday is that it does not celebrate Canada’s ...

Viewpoints June 26, 2026
Who Built the Canadian Pacific Railway? Separating Myth From Fact

Commentary Was the Canadian Pacific Railway built by Chinese labourers? The short answer is yes, some of it ...

Viewpoints June 19, 2026
Alexander Campbell: Father of Confederation and John A. Macdonald’s ‘Ideal Political Lieutenant’

Commentary There are quite a few lesser-known Fathers of Confederation who deserve to be remembered for their cameo ...

Viewpoints June 5, 2026
How British Subjecthood Shaped Canadian Citizenship

Commentary “A British subject I was born. A British subject I will die,” was Sir John A. Macdonald’s ...

Viewpoints May 8, 2026
The Fight to Keep Nova Scotia Out of Confederation

Commentary In the saga of Canadian Confederation there were winners and losers. Winners like Cartier and Macdonald are ...

Viewpoints April 17, 2026
Sir John A. Macdonald: A Man of Faith

Commentary “Like a king.” That’s how Sir John A. Macdonald was greeted in public in the 1880s. “Everybody ...

Viewpoints March 20, 2026
The False Historical Pretences of Canada’s Medicare

Commentary Tommy Douglas continues to be celebrated as a national hero, referred to in media reports as the ...

Viewpoints March 12, 2026
The Beginnings of Canadian Military Intelligence

Commentary “Keep your mouth shut” was the blunt order given to Canadian soldiers taking part in French Marshal ...

Viewpoints March 6, 2026
The de Salaberrys: Canada’s History in One Family

Commentary The d’Irumberry de Salaberry family and their descendants cover the pageant of Canada’s history, going all the ...

Viewpoints February 20, 2026
Wilfrid Laurier: The Rebel Nationalist in Power (Part 2)

Commentary Read Part 1 of this article here. Wilfrid Laurier, 26 years old when Canada was reborn as ...

Viewpoints January 30, 2026
The Prime Minister Who Opposed Confederation (Part 1)

Commentary Sir Wilfrid Laurier was one of Canada’s most successful political operators and served as the national Liberal ...

Viewpoints January 2, 2026
The Last Chapter of Canadian Prime Ministers, From Macdonald to Mulroney

Commentary Almost all the monarchs who have ruled over Canada since 1867 died while reigning and were succeeded ...

Viewpoints December 5, 2025
The Historic Cottages and Getaways of Prime Ministers

Commentary Fewer than one in ten Canadians own a second house or cottage, according to Statistics Canada. Most ...

Viewpoints November 21, 2025
Prince Edward Island’s Bumpy Road to Joining Confederation

Commentary Prince Edward Island’s entry into Confederation, which did not occur until 1873, was delayed by a rough-edged, ...

Viewpoints October 24, 2025
The Men Who Made British Columbia

Commentary British Columbians and Vancouver Islanders in the Confederation era, like Maritimers and Newfoundlanders, had three choices: become ...

Viewpoints August 15, 2025
Leonard Tilley: The Father of Confederation Who Proposed Calling Canada a ‘Dominion’

Commentary Canada’s beautiful national motto, “A Mari Usque ad Mare,” from Psalm 72:8, “He shall have dominion also ...

Viewpoints July 18, 2025
The Real Father of Manitoba

Commentary Louis Riel has long been called by some the Father of Manitoba. Though the province’s website is ...

Viewpoints July 4, 2025
‘Noble Chain of Provinces’: More ‘Fathers’ of Confederation

Commentary Roman Catholic bishops supported Confederation in the hope that a strong central government would protect Catholic minorities ...

Viewpoints June 20, 2025
The Other Fathers of Confederation

Commentary While Lower and Upper Canadians were grappling with the 1840 Constitution that forced them together in an ...

Viewpoints June 6, 2025
The Other John Macdonald—the One Who Opposed Confederation

Commentary John Sandfield Macdonald was Canadian born and bred—something that was unusual among his political contemporaries. Born in ...

Viewpoints May 23, 2025
The Humble Stonemason Who Became a Nation Builder

Commentary One day in the early summer of 1874, two gentlemen appeared unannounced at Fort Henry outside Kingston, ...

Viewpoints April 25, 2025
George Brown: From Newspaper Entrepreneur to Father of Confederation (Part 2)

Commentary Part 1 of this article can be read here. In founding The Globe newspaper in Toronto in ...

Viewpoints April 11, 2025
George Brown: From Newspaper Entrepreneur to Father of Confederation (Part 1)

Commentary Part 2 of this article can be read here. In May 1844, George Brown was on a ...

Viewpoints March 28, 2025
The Sudden Death of Canada’s 4th Prime Minister While Visiting Queen Victoria

Commentary Sir John Sparrow David Thompson (1845–1894) was Sir John A. Macdonald’s most skilled protégé and was prime ...

Viewpoints March 14, 2025
The Seagoing Adventures of the Fathers of Confederation

Commentary “In those days they came usually by boat.” So begins the epic biography of Sir John A. ...

Viewpoints February 28, 2025
The Rebel Who Became Co-Prime Minister

Commentary Sir George-Étienne Cartier, co-prime minister of the Province of Canada and Sir John A. Macdonald’s senior partner ...

Viewpoints February 14, 2025