Let the Eastern Bastards Freeze in the Dark: The West Versus the Rest since Confederation
Mary Janigan

The oil sands. Global warming. The National Energy Program. Though these seem like modern Canadian subjects, author Mary Janigan reveals them to be a legacy of longstanding regional rivalry. Something of a "Third Solitude" since entering Confederation, the West has long been overshadowed by Canada's other great national debate: but as the conflict over natural resources and their effect on climate change heats up, 150 years of antipathy are coming to a head. Janigan takes readers back to a pivotal moment in 1918, when Canada's western premiers descended on Ottawa determined to control their own future — and as Margaret MacMillan did in Paris 1919, she deftly illustrates how the results reverberate to this day.

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Warlords: Borden, Mackenzie King, and Canada’s World Wars
Tim Cook

Two portraits flank the doors leading into Canada's House of Commons: Sir Robert Borden to the left and W.L.M. King to the right. Borden's caption reads: "World War I War Leader, 1914-1918," while King's caption is similar: "World War II War Leader, 1939-1945." No other dates are given. Perhaps that definition makes sense for Borden, who did little of note before the war; it does not ring true for King, Canada's longest serving prime minister. Yet in both cases world wars shaped their careers and legacies. They ushered in massive government changes: income tax, health care, and conscription; changes to society through industrialization, enfranchisement, and patriotic unpaid labour; and they raised enormous armed forces from a civilian base. Warlords is a fast-paced narrative that humanizes the war effort through the eyes of the prime ministers. Set against how our senior politicians governed themselves and the nation during these difficult times, it offers an invaluable perspective of war and war leaders.

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Business & Industry: History of the Prairie West, Vol. 4
edited by Gregory P. Marchildon

The fourth book in the series contains a broad range of scholarly articles regarding the history of business on the Canadian Plains. In November 1981, at the height of the nation's constitutional crisis, the First Ministers assembled in Ottawa to seek an agreement. These are the minutes not taken.

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A Two-Edged Sword: The Navy as an Instrument of Canadian Foreign Policy
Nicholas Tracy

In the first major study of the Royal Canadian Navy's contribution to foreign policy, Nicholas Tracy takes a comprehensive look at the paradox that Canada faces in participating in a system of collective defence as a means of avoiding subordination to other countries. Created in 1910 to support Canadian autonomy, the Royal Canadian Navy has played an important role in defining Canada's relationship with the United Kingdom, the United States, and NATO. Initially involved with participation in Imperial and Commonwealth defence, the RCN's role shifted following the Second World War to primarily ensuring the survival of the NATO alliance and deflecting American influence over Canada. Tracy demonstrates the ways in which the Navy's priorities have realigned since the end of the Cold War, this time partnering with the US and NATO navies in global policing. Insightful, detailed, and grounded in solid historical scholarship, A Two-Edged Sword presents a complete portrait of the shifting relevance and future of a cornerstone of Canadian defence.

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Company Towns: Corporate Order and Community
Neil White

Far from being homogeneous, this books shows how company towns are unique communities with equally unique histories. Company Towns provides a multi-layered, international comparison between the development of two settlements — the mining community of Mount Isa, Queensland, Australia, and the mill town of Corner Brook, Newfoundland, Canada. White pinpoints crucial differences between the towns' experiences by contrasting each region's histories from various perspectives-business, urban, labour, civic, and socio-cultural. Company Towns also makes use of a sizable collection of previously neglected oral history sources and town records, providing an illuminating portrait of divergence that defies efforts to impose structure on the company town phenomenon.

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