In one of the quirkiest episodes of Canadian political history John A Macdonald and George Etienne Cartier perform a political two-step to avoid facing an election. George Brown is more than a little disappointed. And it all started because Queen Victoria announced that Ottawa would be the Canadian capital. 

John A Macdonald asks the Queen a favour. Thomas D'Arcy McGee arrives in the country, wonders which gang he should join, and then almost becomes a martyr at an absolutely historic St. Patrick's Day party. Oh, and Ottawa becomes the capital. 

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This week it's murder, mayhem, and controversy in the fallout from the murder of Robert Corrigan, an Irish Protestant tough guy who met a dark and painful end. Everyone is convinced that there is no justice for their own side. And then, almost randomly, the government sort of falls, only to be resurrected with a new and familiar face.

If you like what you're hearing and want to support the podcast, please head on over to our Patreon page where, for only $5/month, you can become a real-life patron of the arts - and keep 1867 & All That online in perpetuity. It's kind of like making history. https://www.patreon.com/1867andAllThat 

The ornery and handsome George Brown is joined today by his nemesis - and later frenemy - John A Macdonald. The new Tory government gets things done and then goes and upsets Upper Canada by talking about Catholic schools. There's a massive railway fountain and a setup for the murder and mayhem that's coming next week.

I'm giving a lecture to the Churchill Society for the Advancement of Parliamentary Democracy on Tuesday 17 March at 7PM EDT. The talk is titled "What's So Evil About the Notwithstanding Clause?" If this is at all enticing, you can register for the talk here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/christopher-dummitt-whats-so-evil-about-the-notwithstanding-clause-tickets-270340294097

If you like what you're hearing and want to support the podcast, please head on over to our Patreon page where, for only $5/month, you can become a real-life patron of the arts - and keep 1867 & All That online in perpetuity. It's kind of like making history. https://www.patreon.com/1867andAllThat 

This week we're introduced to the handsome George Brown, the fervent and ornery Reformer who inspired both love and hate. Two former friends - Francis Hincks and Augustin-Norbert Morin - come back to take a brief stint on centre stage. The election of 1854 upends the whole system of political coalitions. Oh, yeah, and parliament burns down again. Twice. 

This week we revisit some old friends - William Lyon Mackenzie, Robert Baldwin, and Louis Lafontaine - and meet a new one - William McDougall. We learn that taking away a Chancery from Baldwin is one court too far, and we also get the first taste of our Clear Grits. If that doesn't mean anything to you yet, don't worry. It will soon. And don't forget the ex-priest Gavazzi who is in Montreal to raise a ruckus.

If you like what you're hearing and want to support the podcast, please head on over to our Patreon page where, for only $5/month, you can become a real-life patron of the arts - and keep 1867 & All That online in perpetuity. It's kind of like making history. https://www.patreon.com/1867andAllThat 

We're back with Season Two of 1867 & All That and we're starting (where else?) with yet another riot. This time it's the controversial ex-priest and anti-Catholic Alessandro Gavazzi who seems determined to stir up anger on his trip to Canada. It's a sign that even after the victory of responsible government, not all is well in the Canadas.

If you like what you're hearing and want to support the podcast, please head on over to our Patreon page where, for only $5/month, you can become a real-life patron of the arts - and keep 1867 & All That online in perpetuity. It's kind of like making history. https://www.patreon.com/1867andAllThat 

This week we are at the end of Season One and we do our best to figure what just happened. What was responsible government? Why did it emerge when it did in the 1840s? And, most importantly, so what? What was the legacy of these events - the rebellions and responsible government - at the time and since? Hint: I think they do in fact matter.

Louis Lafontaine proposes the Rebellion Losses Bill into the Canadian parliament and things get ugly. A mob burns parliament; Montreal is turned inside out; even the Governor General Lord Elgin isn’t safe. Will responsible government hold? And at what cost? And, finally, why are Montreal Tories demanding to be annexed to the United States?

The potato blight arrives and disaster does too. It's time for coffin ships, disease, and economic strife as a new Governor General - Lord Elgin - arrives in the Canadas. There's another election and this time the Governor General stays out of it. Lafontaine and Baldwin have another go at governing and everything goes swimmingly until... well until February of 1849.