canadian politics essay topics

Canadian Political Parties and Their Cultural Impact: An Overview

Canadian politics culture refers to the values, beliefs, and attitudes that shape the Canadian political landscape. It is an essential aspect of Canadian society, as it influences how Canadians engage with the political process and make decisions that impact their lives. Understanding Canadian politics culture is crucial, especially for those interested in the Political Parties in Canada niche. In this article, we will provide an overview of Canadian politics culture and examine how it impacts major political parties in Canada.

Table of Contents

Understanding Canadian Politics Culture

Canadian politics culture is a set of shared beliefs, values, and practices that shape the way Canadians interact with their political system. It encompasses all aspects of Canadian political life, including voting behavior, political priorities, and the role of government in society.

At its core, Canadian politics culture is defined by a strong sense of community and a commitment to social justice. Canadians value diversity, inclusion, and equality, and these principles are reflected in their political beliefs and actions.

Moreover, Canadian politics culture is shaped by a strong sense of pragmatism and compromise. Canadians have a reputation for seeking practical solutions to problems, and are willing to work together across party lines to achieve common goals.

Overall, understanding Canadian politics culture is crucial to understanding the dynamics of Canadian politics and the priorities of Canadian voters. By examining the values and beliefs that underpin Canadian political life, we can gain valuable insights into the ways in which Canadians engage with their political system and the issues that matter most to them.

Importance of Canadian Politics Culture

Canadian politics culture plays a crucial role in shaping the country by influencing the way Canadians interact with their government and with each other. This culture defines Canada's political values, norms, and beliefs, which guide the way in which Canadians participate in the democratic process. As such, understanding Canadian politics culture is essential for anyone who wants to engage in Canadian democracy as a voter, politician, or active citizen.

Furthermore, Canadian politics culture plays a vital role in shaping the country's policies and political debates. The cultural factors that influence Canadian politics include the country's history, geography, and diverse population. Canada's political landscape is shaped by its cultural values, such as equality, fairness, and inclusivity, and these values are reflected in its policies.

Therefore, understanding Canadian politics culture is crucial for anyone who wants to navigate the country's political landscape. By being aware of and engaging with Canada's political culture, individuals can better understand the country's political priorities and the reasons behind its policies. This knowledge can help Canadians make informed decisions about who to vote for, what policies to support, and how to engage in the democratic process.

Canadian Political Culture and Values

At the core of Canadian politics culture lies a set of shared values that define the way Canadians engage with their political system. These values include democracy, equality, freedom, and justice. These values are enshrined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which outlines the fundamental rights and freedoms that are guaranteed to all Canadians.

Moreover, Canadian politics culture is also shaped by a number of cultural factors. These factors include Canada's history, geography, and social diversity. For instance, Canada's history as a British colony has influenced its legal and political systems. Similarly, Canada's vast geography has contributed to a sense of regionalism and a diversity of political perspectives across the country.

Canada's political culture is also characterized by a strong sense of community and a desire for compromise and consensus. Canadians are known for their polite and accommodating nature, which has fostered an environment of cooperation and mutual respect in political discourse. This is reflected in Canada's parliamentary system, which emphasizes cooperation and collaboration between political parties.

Despite these positive aspects, Canada's political culture is not without its challenges. Historically, Canada has struggled with issues of inequality and discrimination, particularly towards Indigenous peoples and racial minorities. The country continues to grapple with these issues, and the political landscape is constantly evolving in response to these challenges.

The Role of Media in Canadian Politics

Media plays an essential role in shaping the Canadian politics culture. It is responsible for informing Canadians about political events and issues, as well as providing a platform for political debate. The media has the power to shape public opinion and influence political outcomes, which can have a significant impact on Canadian democracy.

The Canadian Media Landscape

The Canadian media landscape is diverse, with a mix of public and private entities at the federal, provincial, and local levels. The main players in this landscape include the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), private broadcasters such as CTV and Global, and print media such as The Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star. While the media industry in Canada is primarily private, the CBC is a publicly-funded broadcaster that provides a unique perspective on Canadian politics and culture.

The Influence of Media on Canadian Politics

Media has a significant influence on Canadian politics, particularly during elections. Political parties and candidates use various media platforms to communicate their messages and policies to voters, and media coverage can help to shape public perception of political events and outcomes. However, there are concerns about the quality of information that Canadians are receiving, particularly in the age of social media and the decline of traditional news sources. This has led to debates about media regulation and the role of social media in shaping Canadian politics.

Challenges Facing the Media in Canada Today

One of the main challenges facing the media in Canada today is the rise of social media and the decline of traditional news sources. This has led to a proliferation of fake news and misinformation, which can have a significant impact on Canadian politics. The media industry is also facing financial challenges, with declining revenues and the need to adapt to new technologies and business models. These challenges are leading to debates about the future of the media industry in Canada and the role of government in supporting media organizations.

The Role of Civic Education in Canadian Politics Culture

Civic education plays a pivotal role in shaping Canadian politics culture. It is through civic education that Canadians learn about their rights and responsibilities as citizens, as well as the structures and institutions of Canadian democracy. Civic education can take many forms, including formal classroom instruction, community engagement initiatives, and online resources.

The Importance of Civic Education

Civic education is important because it helps Canadians understand the democratic process and their role in it. Through civic education, Canadians can learn about the different levels of government in Canada, the responsibilities of politicians and political parties, and the ways in which they can participate in the democratic process.

The Challenges Facing Civic Education in Canada

One of the challenges facing civic education in Canada today is the decline of traditional news sources and the rise of social media. This has led to concerns about the quality of information that Canadians are receiving and the impact that this is having on Canadian politics. The abundance of information available online can make it difficult for Canadians to distinguish between accurate and unreliable sources, which can lead to misinformation and confusion.

Addressing the Challenges

To address this challenge, it is important to invest in high-quality civic education initiatives that provide Canadians with accurate and unbiased information about Canadian politics and the democratic process. This can be achieved through partnerships between government, non-governmental organizations, and educational institutions to develop and implement effective and engaging civic education programs. Furthermore, online resources can be developed that provide Canadians with easy access to reliable information about Canadian politics and democracy.

Overall, investing in civic education initiatives is crucial to ensuring that Canadians are equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to participate actively in the democratic process and to help shape Canadian politics culture.

The Canadian Political Landscape

The Canadian political landscape is a complex and dynamic system with several levels of government, political parties, and diverse perspectives. At the federal level, the government is responsible for various issues such as healthcare, national defense, and foreign policy. The provinces and territories have higher control over education and healthcare, besides having their own political parties and views.

Political parties and politicians play a central role in Canadian politics culture. Political parties formulate policies and platforms that reflect their values and priorities, and campaign for election to government positions. Politicians represent the interests of their constituents and make decisions that reflect the needs of their communities. The Liberal Party of Canada, the Conservative Party of Canada, and the New Democratic Party are the most influential parties in Canadian politics.

Along with the major political parties, there are also several smaller parties that play a role in Canadian politics. These include the Green Party of Canada, the Bloc Québécois, and the People's Party of Canada. Each party has its own unique perspective on Canadian politics and culture, and contributes to shaping the political landscape in Canada.

The Canadian political landscape is diverse, and its different levels of government and political parties work together to serve the needs of Canadians. Understanding the roles and responsibilities of each level of government and political party is essential to engage in the democratic process.

Major Political Parties in Canada: History, Ideologies, and Current Landscape

Canada has several major political parties, each with their own history, ideology, and current landscape.

The Liberal Party of Canada

The Liberal Party of Canada is one of the oldest and most well-established political parties in Canada, tracing its roots back to the mid-19th century. It is a centrist party that emphasizes social justice, economic growth, and environmental sustainability. The party's current leader is Justin Trudeau, who has served as Prime Minister of Canada since 2015.

The Conservative Party of Canada

The Conservative Party of Canada is another major political party in Canada, with roots tracing back to the 19th century. It is a right-leaning party that emphasizes individual freedom, limited government, and fiscal responsibility. The party's current leader is Erin O'Toole, who has been in office since 2020.

The New Democratic Party

The New Democratic Party (NDP) is a left-leaning party that originated in the early 1960s. It emphasizes social justice, environmental sustainability, and public services. The party's current leader is Jagmeet Singh, who has been in office since 2017.

Other Significant Parties

Aside from the major political parties, there are also a number of smaller parties that play a role in Canadian politics. The Green Party of Canada, founded in 1983, is focused on environmentalism and social justice. The Bloc Québécois is a Quebec-based party that advocates for Quebec sovereignty. The People's Party of Canada is a right-wing populist party that was founded in 2018.

The current political landscape in Canada is complex, with no single party holding a majority of seats in the House of Commons. As a result, political parties must often work together to pass legislation and form government.

Current Political Issues and Debates

Canada's political landscape is continuously evolving, and with it comes a range of issues and debates that are shaping the country's future. One of the most pressing issues facing Canada today is climate change and its impact on the environment. The Canadian government has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and transitioning to a low-carbon economy. However, there is ongoing debate about the best way to achieve these goals. Some suggest that more aggressive action needs to be taken, such as implementing a carbon tax or developing cleaner energy sources, while others advocate for a more gradual transition.

Another major issue in Canadian politics culture is healthcare. The Canadian healthcare system is publicly funded and is often seen as a defining feature of Canada's political landscape. However, there is ongoing debate about how to improve the system and ensure that all Canadians have access to high-quality healthcare. Some argue that the government should invest more in healthcare infrastructure and services, while others suggest that private sector involvement could help to improve efficiency and reduce wait times.

In addition, Indigenous rights are a pressing issue in Canadian politics culture. The Canadian government has a history of mistreating Indigenous peoples, and there is ongoing discussion about how to address the legacy of this mistreatment and ensure that Indigenous peoples are treated fairly and respectfully. This includes addressing issues such as land rights, access to education and healthcare, and representation in government.

Finally, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought a range of challenges to Canada's political landscape, including issues related to public health, economic stability, and social cohesion. The Canadian government has implemented a range of measures to address these challenges, including financial support for individuals and businesses, vaccine distribution programs, and restrictions on public gatherings. However, there is ongoing debate about the appropriate balance between protecting public health and maintaining economic stability, as well as the effectiveness of these measures in mitigating the impact of the pandemic.

Canadian politics culture is a complex and dynamic system that has a significant impact on Canadian society. It is shaped by a multitude of factors, including historical events, geography, demographics, and the economy. Understanding this system is essential for anyone who wishes to participate in Canadian democracy, as it provides a framework for the political process.

Throughout this article, we have examined the key elements of Canadian politics culture, including the values and beliefs that underpin it, the role of the media in shaping public opinion, and the various levels of government and political parties that make up the Canadian political landscape. We have also explored some of the major issues and debates that are currently shaping Canadian politics.

It is clear that Canadian politics culture is constantly evolving, and that there are many challenges and opportunities facing Canada in the years ahead. By staying informed and engaged, Canadians can help shape the direction of their country and ensure that it remains a vibrant and prosperous democracy for generations to come.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. who shapes canadian politics culture.

A. Canadian politics culture is shaped by a multitude of factors, including history, geography, and demographics.

Q. What is the role of media in Canadian politics?

A. Media plays an essential role in shaping Canadian politics culture by informing Canadians about political events and issues.

Q. How does civic education impact Canadian politics culture?

A. Civic education plays a pivotal role in shaping Canadian politics culture by teaching Canadians about their rights and responsibilities as citizens.

Q. Who are the major political parties in Canada?

A. The major political parties in Canada include the Liberal Party of Canada, the Conservative Party of Canada, and the New Democratic Party.

Q. What are some current political issues in Canada?

A. Some current political issues in Canada include climate change, healthcare, and Indigenous rights.

Q. How can Canadians engage in the democratic process?

A. Canadians can engage in the democratic process by voting, participating in political discussions, and joining political organizations.

As a political science PhD holder from a top Canadian university, the author has spent years researching and analyzing Canadian politics culture. Through their work, they have gained a deep understanding of the complex and dynamic factors that shape the Canadian political landscape. In addition to their academic credentials, the author has also worked as a policy analyst for the federal government, where they gained practical experience in the development and implementation of policies related to healthcare, climate change, and Indigenous rights. The author's research has been published in several peer-reviewed journals, including the Canadian Journal of Political Science and the Journal of Canadian Studies. In their articles, the author has cited numerous studies and sources to support their arguments and provide evidence for their claims.

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Canadian politics: Understanding Canada’s political system

The Parliament of Canada is the federal legislature of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, and is composed of three parts: the Monarch, the Senate, and the House of Commons.

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In this longform, we look at the Canadian federal political system from every angle.

From the representative structure to the organization of elections and the history of the regime, we give you a detailed explanation of it all:

• I   -   CANADA’S POLITICAL SYSTEM

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• II   -   HOW DO FEDERAL ELECTIONS WORK?

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• III   -   PAST   ELECTIONS

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• IV   -   SAGA OF CANADA’S CONSTITUTION

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• V   -   CANADIAN CHARTER OF RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS

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122 Canadian History Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

Inside This Article

Canadian history is rich and diverse, offering students a vast array of topics to explore and write about. Whether you are studying Canadian history or simply have an interest in the subject, here are 122 essay topic ideas and examples that can inspire and guide your research.

• The impact of European colonization on Indigenous peoples in Canada.
• The role of the fur trade in shaping early Canadian history.
• The significance of the Royal Proclamation of 1763 in Canadian history.
• The causes and consequences of the Seven Years' War on Canada.
• The impact of the American Revolution on Canada.
• The role of the War of 1812 in shaping Canadian identity.
• The impact of the British North America Act on Canadian Confederation.
• The significance of the Canadian Pacific Railway in uniting Canada.
• The role of Louis Riel and the Métis in Canadian history.
• The impact of the Klondike Gold Rush on Canada's development.
• The causes and consequences of the Red River Rebellion.
• The significance of the Northwest Rebellion led by Louis Riel.
• The impact of the Canadian Pacific Railway on Indigenous communities.
• The role of women in early Canadian society and their fight for suffrage.
• The impact of World War I on Canada's economy and society.
• The causes and consequences of the Winnipeg General Strike.
• The role of the Group of Seven in shaping Canadian art and culture.
• The impact of the Great Depression on Canada.
• The causes and consequences of the On-to-Ottawa Trek.
• The significance of the Persons Case in advancing women's rights in Canada.
• The role of Canadian soldiers in World War II.
• The impact of the Japanese Internment Camps during World War II.
• The causes and consequences of the Baby Boom in post-war Canada.
• The significance of the Quiet Revolution in Quebec.
• The role of Lester B. Pearson in Canadian history.
• The impact of the FLQ crisis on Quebec and Canada.
• The causes and consequences of the October Crisis.
• The significance of the Official Languages Act in promoting bilingualism.
• The role of Pierre Elliott Trudeau in Canadian politics and society.
• The impact of the National Energy Program on Canada's economy.
• The causes and consequences of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
• The significance of the Oka Crisis in Indigenous land rights.
• The role of the Canadian military in peacekeeping missions.
• The impact of the Free Trade Agreement on Canada's economy.
• The causes and consequences of the Meech Lake Accord.
• The significance of the Charlottetown Accord in constitutional reform.
• The role of the Quebec Referendums in Canadian unity.
• The impact of the 1995 Quebec Referendum on Canadian politics.
• The causes and consequences of the Westray Mine disaster.
• The significance of the Canadian Human Rights Act in promoting equality.
• The role of Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan.
• The impact of the 2008 global financial crisis on Canada.
• The causes and consequences of the Idle No More movement.
• The significance of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in addressing residential schools.
• The role of LGBTQ+ activism in advancing rights in Canada.
• The impact of the legalization of same-sex marriage in Canada.
• The causes and consequences of the 2015 Canadian federal election.
• The significance of the Canada-China relations in Canadian foreign policy.
• The role of Indigenous land claims in shaping Canadian law.
• The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Canada's economy and society.
• The causes and consequences of the 2021 Kamloops Indian Residential School discovery.
• The significance of the Black Lives Matter movement in Canada.
• The role of environmental activism in Canadian politics.
• The impact of climate change on Canada's northern regions.
• The causes and consequences of the Quebec sovereignty movement.
• The significance of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples in Indigenous rights.
• The role of Canadian peacekeepers in international conflicts.
• The impact of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics on Canada's image.
• The causes and consequences of the 2013 Lac-Mégantic train disaster.
• The significance of the legalization of cannabis in Canada.
• The role of Canadian women in politics.
• The impact of Canadian multiculturalism on society.
• The causes and consequences of the Newfoundland and Labrador Hydroelectric Project.
• The significance of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in promoting awareness.
• The role of Canadian literature in shaping national identity.
• The impact of social media on Canadian politics.
• The causes and consequences of the 2017 Quebec City mosque shooting.
• The significance of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action.
• The role of Canadian artists in promoting social change.
• The impact of the Me Too movement in Canada.
• The causes and consequences of the opioid crisis in Canada.
• The significance of the 2018 legalization of assisted dying in Canada.
• The role of Canadian athletes in international sporting events.
• The impact of the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests on Canada.
• The causes and consequences of the 2021 Canada-U.S. border closure.
• The significance of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.
• The role of Canadian healthcare system in providing universal coverage.
• The impact of the 2019 federal carbon pricing plan on Canada's environment.
• The causes and consequences of the 2021 Nova Scotia mass shooting.
• The significance of the 2021 discovery of unmarked graves at residential schools.
• The role of Canadian technology companies in the global market.
• The impact of immigration on Canada's population and culture.
• The causes and consequences of the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire.
• The significance of the 2021 federal budget in post-pandemic recovery.
• The role of Canadian musicians in promoting cultural diversity.
• The impact of the 2020 COVID-19 vaccine rollout on Canada's healthcare system.
• The causes and consequences of the 2021 British Columbia heatwave.
• The significance of the 2021 federal election in shaping Canada's future.
• The role of Canadian media in shaping public opinion.
• The impact of the 2017 Canada 150 celebrations on national identity.
• The causes and consequences of the 2020 Beirut explosion on Canadian aid efforts.
• The significance of the 2021 discovery of unmarked graves at former Indigenous residential schools.
• The role of Canadian NGOs in international development.
• The impact of the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests on Canadian policing.
• The causes and consequences of the 2021 Newfoundland and Labrador election.
• The significance of the 2021 federal climate change plan in meeting international targets.
• The role of Canadian universities in fostering research and innovation.
• The impact of the 2020 Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement on Canadian trade.
• The causes and consequences of the 2021 British Columbia wildfires.
• The significance of the 2021 federal budget in addressing economic inequality.
• The role of Canadian filmmakers in promoting Canadian culture.
• The impact of the 2020 COVID-19 travel restrictions on Canada's tourism industry.
• The causes and consequences of the 2021 Alberta oil sands spill.
• The significance of the 2021 federal election in shaping climate policy.
• The role of Canadian athletes in promoting inclusivity in sports.
• The impact of the 2020 COVID-19 school closures on Canadian education.
• The causes and consequences of the 2021 Newfoundland and Labrador oil spill.
• The significance of the 2021 federal carbon neutrality plan in addressing climate change.
• The role of Canadian NGOs in supporting Indigenous communities.
• The impact of the 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns on mental health in Canada.
• The causes and consequences of the 2021 Quebec language law on linguistic diversity.
• The significance of the 2021 federal budget in addressing affordable housing.
• The role of Canadian fashion designers in promoting sustainability.
• The impact of the 2020 COVID-19 border closures on Canadian trade.
• The causes and consequences of the 2021 British Columbia logging protests.
• The significance of the 2021 federal election in promoting reconciliation.
• The role of Canadian musicians in promoting mental health awareness.
• The impact of the 2020 COVID-19 restrictions on Canadian arts and culture.
• The causes and consequences of the 2021 Alberta water shortage.
• The significance of the 2021 federal climate change targets in meeting international agreements.
• The role of Canadian NGOs in supporting refugees and newcomers.
• The impact of the 2020 COVID-19 vaccine passports on Canadian civil liberties.

These essay topic ideas and examples cover a wide range of aspects of Canadian history, from Indigenous rights to contemporary issues. Select a topic that interests you, conduct thorough research, and develop a well-structured essay that demonstrates your understanding of Canadian history and its significance. Happy writing!

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Canadian Politics Essays

Unethical campaign financing in canada: a case study of the in and out scandal, popular essay topics.

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Canadian History Essay Topics For University Students

17 Jan 2019

Canada’s history is an exciting subject. It gives you a particular idea about what life was like before and processes that lead to the modern state. Knowing the history of your country is crucial for general knowledge and the future. Here are 50 Canadian history topics you can write about. They are good as subjects of an essay or a project. Some of them deal with controversial events or movements while some explore general socio-economic, political tendencies. Here you can choose one of history essay topics to create a well-researched and unique paper.

History is a crucial subject. First, it teaches you to understand today’s world. Everything you witness today in Canada regarding government, mentality, or national/international politics has its roots in the past. No event ever happens without reason. If you want to have a better knowledge of causes and reasons – learn history. By leaning past mistakes, we try to avoid them in the future.

Another vital purpose of history is its importance for political science. Learning decisions that were made in the past we can witness the results to decide whether they were effective or not. It is also a great way to master your essay writing skills. If you are not sure about them, you can check how to write an essay for university.

When choosing history project topics, it is essential to find a discussible aspect. It might be controversial or debatable. Building an argument will teach you rhetorical skills. They are useful in life as we often want to be persuasive. To find a suitable subject, you may check out Canadian debate topics .

Always choose a topic that fascinates you and writing will become exciting!

20th Century Canadian History Essay Topics

• Establishment of the Royal Canadian Navy in 1910: Reasons, and Motivations.
• Role of Canada in World War I.
• Vimy Ridge Battle’s Importance for WWI and Canadian History.
• Controversial Society’s Perception of WWI as an “English War”.
• Canada’s International Relationship between the two World Wars.
• Discovering Regional and Social Conflicts at the beginning of the 20th Century.
• The 20th Century Immigration Waves: Influence on Society, Positive/Negative Effects.
• Suffrage Movement in Canada, Fight for Women’s Right to Vote.
• Wall Street Market Crash in 1929 and Processes It Started in Canada.
• The Great Depression in Canada: Causes, Impact, Results.
• The Mackenzie King’s Government: Resolution on Participation in World War II.
• Participation in WWII and Economic Boost.
• Explore the role of Canadian Troops in WWII.
• Social and Economic Change in Canada after WWII.
• Long Way to Independence: Exploration on the Relationship with , Colonialism, and National Identity.
• Bilingual National Identity Development.
• The Importance of the Old Age Pension Institution and Its Influence on Society.
• Reasons for Newfoundland’s Joining as the Tenth Province.

Want to dive into questions of national identity? We gathered all actual Canadian identity essay topics in a new blog post.

Controversial Canadian History Topics

• Internment Camps in Canada: Reasons, Context, Results.
• Were Internment Camps Necessary?
• Separatist Movement in Quebec in the 20th century and its Influence on the Country.
• Front de Libération du Québec: Were The Methods Justifiable?
• Quiet Revolution and the Modernization of Quebec.
• Should the Constitution Be Signed by all Provinces? Explore Quebec’s position.
• Establishment of the Income Tax in 1917 as “temporary wartime measures.”
• The controversy of the 1928 Supreme Court Act that stated Women are not “Persons” to be elected to Public Office.
• Struggle for Equal Rights for Female and Male Workers and Society in the first half of 20th century.
• Cold War and the Establishment of NATO: Should Canada have joined NATO?
• Quebec’s Separation Referendum and its Impact on the Country and Provinces’ Equality.
• Jeanne Sauve, first female General Governor of Canada, Her Government, and Politics.
• Manitoba Schools Question.
• Immigration Policy, Its Development, and Results.
• Establishing Bilingual Society and Its Influence on the National Identity.
• Controversy Behind Aboriginal Assimilation.

Unique Topics On Canadian History For College Students

Here are several more Canadian history essay topics you can benefit from. Pick one of them for your university paper or to use as a debate subject.

If you need examples of an essay or more information, you can check out research paper writing service .

• Explore Results and Benefits of the USA-Canada free Trade Agreement.
• Canadian Historical Role as a Peacemaker.
• Development of Canadian Identity and Contributing Factors.
• The BNA Act and the Constitution (1982).
• Cold War in Canada and Communist Fear.
• Relations Between Provinces and the Country.
• The Regina Riot and Its Justification.
• Radical Political Movements in Canada.
• Differences Between Participation in WWI vs WWII.
• International Policy vs Non Participation in the Vietnam War.
• How The Cuban Missile Crisis Affected USA-Canada Relationships.
• World’s Peacekeeper Role and National Identity.
• 1960’s Tension between French and English Provinces
• The Industrial Revolution and The Working Class.
• Bennett vs King’s Governments, their measures against the Great Depression.
• National Identity in 20th century vs in the 21st century.

By choosing interesting Canadian history topics, you are investing in the success of your paper. Pick a relevant one for your interests that has a scientific value. This list of topics on Canadian history may inspire you for future research and if you need - ask us for fast history homework help . Or you can take one of them directly to create an interesting paper. It is important to learn history to prevent mistakes in the future. It is also crucial to understand national identity.

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Home — Essay Samples — Geography & Travel — Canada — Current Political Structure of Canada

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Review: The Real Meaning of Humanity’s Origin Story

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The Real Meaning of Humanity’s Origin Story

A new book shows what human prehistory has mistakenly taught us—and misunderstands what it still can..

Why do human beings make war? Why, come to it, do they make love?

We tend to see these patterns of human behavior as part of our psychological essence. Call it, quaintly, “human nature.” But it’s “nature” as opposed to what? The traditional answer has been “culture,” or even more quaintly, “civilization.” The norms of civilized life—our complex systems of law, custom, and etiquette—are typically seen as things grafted onto our natures, not strictly essential to our humanity.

The Invention of Prehistory: Empire, Violence, and Our Obsession with Human Origins , Stefanos Geroulanos, W. W. Norton & Company, 512 pp., $29.99, April 2024

What, then, is essential to being human? And how could we ever know? A simple answer suggests itself to the second question: We can look at what human beings were like before civilization. That’s the period of time that we call “prehistory.” But it’s in the nature of prehistory that there is no conventional archive. We are left to speculate or, more dully, to infer what we can from archeological remains—a bone or stone tool here, a cave painting there.

The study of prehistory will never yield a story with anything like the granular detail and certainty of even a short history of the First World War. But given that studies of our prehistoric past have been going concerns for well-nigh three centuries now—engaging some of our best zoologists, neuroscientists, archeologists, geneticists, and philosophers—one would hope that they have culminated in some knowledge of what those very early humans were like.

Stefanos Geroulanos is skeptical. A historian who teaches at New York University, in a new book titled The Invention of Prehistory: Empire, Violence, and Our Obsession with Human Origins , he declares that pretty much every hypothesis about the prehistoric origins of humanity is not science, but “pure ideology.” He is using the word in its Marxist sense of a belief that is held not because there are grounds for supposing it to be true but because it serves somebody’s interests—typically, the interests of those with power. The study of prehistory, Geroulanos writes, claims to be scientific and objective, but it is “often more a narcissistic fantasy than a field of inquiry.”

His dense and fact-rich book makes the case for the prosecution at compelling length: The so-called science of human origins can tell us little worth knowing about humanity. Its record, he claims, is grim. It has helped to rationalize the destruction of Indigenous peoples around the world, to dehumanize the victims of Nazism, and to provide pernicious metaphors for thinking about refugees. He dramatically concludes: “Humanity still bleeds because of our obsession with defining some group of our fellows according to a supposedly savage past.”

These are bold charges. In 20 punchy chapters, Geroulanos takes us through several episodes in the history of prehistory: the quest for the lost “Aryan” language from which many of the languages of Europe and Asia evolved, the constantly changing scientific consensus on what the Neanderthals were like, the many political uses of prehistoric hypotheses to justify one or another contemporary practice as being truer to an essential human nature undistorted by the pressures of civilization.

An illustration of a tribe of prehistoric “cavemen” battling ferocious animals, circa 1906. GraphicaArtis/Getty Images

The relatively well-known figures in his history are given their due: Jean-Jacques Rousseau and his influential ideas about the “state of nature,” Charles Darwin’s account of human evolution in The Descent of Man , Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels’s account of the “primitive communism” that may have marked prehistoric societies, and Sigmund Freud’s theory of neurosis as an “atavistic vestige.”

Geroulanos doesn’t stop at rehearsing these relatively familiar ideas. He also provides detailed and stimulating discussions of the French utopian thinker Henri de Saint-Simon, the attempts made by once-popular Jesuit scientist and philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin to reconcile Darwinian theory with Catholic doctrine, and The Inheritors , William Golding’s excellent novel featuring gentle, intuitive Neanderthals. Nor does Geroulanos restrict himself to literary texts, commenting insightfully on the opening scene of Stanley Kubrick’s film 2001: A Space Odyssey , on the alternative history of the world depicted in the 2018 Marvel film Black Panther , and the claim of certain popular weight-loss techniques to be based on our knowledge of prehistoric human diets.

The book is rich in revealing anecdotes. It is fascinating, for instance, to learn that when the anthropologist W. H. R. Rivers stood as a Labour Party candidate for the British Parliament in 1922, he was greeted by the charge that his party’s principles were fundamentally opposed to human nature. He responded by delivering lectures on the communism of prehistoric man to assure his voters that socialism was entirely natural to human beings. When the German army lost Southern Italy to the Allies, Nazi military commander Heinrich Himmler still thought it worth dispatching an SS detachment to San Marino to find the earliest existing copy of the Roman historian Tacitus’s Germania , which some Nazis believed might give their expansionism a justification in prehistory.

Geroulanos connects ideas and people not commonly discussed together, revealing historical patterns not much remarked upon, making his book informative and valuable even for readers who may know something about the particular authors and historical episodes that he writes about. But Geroulanos is not only interested in a critique of particular authors or hypotheses. His claim appears to be much more sweeping.

Prehistory is not, as he sees it, an honorable pursuit that is often dishonorably carried out; it is rotten through and through, and we would be better off without it. Can he sustain this stronger claim?

A depiction of hominid evolution through time, circa 1900. Dea Picture Library/De Agostini via Getty Images

I am not sure that he can. For one thing, Geroulanos does not make it easy to follow his argument. Attitudes toward his style will inevitably differ, but I did not take to his persistent sarcasm. Darwin is accused of assembling “masses of tedious evidence,” 19-century linguists of “mind-numbingly dry comparative analysis.” But what else is a scholar supposed to do? The art historian Kenneth Clark’s influential 1969 BBC documentary series, Civilisation , is dismissed as “astonishingly priggish,” the Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson as Carl “Jung’s shallowest disciple,” and the Israeli writer Yuval Noah Harari’s bestselling Sapiens as a “deceptive hodgepodge.” These drive-by shootings of fellow scholars strike me as unbecoming: Why not simply set out their arguments and explain what’s wrong with them?

For an author aiming not just to collect salutary warnings from history, but also to derive from them a philosophical moral about the value of all research into human origins, Geroulanos is oddly reluctant to make any philosophical arguments. He damns, instead, by association, evaluating ideas and arguments not in terms of their truth or validity but the consequences of pursuing them.

“The search for origins,” he writes, “began in and then contributed to a long, brutal history of conquest and empire. It has been drunk on hierarchy. It is rooted in illusions—often murderous ones. It has served ferocious power. Its beautiful ideas have justified force against those deemed weak, different, ugly. It has rationalized colonial domination and eugenics. It has contributed to the destruction of Indigenous peoples.”

The rhetoric is powerful, but the metaphors are confused and ill-chosen: Can a “search” be simultaneously “drunk” and “rooted”? And what are we supposed to make of that toothless phrase, “contributed to”? If Geroulanos’s apparent standard for condemning ideas is applied more broadly, it would rule out most scientific research. We need some further reason to think that the terrible things can be blamed on the inquiries themselves and not, for instance, on the racism or callousness of those who pursued them.

When one strips away the ominous rhetoric, one is left with three claims that Geroulanos might be making. He might be saying, modestly and plausibly, that theories of human origins, even when we can know them to be true, cannot by themselves justify any claim about how human society should be. Or he might be advancing a more ambitious skeptical thesis: that it is impossible to know the truth about prehistoric humans. But at times, he appears to be saying something even more radically skeptical than that—that there is no truth to be known about human origins.

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The first of these claims strikes me as both true and important, but it might be made quite simply without the detailed historical excursus. The idea that one can understand the true nature and purpose of anything by looking to its origins has long been diagnosed as the fallacy it patently is—as if things cannot evolve or accrue new qualities and purposes in the course of their histories.

His second claim about the impossibility of knowing about our origins is in tension with what he rightly concedes in other places about new genetic research; for instance, the kind of work studying the Neanderthal genome that won the Swedish paleogeneticist Svante P ää bo his Nobel Prize. But Geroulanos’s praise of this research is backhanded: “However much we may ‘know’ about [the Neanderthal], he continues to say more about us.” The point is well taken, but the scare-quotes around “know” are not.

The extent of Geroulanos’s skepticism becomes clearer in his claim that the past “does not exist independently, suspended in amber, waiting for us. … Every time we find old bones, we dream up a primal scene and flesh it out with details from our own time.” To the extent that I can discern an argument in these passages, it seems to be this: Claims about the distant past cannot be proven for certain. When we inquire into the origins of humanity, the stakes of that inquiry for our self-understanding mean that we are unable to be objective about it. The actual history of these inquiries reveals that their discoveries have nearly always been put to nefarious uses. Therefore, research into human origins is either impossible, or worthless, or wicked. We are better off not doing it.

If there must be inquiry into human prehistory, Geroulanos would rather it took the form of creative and politically engaged mythmaking. Of all the many origin stories he chronicles, he has the most sympathy for the imaginative pictures of feminist theorists such as Elaine Morgan. If Morgan’s myth of a primal matriarchy is, as he puts it, “proudly speculative,” it was no more speculative than those of her male contemporaries who sought to find the primeval origins of (and therefore justifications for) the patriarchy. “We need better origin myths,” he paraphrases her as saying, making it clear that “better” here does not mean more accurate, but rather more politically useful.

I need no argument to feel the force of Geroulanos’s least provocative but most plausible claim: that there is little to be learned about what human beings are really like by looking at what they were like back in the Pleistocene (the epoch before our current one, when modern humans evolved). What human beings are supposedly really like is what we know them to be actually like: destructive and creative, prone to violence and capable of peace. If patriarchy is good for us, then it needs to be good for us now, not just something that happened to suit the cavemen. And the same is true of any claims that we would be better off without it: The possibility that it was the cave women who once ruled the roost is neither here nor there.

But why can’t there be a more innocent motivation for research into human origins? Might our interest in the distant past of our species simply be part of a more general human curiosity about the origins of everything? Is there something equally suspect about physicists researching the so-called Big Bang just because that question is weighted with religious significance? Or about paleontologists wondering about how the dinosaurs died out? Can’t our claims about human origins be as careful, restrained and, indeed, objective, as these other inquiries can be at their best? Geroulanos evidently believes not, but he says far too little to persuade anyone who doesn’t already share his skepticism.

Arguments will not stop us being curious about our origins as a species. Nor should they. When the French painter Paul Gauguin titled his grandest work “Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?”, he was not simply asking three distinct questions. He was suggesting that questions about our present and future require a truthful picture of our past, a past that includes but isn’t limited to our prehistoric past. Perhaps the impulses that animate this insatiable curiosity are the same ones that send adoptees and the donor-conceived on quests to find their biological parents. They can seek this knowledge without supposing that their genetic inheritance is the only one that counts.

Yet, as those analogies themselves show, our natural curiosity is almost uniquely vulnerable to the usual enemies of truth: wishful thinking, delusion, fantasy. But fantasy is best corrected in the usual scientific way. We test our hypotheses to distinguish the true from the merely convenient or flattering. The real lesson of Geroulanos’s stimulating, provoking history is not skepticism, but humility.

Nikhil Krishnan is a fellow of philosophy at Robinson College, Cambridge.

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Canada Essay Examples and Topics

You should understand that assigned essays on Canadian Studies go beyond studying the history of Canada, its politics, and even its government. Here are some ideas to write a good paper on Canada:

Understand the multicultural makeup of Canadian society. Canada has an extensive history of South-East Asian migration, many indigenous peoples, for example, the First Nations, and varied black, Latino, and Arab communities.

You can and should use Canadian literature. While most titles are published in French, there are almost as many books written in or translated to English. Using them lets you gain an insider’s perspective on the country’s history.

Research Canadian Studies essay topics that are similar to yours. As a historical essay, there is a good chance that many of the issues interconnect with each other. The more cognitive links you establish – the better the quality of your essay!

However, there are also things you should avoid doing when writing a Canadian studies essay. For example:

• You should not use terms in which you are not confident. While this goes for any research topic, you must remember the multiethnic makeup of Canadian society and the negative connotations terms, such as “visible minority,” may have.
• Avoid using French books if you are not a francophone. You can easily undermine your essay’s credibility by quoting from sources, which you do not understand. You can find an English version to avoid academic embarrassment.
• On the topic of francophone literature, you should know that plagiarism is still a punishable offense if you translate from French to English with no reference. If you are unsure whether something needs a link to a source, it is better to reference the material than accidentally plagiarize.

Find more helpful essay samples on Canadian Studies on our website!

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After my brother tragically died, I knew I wanted to pursue adventure. Now my family and I live on a catamaran.

• Rob Hamill's brother was killed by the Khmer Rouge when his boat drifted into Cambodian waters.
• Hamill now lives on a catamaran with his wife and sons and honors his brother's legacy.
• He feels he is able to have adventures and time with his family that his brother never got.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Rob Hamill , a 60-year-old former rowing Olympian from New Zealand, about how the murder of his brother by the Khmer Rouge inspired his family's decision to live at sea.

The Khmer Rouge was a Communist political regime ruled by dictator Pol Pot in Cambodia between 1975 and 1979. They were responsible for the deaths of nearly 2 million people .

The essay has been edited for length and clarity.

I grew up in a local small town with a population of 15,000 in a beachside community in New Zealand on the east coast of the North Island called Whakatane.

It was a pretty normal Kiwi upbringing.

I was the last of five children. I was closest to my sister, who was four years older than me. My eldest brother, Kerry, was 12 years older than me. He was probably the one I knew the least. But we were very close, especially as I grew older.

My father loved sailing. He was in the merchant Navy during World War II. He had a real love of the sea.

That heavily influenced Kerry. He ended up going to Australia in his early 20s, looking for sailing opportunities. He went up to Darwin and bought a boat called Foxy Lady.

Kerry wrote really lovely letters. You became part of his story as he told it to us, and we lived vicariously through his adventures.

I was 14 in August 1978 when the letters stopped.

My brother was killed by the Khmer Rouge

The last letter he sent us was from Malaysia's east coast. He and his crew got blown off into Cambodian waters and took shelter on King Island, about 50 kilometers offshore.

Around August 20, his boat was attacked by a gunboat. Kerry was captured by the Khmer Rouge.

Kerry and his friend Stuart Glass, a Canadian, were on deck at the time of the attack. Stuart was shot. They both went overboard, and Stuart died in Kerry's arms. He buried him at sea.

Kerry and John Dewhirst, another survivor on the boat, were taken hostage. A few days later, they were taken to Phnom Penh to the Tuol Sleng prison and tortured for months. We're pretty sure Kerry was executed there exactly two months later, in October 1978.

It was 16 months between his last letter and hearing what happened.

My parents were beside themselves. They wrote letters to different ports all over Asia, trying to find the news.

I heard the news around January 1980. Timelines are vague, but I vividly remember that a neighbor rang us one day saying, "You need to get the paper."

My second-eldest brother John and I drove down to the local shop. There was this pile of papers with the headline: Hamill captured by the Khmer Rouge.

Hearing about my brother's demise — reading about it in the paper — was a real shock. That was the first time I grieved.

John took Kerry's death very hard. They were about a year apart. They did everything together as kids. He came home, and there was considerable unrest as we all struggled.

He messed with some drugs along the way that had an effect on him. He got very depressed. So we had a memorial for Kerry, and then a few months later, John took his life.

I feel almost certainly that if Kerry were here, John would be here today as well.

Two funerals in quick succession shaped our family

I became a bit of a loose cannon, a reasonably big drinker during my school years.

But sport was my savior.

After leaving school, I did this electrical apprenticeship but had no passion for electricity. I was so unhappy, so I took up rugby. Every Kiwi bloke has a go at rugby at some point in their lives.

I did that for a couple of years, and then when I was 19, one of my mates said, "I'm going to try out this rowing thing tomorrow morning at the local club. We're going to just have a go. Do you want to come down?"

I remember going to the first race we had. We won by the thinnest of margins. I was absolutely euphoric.

With racing, you can just hammer yourself so hard, push yourself to the near feeling of death, and then the next minute, you're OK.

I trained harder again, and pretty soon, I was going, "Well, I want to go to the top of this thing."

I rowed in the World Championships for many years, and then the Olympics in 1996. In 1997, I won the first Atlantic rowing race.

Related stories

It was a huge adventure, a big leap into the unknown. There had been several people who'd attempted to row oceans prior to this, but more people had walked Everest than rowed an ocean at that point.

We started in Tenerife, and six weeks later — 41 days later — Phil and I rowed into Barbados and won the race.

I discovered I wasn't at peace with the deaths in my family when I did the Atlantic race. When I was at sea, I grieved.

Every day, at some point, I wept like a baby — when I was on the oars, but usually in the cabin where you could take shelter.

It made me realize my grieving process was very stunted, and I knew there was something I was going to have to do about it.

In 2009, I got the opportunity to testify against Comrade Duch , a representative of the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot, the first person to be brought to any sort of justice for the loss of millions of lives.

This guy was arrested and revealed to be the commandant at the prison where my brother was incarcerated. He ruled with a very heavy hand in a very brutal and clinical way.

My mom had died earlier, and my dad had dementia, so I told the story from my perspective, where I saw the trauma and how it affected each of them.

I did the best I could for the memory of my brother, my parents, and the people of Cambodia.

I just hope I left a little legacy there for them.

When I started my own family, I decided to prioritize experiences together

I met my wife Rachel in 1991. During that time, Rachel and her sister competed as triathletes for Ireland.

We knew each other for about 10 years before we got together. We became friends over time, and then it happened when we were both single and she was visiting New Zealand.

She came out to help her sister, who had had twins. She ended up spending three or four months and went home, engaged to me. We got married about six months later, in 2001.

The boys came along very quickly after that. Finn in 2002, Declan in 2004, and Ivan in 2007.

My parents sent Kerry and John off to boarding school when they were 15 and 16.

My memories of Kerry and John would have been much stronger if we had time to grow up together as a close-knit family.

Rachel and I wanted to be with our kids, have experiences, and grow together. So then the question became, "How do we do that?"

Travel is a great way to do that. After the Atlantic race, I had a bit of a career in speaking. Through that, I managed to raise enough money to buy our boat, the Javelot, in 2014.

The following year, we did a seven-month South Pacific tour and took the boys out of school. In 2018, we went full-time.

The homeschooling pretty quickly took a bit of a backseat. Ivan, our youngest, now 16, has never been to school. The other two did do schooling until we started going away for longer periods of time.

We do learning by doing. We talk a lot about world politics, we talk about local community politics. We go offshore and try to interact with the locals as much as possible.

In 2022, we spent two or three months in Darwin, where Kerry had lived for quite some time.

Through his letters, we knew where he had been, generally speaking, and we followed his path. It was amazing.

We went to Cambodia for Christmas 2022. It was emotional and fantastic, especially for the kids who had listened to this whole story told through their father, mother, uncles, and aunts.

We chose a life of adventure

If you're going to do adventurous things, things are going to happen.

( Editor's Note: In September 2023, Hamill's son Finn experienced a deep water blackout while freediving near the family's catamaran in Thailand. He survived.)

Finn didn't have a clue what happened. He thought he had made it to the surface, and we were going, "No, mate, you were out. You were gone."

About half an hour later, the secondary drowning started kicking in with his breathing.

We called for help, and it took about three or four hours for the boat to come out from the mainland to take him in. He didn't need any intervention at the end other than a saline drip.

It was exceedingly scary. But in the moment, there was almost a serenity about it. Watching how the boys handled it and the way everyone did their job, I could not have hoped for a better response, that show of character under pressure.

What Rachel and I are doing is very much an experiment. We've got no Ph.D to say, "Oh yes, this is the way to raise children." It's real gut instinct stuff — but I believe it's working.

We've got kids who are worldly, beautiful, humble, thoughtful, kind, funny, and adventurous.

I feel privileged and lucky to have this life with Rachel and the boys.

I sometimes dwell on what might have been — that my parents, Kerry, and John could have been sharing this with us. I know they would have absolutely loved it.

All you can do is live the life they might have otherwise had. A life of adventure.

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