This Month at Canada's History: McGee, Parachute War, SCC and more

April 2025 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Thomas D'Arcy McGee. Right on time the new issue of Canada's History has a substantial article on the man, by David Wilson, author of the two volume biography that appeared some years ago to much acclaim. Wilson has pointed out that the hundredth anniversary in 1925 produced many and substantial tributes. For the 200th, not much at all. That's more evidence, I think, for the theory that a hundred years is about the longest that personal and community memory of prominent people and events is likely to last.  

Also: a nice short item sparked by the 150th anniversary of the foundation of the Supreme Court of Canada.  And an essay on the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion by James Jackson, which made one of the last large parachute assaults on a well defended location: the German occupied side of the Rhine in the spring of 1945.  It had already been pretty well demonstrated that parachute attacks on defended territory produced unacceptable levels of casualties among the parachutists.  But the Allies were in a hurry, for reasons the article lays out nicely.

Jon Malek on Philipino immigration to Manitoba as sparked by an odd sponsored immigration project from the garment industry of Winnipeg.  And -- timely  -- Jon Lorinc on public investment in housing in the post Second World War period, a project that actually provide housing people needed!  Where have governments like that gone?

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