Canadian History Ehx: Canada's Historical Record

 Americans, even those demanding a return to when "things were great," aren't that knowledgeable about U.S. History. Recent data from the American Historical association shows only 13% of students are proficient in history, and under 30% of adults under 45 demonstrate basic understanding. Many adults struggle to name the three branches of government, the purpose of the First Amendment, or the length of congressional terms. 

Americans' knowledge of Canadian History is embarrassing. How many know that Canada was not born from revolution but from negotiation and the 1867 Act of Parliament, becoming a self-governing dominion. How many know that before British rule, much of Canada was New France, established in 1608?

There's a remedy for that. If you're Canadian or American, check out Canadian History Ehx.

Canadian History Ehx is a popular, independent weekly podcast hosted by Craig Baird that explores the "good, the bad, and the weird" of Canada's history. Launched in 2019, it covers topics from pre-colonial times to 25 years ago, focusing on, but not limited to, lesser-known stories, Indigenous history, and regional narratives. 

Craig Baird is an engaging narrator, recounting Canadian History with a gift for drama, storytelling, and ardent enthusiasm. The show is closing in on 700 episodes. Baird just released his first book, CANADA'S MAIN STREET. 

In the book, Baird tells the epic story of the Trans-Canada from conception to completion. Canada's Main Street is an absorbing tale of the political intrigue, budgetary disasters, and heroic innovation that created the 7000-kilometer national lifeline.

Most episodes run from about 35 to 50 minutes. Baird, in Canadian History Ehx, knows how to weave a tale that transfix any listener. 
 
Some of my favorite episodes include the show about the multiple "great fires" suffered by St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, with none as destructive as the 1892 fire that levelled most of the city and reshaped it for years to come.

The episode on Canada hosting the Winter Olympics is especially engaging, since the 2026 Winter Games just finished in Milan-Cortina. 

After years of trying, Canada finally won the Winter Olympics with Calgary's successful bid for the 1988 Games. While many doubted the city could pull it off, the 1988 Games became some of the most successful in history and changed Canada's Winter Olympic history forever.

 

 I love reading about Canadian heroes such as Tommy Prince, who fought in the Second World War and Korea. Highly decorated, he was a ghost in the night and a terror to the enemy. Despite all he gave for his country, the government wanted nothing to do with him after the wars.

With America and its insistence on going its own way via measurement systems, I found the episodes on how Canada made the monumental effort to go from the Imperial System to the Metric System in the 1970s and 1980s especially enlightening. Not surprisingly, it was met with praise and anger and didn't completely take.

I never heard about Ron Sexsmith until I listened to the September 23, 2025, episode. This guy is one of Canada's most celebrated singer-songwriters, and the episode details his life, from his early years playing the circuit in Toronto, to his acclaimed albums through the 1990s into today. 

I applaud Baird for ignoring the anti-woke, homophobic crowd and saying, "It is Pride Month and throughout this month I have stories of Canada's LGBTQ history. Today, I am taking a journey through Canada's LGBTQ history and the men and women who worked to make Canada a more inclusive place for everyone."

 Craig Baird is a passionate historian who presents stories in an engaging, narrative style, covering heroes, villains, and, often, rural history. He can also be heard across Canada each weekend talking about Canada's history on the Corus Radio Network. If he isn't writing about Canada's history, and sharing our nation's stories online, he is visiting historical locations and traveling to second-hand book stores to build his research library. He currently lives in Edmonton.

Craig says: "I love Canadian history and have since I was a child. Too often our history is not known because we are overshadowed by American, British or world history. Canada has a history that is interesting and deep, and it is my goal with my videos and podcast to spread that history."

Canadian History Ehx launched as a podcast in 2019 and has become one of the biggest history podcasts in Canada. Each week, Craig Baird brings Canada's history to his listeners, in stories of the good, the bad and the weird of Canadian history. I highly recommend that you check it out. 

As author David McCullough once said, "The best way to learn about a nation and its people is to study its history."