One of the most interesting — and daunting — experiences for an author is to field questions about their book from an informed audience. The audience last night in the officers’ mess of The Queen’s York Rangers was nothing if not well informed about the period I cover.

Their predecessor regiment, the Queen’s Rangers, fought in the American Revolution and managed to preserve their colours (on the wall behind me in the photo) after the British defeat at Yorktown.

I was particularly taken with the comments of Lieutenant-Colonel Gerry Almendradas, the commanding officer, who stressed how attitudes formed long ago might inform current military challenges. A man after my own heart!

My thanks to Vicki Oilers and Darrell Bricker, who made the event happen; Donald McKenzie, chair of the regimental council, for his warm welcome; Jaiden Valentine for his help; and Ross McKee for a great, anecdote-filled tour of the mess, including an improbable painting of General Isaac Brock.

#canada #history #books #cdaus

What a pleasure to talk about my book with members of the Canadian International Council, Waterloo branch, last night at St. Jerome's University. An engaged and thoughtful audience!

There are a lot of people to thank for making it happen. Special thanks to John English for the invitation, Shawky Fahel for smoothing the way, Ryan Touhey of the history department at St. Jerome’s for co-sponsoring my talk, and Krenare Recaj for dashing out and getting more books when it looked like we did not have enough!

#hedidnotconquer #canada #cdnhist #cdaus @dundurnpress

Photo credit: Frances Barclay

#OTD February 22, 1776, the commander of the American forces occupying Trois-Rivières, Quebec, wrote Benjamin Franklin, urging him to use his reputed supernatural powers to conquer Canada.

“I understood you are a great man that you Can Turn the Common Course of nature that you have power with the Gods and Can Rob the Clouds of their Tremendious Thunder,” wrote William Goforth.

“Rouse once more my old Trojan Collect the Heavey Thunders of the United Colonies and Convey them to the Regions of the North and Enable us to Shake the Quebec walls or on the other hand inform us how to Extract the Electric fire from the Center.

“Then Perhaps we may be able to draw a Vein athwart their Magazene and Send them upwards Cloathd as Elijah was with a Suit of fire. One or the other of these must be done or we shall be drove to the Necessity of another Frolick of boarding the Town.”

#hedidnotconquer #canada #history #cdaus #america250 @dundurnpress

“The Unanimous Voice of the Continent is Canada must be ours. Quebec must be taken.” So wrote John Adams in a letter sent #OTD Feb. 18, 1776, to fellow revolutionary James Warren.

At the time, the Continental Army occupied Montreal and Trois-Rivières and were laying siege to Quebec City, the last major population centre in the British colony.

Adams said that if the British kept Canada “it would enable them to inflame all the Indians upon the Continent, and perhaps induce them to take up the Hatchet, and commit their Robberies and Murders upon the Frontiers of all the southern Colonies as well as to pour down Regulars, Canadians and Indians together upon the Borders of the Northern.”

He seemed heartened by the decision to send Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Chase, and Charles Carroll of Carrollton to Montreal to salvage the faltering invasion. “These three Gentlemen compose a Committee, which I think promises great Things,” he told Warren.

#hedidnotconquer #canada #history #cdaus #America250 @dundurnpress

#OTD Feb. 15, 1776, the Continental Congress asked Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Chase, and Charles Carroll of Carrollton to go to Canada to ask the French Canadians to join the American Revolution.

It was acting on the advice of a sympathetic French Canadian, Prudent Lajeunesse, who had told the Committee of Secret Correspondence that the only way to overcome the suspicions of the Catholic clergy and the seigneurs was for delegates to make the case in person.

The clergy and seigneurs were happy with what Britain had given them in the Quebec Act of 1774 and feared the Americans would ban the Catholic religion and end their privileged positions in Canada.

Carroll was not a delegate. But he was a rich Catholic who could speak French. Congress asked him to bring along his relative, John Carroll, a Catholic priest. The three Americans, who would later become founding fathers, would not set out for Montreal until April 2.

#hedidnotconquer #canada #history #cdaus #americanrevolution @dundurnpress

There’s an ongoing guessing game about how far in the past Trump is trying to drag the US. I argue that it’s 1775, the year the Americans began their revolution and invaded Canada.

#hedidnotconquer #canada #history #cdaus

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/a91425a21cd18629c26c754fab99e8791c6c9be15781e04c2a59836ac18a553b/VWAATTX5IFGY5KDER4CEJSIRSU

It is heartening to see two former prime ministers, from different parties, have a friendly conversation about Canadian unity in the time of Trump.

I will admit being slightly biased because Mr. Chrétien mentioned my book (He Did Not Conquer: Benjamin Franklin’s Failure to Annex Canada).

#hedidnotconquer #canada #history #cdaus #americanrevolution @dundurnpress

https://www.cpac.ca/headline-politics/episode/in-conversation-with-stephen-harper-and-jean-chretien--february-2-2026?id=977ffd72-e7c1-4466-ba02-1514a88eda79

My take on the historical aspects of the prime minister’s Quebec City speech.

#hedidnotconquer #canada #history #books #cdaus @dundurnpress

https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/op_eds/opinion-carney-picks-the-wrong-battle-in-quebec-city

Notice something missing from this chronology of the American Revolution in a commemorative edition put out by Time magazine?

It jumps from August 1775 to January 1776, without mentioning the American invasion of the British colony of Canada, which began in September 1775 and ended in failure.

Canadians consume tremendous amounts of American culture, and with it the American version of history.

#hedidnotconquer #canada #history #books #cdaus #americanrevolution250

Benjamin Franklin received a disappointing birthday present when he turned 70 years old #OTD January 17, 1776.

He and fellow delegates to the Continental Congress learned that the Continental Army failed to take Quebec City by storm more than two weeks earlier.

It would take many more months and a personal visit by Franklin to Montreal before they realized that the American invasion of Canada, begun in September 1775, was a complete failure.

#hedidnotconquer #canada #history #cdaus #books #bookstodon #americanrevolution @dundurnpress @lizcovart.bsky.social