With the Canadian election days away, Sean Graham revisits his 2022 conversation with Steve Paikin about his biography John Turner: An Intimate Biography of Canada's 17th Prime Minister. They talk about Turner's lengthy career, which spanned the decriminalization of homosexuality and abortion, stagflation, and free trade. They also discuss Turner’s career, legacy, and what we can learn about modern politics from studying Canada’s 17th Prime Minister.

Historical Headline of the Week

Robert Libman, "Will John Turner's Fate Befall Mark Carney?" Montreal Gazette, March 1, 2025.

Sean Graham talks with Barbara Messamore, author of Times of Transformation: The 1921 Canadian General Election about one of Canada's turning point elections. They discuss the post-war economy's, including tariffs, role in the campaign, how suffrage influenced the election, and the emergence of William Lyon Mackenzie King on the national stage. They also chat about whether the lauded 'ballot question' truly exists, how historians and political scientists can differ in their approach to elections, and the legacy of the 1921 campaign.

Historical Headline of the Week

Jamie Bradburn, "Canada's first female MP and the federal election that changed Ontario," TVO Today, September 23, 2019.

Sean Graham talks with Nina Studer, author of The Hour of Absinthe: A Cultural History of France's Most Notorious Drink. They talk about the drink's origins, its cultural importance in France, and its consumption by French soldiers. They also chat about the class distinctions associated with the drink, how gender dynamics influenced its perception, and the absinthe's an in France in 1915.

Historical Headline of the Week

Alice Fisher, "Return of the green fairy: once-notorious absinthe enjoys UK revival," The Guardian, November 15, 2024.