A Brief History of Canada

Kerry Abel is a professor of history at Carleton University. She is the author of Drum Songs: Glimpses of Dene History, co-editor of Aboriginal Resource Use in Canada: Historical and Legal Aspects, and co-editor of Northern Visions: New Perspectives on the North in Canadian History.

Although Canadian history was recently pronounced to be in its death
throes (if not completely moribund) by a prominent historian, one would
never guess it by the many general survey histories now available. A
Brief History of Canada follows a fairly standard format. It begins with
a survey of geography and pre-contact aboriginal peoples, then takes the
reader from the era of European exploration to the “affluent” and
“anxious” 1990s. There is an attempt at balance, with sections on
regional and national issues; domestic and foreign policies; and social,
economic, and political history. Nonetheless, the emphasis is primarily
on the old story of political and economic nation-building. There are
several basic but helpful maps for the earlier history, and selections
from key documents are presented in sidebars.

The book is not without errors. Some are purely typographical (as in
the variety of spellings of “Québécois” and “Wilfrid
Laurier”); others are factual (as in the assertion that the Rideau
Canal was built for purposes of commercial shipping); and still others
reflect a failure to take into account recent scholarship (as in the
claim that after 1821, the Hudson’s Bay Company ruled “virtually
unchallenged” over Rupert’s Land). Generally, though, the author has
covered the expected ground with the expected accuracy. His book is
neither inspired or inspiring, but it does offer a convenient package
for students looking for a comprehensive introduction to Canadian
history.