Browse Items (115 total)

  • Collection: Peter Desbarats's Collection

How Times Change: 53 Years Ago We Fought the Red Army

Ottawa, Ontario

Desbarats points out that Canada sent 5000 troops to fight against the revolutionary Red Army during the 1918 Russian Revolution. He uses this point to springboard into a discussion about Canada’s ability to play both sides of a…

Blunt Talk Against the U.S. is Now Beginning

Winnipeg, Alberta

He argues that western Canada used to feel less anti-American prior to President Nixon’s 1971 trade policy change. After, there seemed to be greater consensus between Ontarians and western Canadians, Winnipeggers in particular,…

Manitoba's New Medicare Plan: Doctors on Salary

Winnipeg, Alberta

Discusses the debate over the rising costs of health care and a desire to transition hospitals to community health centres. Pressure was increasing to have a board of governors manage doctors within these organizations and that…

Our Doctors Need a Public Watchdog

Ottawa, Ontario

Desbarats discusses the issue of doctors being the ones who investigate other doctors. In the case he describes, a man who was both a member of the public and a doctor himself was leading the inquiry into the case of his son’s…

Pierre Elliott Trudeau: A Man Today

London, Ontario

Desbarats believed Trudeau was too good to be true as a politician and therefore, unfortunately, had a nowhere to go but down. He expounds on Trudeau’s solid education, ethnic background, linguistic ability, appearance, finances,…

The War On Sideburns Is Over

Peter Desbarats had sideburns before they became a socially acceptable style of facial hair. He recalls some of the difficult barbers he encountered and the unhappiness expressed by many of his colleagues and CBC viewers.

In Our Weeks of Anguish: A Journal of October

Desbarats recounts his experience of the October Crisis of 1970. He provides a day-by-day account of his experience from Monday October 5, 1970 through to Monday October 25, 1970. He was creating a documentary on separatism for CBC at the time and…

Newfoundland's Politics Loses Gusto

St. John's, Nfld.

Article written on location from St. John’s, Newfoundland. Desbarats explores the strange, mystified, and almost familial nature of Newfoundland politics at the time. This traditional political style was being weakened by a new,…

Tory Hopes in Quebec Ride on a Leader

Ottawa, Ontario

Focuses on the Conservative Party’s decision over who would lead the upcoming election campaign in Quebec. He notes that all members who were being considered were bilingual and that despite possessing an English surname, candidate…

Unique Canada' PM's Election Theme

Ottawa, Ontario

Discussed Pierre Trudeau’s election campaign, which stressed Canada’s uniqueness and superiority on the world stage. However, Desbarats believed this view may not be agreeable to Quebecers.