Series 22

McMaster University Archives and Special Collections holds an internationally renowned collection of rare books and archives, much of which relates to the history of Canada. These records tell the stories of some of the major events of Canada’s past and document the lives of those who have made an impact on our national culture and society.

In his lecture, Christopher Long, McMaster Archivist and Librarian, will guide us through a discussion of archives and rare books from the time of Confederation, the Wars, Modern Canada, and the present.

Our discussion will focus on several of

When Justin Trudeau became Canada’s 23rd prime minister in 2015, he boldly announced to the world: “Canada is back.”  Based on the initial responses of Canadians at home and leaders abroad, his message was well received.  But what did it really mean? Would Canada reinvest in its foreign service, its international development officials, or its military? Would Ottawa pursue international leadership on pressing global issues? Had Canada ever left in the first place?

The last seven years have presented the Trudeau government with a variety of entirely unexpected foreign policy challenges: from the election of Donald Trump, to

Jay will speak about how changing market conditions and technological advances are changing the business of manufacturing and the important role that advanced manufacturing will play in shaping the future of the Canadian economy.

He will also highlight some of the initiatives being undertaken by NGen, the organization leading Canada’s Advanced Manufacturing Supercluster, as it builds world leading advanced manufacturing capabilities in Canada.

Presentation Link

Medical device alarm sounds have been implicated in hundreds of deaths annually. Curiously, although the technology within these life-saving devices has advanced rapidly, they appear to use the same simplistic sounds employed in early electronic devices. Today barriers to improving the sounds are no longer technical, but merely historical. Using insights from musical sounds, my team explores changes to auditory alerts with the potential for improving the quality of human computer interaction with hospital medical devices – a multi-billion dollar industry.   We have shown these approaches can increase their efficacy while decreasing annoyance, which is key to improving surgical

In this author discussion about the book How Government Really Works — a field guide to bureaucracies in Canada, Jane Allt and Angela Poirier will shed light on the complex roles bureaucrats occupy within the civil service, including the power they wield in the political arena.

While they had public servants in mind when they wrote the book, they have heard back from many groups and individuals about the value of the book in helping people understand the monolith of government structure, the role of various players within the system, and the challenges and constraints governments face when delivering

Paddy will discuss The Canada I Have Seen from both her perch as  a former MP for Burlington and her now current international role.

Learning objectives for this session include a brief look at the reconciliation history, the challenges of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and opportunities for reconciliation as we move forward.

Marlis Butcher is an environmental conservationist and a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and of The Explorers Club. In July 2019 Marlis became the first visitor to bag (visit) all 47 Canadian national parks, 1/3 of which have no road access.

To share the park experience and encourage appreciation of these natural wonders, she published her first book Park Bagger – Adventures in the Canadian National Parks, a collection of short stories of adventure and discovery.

In 2016 Marlis was one of the first persons to visit Canada’s newest national park at the time, Qausuittuq, in Nunavut.