What's Old is News

Author: Sean Graham

Exploring how current events are shaped by history. Each week, Sean Graham will be joined by historians, journalists, and experts to discuss some of the biggest questions in history and how the connect to major policy and cultural decisions being made today. There's also our 'Historical Headline of the Week' segment, where we look at how old news continues to resonate.
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Language: en

Genres: History, News

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Canada's National Debt
Episode 8
Wednesday, 14 January, 2026

This week, Sean Graham talks with Angela Tozer, author of The Debt of a Nation: Land and the Financing of the Canadian Settler State, 1820-73. They discuss how governments take on debt, the purpose of debt, and how colonialism fuelled land speculation. They also chat about how resource extraction was critical to servicing debt, the changes brought on by Confederation, and the on-going legacy of 19th century national debt.Historical Headline of the Week "Debt Management Strategy for 2020-21," Department of Finance Canada.