Rideau Canal near Parliament Hill, Ottawa

I’m pretty good staying abreast of notable political developments, but in many conversations it’s usually a good idea to avoid discussions of politics and religion, and I try to adhere to that conventional wisdom.    However, given that politics is such a big part of the American and Canadian cultures and the fact that a federal election has been called by Canada’s current government, I thought during Canada’s version of what we in the States call the “silly season” I’d find a few political-related things about which to comment.

So, installment 1 is  about a piece of historical / political trivia about Ottawa of which I was unaware.  Given the prominence of Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary, among other major cities in Canada, I’ve wondered why it is that Ottawa is Canada’s capital city.  That question was partially answered for me during a conversation earlier this week from a couple of visitors from Toronto.  Continue reading →