Dirty Money, Secret Sex: Political Scandals in Canada

Course description

There have been thousands of political scandals in Canadian history, but they have rarely been examined as a collective – it’s always been far too gratifying to witness the stumbles of the powerful to give much thought to the scandals after the fact. In this presentation, UVic History Professor Penny Bryden shows how scandals have evolved since Confederation by tracing the continuities and the changes over time, examining the changing definition of scandal and drawing some conclusions about the peculiarities of Canadian political culture. Ranging from the railway scandals of the 19th century to the most recent transgressions of the current government, this talk offers a new way of thinking both about scandal and about Canada.