Raymond Blake

Why Canada will never become the 51st state of the U.S. bjreview.com/Opinion/Voice/… Since Canada's Prime Ministers and the Shaping of a National Identity won the Shaughnessey Prize for Political Writing been asked to write short pieces in several journals, including this one.

Very happy to have been asked to contribute an essay on PM Mark Carney, “That rare moment when a prime minister shapes the country,” to Policy Options, the digital magazine of the Institute for Research on Public Policy policyoptions.irpp.org/2026/03/carney…

Awarded Governor General's International Award in Canadian Studies @CiecIccs. It recognizes a scholar who has made an outstanding contribution to scholarship and to development of Canadian Studies internationally through research, teaching and promotion of the study of Canada.

This is an extraordinary photo at an extraordinarily sad time. If there is anything good, this week, it is that we have come together - in a way that others will not, or cannot.

Norway consistently wins the most medals at the Winter Olympic Games, with a population of just 5.6 million people. A big part of their success is how they treat youth sports—and it’s the opposite of what we do in the US. Here’s what we can learn from Norway: 1. Scorekeeping: In the US: Youth sports tend to be hyper competitive even at early ages. Leagues almost always keep score. In Norway: Scorekeeping isn’t even allowed until age 13. Removing winners and losers keeps the focus on the process not outcomes. It keeps kids engaged longer because it minimizes pressure (and tears) and maximizes fun, learning, and growth. The goal isn’t to win a third grade championship. It’s to love sport and keep playing. 2. Trophies: In the US: If you give everyone a trophy, you’re creating snowflakes who will never gain a competitive edge. In Norway: Whenever trophies are awarded, they are handed out to everyone. If getting a trophy makes young kids feel good, we should give them trophies. Maybe they’ll come back and play again next year!! As for the creation of snowflakes with no competitive edge—Norway’s athletes are tough as nails and all they do is win. 3. Prioritizing Fun: In the US: Far too often, the goal is to win. In Norway: The national philosophy is “joy of sport.” Youth sports in the US are driven by adults, ego, and money. Youth sports in Norway are driven by fun. Only half of kids in the US participate in sports. The number one reason they drop out: because they aren’t having fun anymore. In Norway, 93% of kids participate in youth sports. Fun is the foremost goal. 4. Playing Multiple Sports: In the US: There’s pressure to specialize early and play your best sport year round. In Norway: Try as many sports as you can before specializing as late as college. Norway encourages kids to try all types of sport. This reduces injury and burnout and increases all-around athleticism. It also helps promotes match quality, or finding the sport you are best suited for as your body develops, which is impossible if you commit to a single sport too early. 5. Affordability In the US: There is increasingly a pay-to-play model with high fees for leagues, equipment, and travel. This excludes many kids from playing. In Norway: It’s a national priority to keep youth sports affordable and therefore accessible for all. Kids aren’t priced out, which creates opportunities for everyone to participate (and develop into athletes), regardless of their parents’ income level. We could learn a lot from Norway: In the US, 70% of kids drop out of youth sports by age 13. This not only diminishes an elite-athlete pipeline, but it also destroys an opportunity for healthy habits and all the character lessons kids can learn from sport. In Norway, lifelong participation in sport is the norm. The goal isn’t to have the best 9U team. It’s to develop the best athletes. Those are two very different things. And Norway has the gold medals to prove it.

I am pleased to announce the launch of the Stephen J. Harper Archive and Oral History Project. This first-of-its-kind prime ministerial record of the 2006–2015 Harper government is now open to the public. My sincerest gratitude to the team at Library and Archives Canada for their professionalism and dedicated work over the past several years topreserve this chapter of our history.

Great event in Calgary last evening with Irfhan Rawji, Mobsquad principal, and David Leonard of Writers' Trust of Canada around my recent book which won the Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing. Canadians are indeed interested in their history and in the nation's future

HARPER: "I gotta get a dig in here. I'd just say that the American Revolution, the War of 1812, were probably better examples of Canadian unity than the Plains of Abraham."

@stphnmaher I wrote a piece in Brit J of Cdn Studies in 2013 that argued Harper believed we need to understand history to know how Canada became the diverse, inclusive nation it became. At the time there was mostly criticism of his use of Canada's history.

BTW, when Harper was pm I did not give him credit for his attention to Canadian history, which I later came to see as carefully considered and valuable.

I am happy to share a short piece I wrote for Beijing Review. They have interviewed me a number of times for stories but first they asked me to contribute a piece. bjreview.com/Opinion/Voice/…

Ottawa should stop taxing royalties on books by Canadian writers, up to $100k a year. Don't try to decide what books are worthy. Just make it easier to make a living writing.

Reasonable people can disagree on this, but I feel I should point out that in the article I quote @RaymondbBlake, who has been studying the subject for decades theglobeandmail.com/culture/articl…

If you are around Regina on 3 February, you might be interested.

It was supposed to arrive in December but still great to receive the new book with Jeff Keshen today from Bloomsbury Academic.

This was a very significant moment in our history

Today marks the 250th anniversary of the Continental Army's failed assault on Quebec in 1775, when American forces were driven back by local militia and British regulars. The battle ensured that the Province of Quebec would not join the rebellious Thirteen Colonies. It is a night largely forgotten in the United States, yet still rued by more than a few discontented souls in Canada to this day. That successful defense was led by Sir Guy Carleton, later the 1st Baron Dorchester. Carleton University’s name, along with most things in Canada bearing the title “Dorchester,” stems from this legacy. A shame we did not stage a grand reenactment of the battle. Perhaps we can aim for the 255th anniversary in 2030. Ken Burns covered it in his recent documentary series on the American Revolution. youtube.com/watch?v=88LPNK… allthingsliberty.com/2014/01/memory…

@VincentGeloso Wow-- I'll have to read this immediately and cite in a paper on deglobalization we are working on today.

Net impressions of @MarkJCarney hit the lowest level since he became PM More: abacusdata.ca/canada-federal…

Christopher Dornan, The Hill Times, comments on my book Prime Ministers and Identity. He writes the book focuses on how Canada has come to understand itself over the decades, and how a workable political union was forged. hilltimes.com/story/2025/12/…

Great week for Canada's Prime Ministers and the Shaping of a National Identity: reprinted; conversation with Colin Robertson cgai.ca; Listed in The Globe 100 Best Books theglobeandmail.com/culture/books/…; 20% discount for December at UBC Press ubcpress.ca