Canada: A People's History

Canada: A People's History
Format	Documentary
Starring	Various
Narrated by	Maggie Huculak
Theme music composer	Claude Desjardins and Eric Robertson
Country of origin	Canada
Language(s)	English, French (original); later dubbed to multiple foreign languages
No. of episodes	17
Production
Executive producer(s)	Mark Starowicz
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	120 min/60 min
Broadcast
Original channel	CBC
Picture format	NTSC (480i)
Audio format	Stereo
External links
Website

Canada: A People's History is a 17-episode, 32-hour documentary television series on the history of Canada. It first aired on CBC Television from October 2000 to November 2001. The production was an unusually large project for the national network, especially during budget cutbacks. The unexpected success of the series actually led to increased government funding for the CBC. It was also an unusual collaboration with the French arm of the network, which traditionally had autonomous production. The full run of the episodes was produced in English and French. The series title in French was Le Canada: Une histoire populaire. In 2004, OMNI.1 and OMNI.2 began airing multicultural versions, in Chinese, Greek, Hindi, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, and Russian.

The producers intended to make this a dramatic history of the Canadian people; as much as possible, the story was told through the words of the people involved, from great leaders and explorers to everyday people of the land at the time. The documentary makes effective use of visuals, transitions, and dramatic music from or evocative of the eras being covered. In the first season, actors representing historical figures spoke their words, while later seasons used voiceovers over photographic images and film or, when available, original recordings of the subject.

Episodes

Series 1

#	Title	Time span	Topics	Personalities
1	When the World Began...	15,000 BC–1800 AD	First Nations and Inuit history First European contact	John Cabot Jacques Cartier James Cook Chief Donnacona Henry Hudson Maquinna
2	Adventurers and Mystics	1540–1670	European exploration Hunt for Northwest Passage Founding of New France Start of fur trade	Jean de Brébeuf Étienne Brûlé Martin Frobisher Samuel de Champlain Jean Talon
3	Claiming the Wilderness	1670–1755	Expansion of New France and its fur trade Conflict with British colonies Acadian deportation	Louis de Buade de Frontenac Robert de LaSalle Charles Lawrence William Shirley
4	Battle for a Continent	1754–1775	Period around the Seven Years' War Battle of Louisbourg Taking of Quebec City at the Plains of Abraham	Guy Carleton Benjamin Franklin Louis-Joseph de Montcalm James Wolfe
5	A Question of Loyalties	1775–1815	The effects of the American Revolution on Canada Attempted invasion Loyalist migration The War of 1812	Benedict Arnold Joseph Brant Isaac Brock Guy Carleton Richard Montgomery Charles-Michel de Salaberry Tecumseh

Series 2

#	Title	Time span	Topics	Personalities
6	The Pathfinders	1670–1850	The Northwest is opened by the fur-trading Hudson's Bay Company and North West Company Explorers and adventurers discover the layout of Canada's interior.	Alexander Mackenzie Pierre-Esprit Radisson David Thompson Pierre Gaultier de Varennes
7	Rebellion and Reform	1815–1850	Advocates of democracy clash with colonial governors Bloody rebellions are squashed The goal of self-government is realized	Robert Baldwin Joseph Howe William Lyon Mackenzie Louis-Joseph Papineau
8	The Great Enterprise	1850–1867	The story of Confederation Advocates of nationhood struggle to create a new dominion The American Civil War rages	George Brown George-Étienne Cartier Agnes Macdonald John A. Macdonald Harriet Tubman
9	From Sea to Sea	1867–1873	Canada's fledgling dominion tries to spread west The Red River Rebellion British Columbia joins Confederation	George-Étienne Cartier John A. Macdonald Thomas D'Arcy McGee Louis Riel

Series 3

#	Title	Time span	Topics	Personalities
10	Taking the West	1873–1896	The Macdonald government faces economic trouble The fate of Riel The Manitoba Schools Question The CPR is completed	Big Bear Crowfoot John A. Macdonald Alexander Mackenzie Louis Riel
11	The Great Transformation	1896–1915	The immigration boom and prairie settlement bring sweeping change Political movements and intolerances arise The First World War looms	Robert Borden Henri Bourassa Won Alexander Cumyow Wilfrid Laurier Guglielmo Marconi Nellie McClung John McCrae Clifford Sifton J.S. Woodsworth
12	Ordeal by Fire	1915–1929	World War I bears a heavy toll in Europe and at home Conscription is a divisive issue Labour unrest follows war's end	Robert Borden Lionel Groulx Sam Hughes Wilfrid Laurier Nellie McClung Arthur Meighen
13	Hard Times	1929–1940	The Great Depression and the Dust Bowl bring suffering and crisis International turmoil leads to the next war	William Aberhart Richard Bedford Bennett Maurice Duplessis Mitchell Hepburn Adolf Hitler William Lyon Mackenzie King Cairine Wilson

Series 4

#	Title	Time span	Topics	Personalities
14	The Crucible	1940–1946	The Second World War is Canada's coming of age Bravery and anguish at home and abroad	Winston Churchill Tommy Douglas Adolf Hitler William Lyon Mackenzie King Andrew McNaughton Franklin Delano Roosevelt
15	Comfort and Fear	1946–1964	The baby boom and the age of television bring prosperity The Cold War looms large	John Diefenbaker Tommy Douglas Maurice Duplessis René Lévesque Lester Pearson Joey Smallwood Louis St. Laurent
16	Years of Hope and Anger	1964–1976	The 60s and 70s bring change The Quiet Revolution EXPO 67 A new flag The FLQ crisis The rise of Trudeau.	Doris Anderson Robert Bourassa Jean Lesage René Lévesque Patrick Moore Lester Pearson Pierre Trudeau
17	In an Uncertain World	1976–1990	Economic and political uncertainty rise The 1980 Quebec referendum Constitutional reforms are followed by the dawn of free trade.	Robert Bourassa Jean Chrétien René Lévesque Peter Lougheed Brian Mulroney Pierre Trudeau John Turner

Production

The production team, christened the Canadian History Project and later renamed the CBC Documentary Unit, is headed by producer Mark Starowicz. They continue to work on CBC documentaries, including the series The Canadian Experience, The Greatest Canadian, and Hockey: A People's History.

External links

• Official website
• Canada: A People's History for Teachers (CBC Learning)
• Canada: A People's History at the Internet Movie Database