The Heritage Minutes is a series of sixty-secondshort films, each illustrating an important moment inCanadian history. Published byHistorica Canada, theMinutes integrate Canadian history,folklore and myths into dramatic storylines.[1][2][3] Like theCanada Vignettes of the 1970s, theMinutes themselves have become a part ofCanadian culture and been the subject of academic studies as well as parody.[4]
TheMinutes were first introduced on March 31, 1991, as part of a one-off history quiz show hosted byWayne Rostad.[5] Originally distributed to schools,[2] they appeared frequently on Canadian television and in cinemas before feature films, and were later available online and on DVD.[4] "Radio minutes" have also been made.[6] From 1991 to 1995, 50 episodes aired. In 2012, newMinutes were produced in the lead-up toCanada's sesquicentennial (150th anniversary ofCanadian Confederation) in 2017.
TheMinutes have featured appearances by some of Canada's best-known personalities, includingJared Keeso,Michael Shanks,Calum Worthy,Colm Feore,Dan Aykroyd, andKate Nelligan. Voice-over end narration for the Heritage Minutes has been provided by such recognizable voices asPeter Mansbridge,k.d. lang,Adrienne Clarkson, andLloyd Robertson.[7]
The thirteen original short films were broken up and run between shows onCBC Television and theCTV Network. The continued broadcast of theMinutes and the production of new ones was pioneered byCharles Bronfman's CRB Foundation (subsequentlyThe Historica Dominion Institute),Canada Post (withBell Canada being a later sponsor), Power Broadcasting (the broadcasting arm of thePower Corporation of Canada), and theNational Film Board.[5] They were devised, developed, and largely narrated (as well as scripted) by noted Canadian broadcasterPatrick Watson, while the producer of the series was Robert Guy Scully.[5]
In 2009, "The Historica Foundation of Canada" merged with "The Dominion Institute" to become "The Historica-Dominion Institute", a national charitable organization.[8] In September 2013, the organization changed its name to "Historica Canada".[9] While the foundations have not paid networks to airMinutes, in the early years they have paid to have them run in cinema theatres across the country.[10] TheCanadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has ruled thatHeritage Minutes are an "on-going dramatic series"; eachvignette thus counts as ninety-seconds of a station'sCanadian content requirements.[11][12]
The first sets ofHeritage Minutes were released in five segments between 1991 and 2000. A set of eight newHeritage Minutes, covering military moments in Canadian history, were released in 2005.[13] In 2012, two newMinutes were created on theWar of 1812 in anticipation of the war's bicentenary,[14] and in 2014 two moreMinutes were released onJohn A. Macdonald andGeorge-Étienne Cartier that had been filmed in and around Toronto in September 2013.[12] To honour the centenary of the start ofWorld War I twoMinutes were released: one on theWinnipeg Falcons in 2014 and one on Canadian Nursing Sisters in early 2015.[15][16] In September 2015, to commemorate the 35th anniversary ofTerry Fox's run to conquer cancer, Historica released a "Minute" on Fox's inspirational run.[17]
February 2016 saw the release of a "Minute" onViola Desmond, a trailblazing black female entrepreneur from Halifax who spoke out against racial discrimination in Nova Scotia.[18] On June 21, the 20th anniversary of National Aboriginal Day,Historica Canada released two newMinutes. The first tells the story ofChanie "Charlie" Wenjack, whose death sparked the first inquest into the treatment of Indigenous children in Canadian residential schools.[19] The second, Naskumituwin, highlights the making ofTreaty 9 from the perspective of historical witness George Spence, an 18-year-old Cree hunter from Albany, James Bay.[20] On October 19, Historica Canada released another Heritage Minute that shows a story about anInuk artist namedKenojuak Ashevak. It is also the first Heritage minute that is narrated on not just its official languages (English and French) but also a third language, where this Heritage Minute is narrated inInuktitut.[21]
A 2012 Ipsos Reid poll of 3,900 Canadians selected the five most popular Minutes.[22] Tied for first place were the episodes onJackie Robinson and theHalifax Explosion, followed byJennie Kidd Trout,Winnie-the-Pooh andLaura Secord.[22]
Of the over 100 "Heritage Minutes" available online, one onCanadian peacekeeping in Cyprus was pulled from broadcast shortly after its 1991 premiere, and was only posted onHistorica Canada YouTube channel in 2016, while being omitted from the listing on "Historica Canada" official website.[23] According toThe Canadian Encyclopedia published by Historica Canada:[7]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 The Lost Heritage Minute - "Lester B. Pearson" (variously called "Cyprus" and "Peacekeepers")" – Historica Canada. - Heritage Minutes (1:01 min) |
A Minute about Canadian peacekeepers in Cyprus produced in 1991 was criticized by Turkey's ambassador to Canada on the grounds that it depicted Turkish citizens in a poor light. The producers responded that the Minute explored Canada's role in peacekeeping and that no slight to Turkey was intended. The Minute was soon pulled because of historically inaccurate costume details that were discovered after the Minute was released. As well, the Turkish ambassador to Ottawa complained that the Minute treated his country unfairly. However, the producers have said this was not a factor in the decision to pull it from circulation.
In 2020, three Heritage Minutes were deleted from Historica's website and Youtube channel -Louis Riel (1991),Grey Owl (1999), andSir John A. Macdonald (2014). Historica toldCTV News in 2024 that the removal of the Louis Riel Heritage Minute was due to a lack of consultation with theMétis community at the time of production, and concerns about presenting the Heritage Minute in classrooms, due to it graphically showing the hanging of the Metis Leader. However, theManitoba Metis Federation stated that Historica had not consulted with them about removing the Heritage Minute and expressed support for the violent reality of the depiction.[24] The Grey Owl Heritage Minute was later restored to the Historica website.[25]
| Episode[7] | Released | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Peacemaker | 1992 | The formation of theIroquois Confederacy presented by aFirst Nations grandfather explaining the significance of theGreat Peace to his granddaughter.[26] |
| Vikings | 1992 | L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland is settled by Norsemen (Vikings) around the year 1000 CE.[27] |
| John Cabot | 1991 | Italian navigator and explorerJohn Cabot discovers theGrand Banks of Newfoundland.[28] |
| Jacques Cartier | 1991 | French navigator and explorerJacques Cartier misunderstands some Natives resulting in the nameCanada.[29] |
| Jean Nicolet | 1992 | Frenchcoureur des bois and explorerJean Nicolet becomes the first European to reachLake Michigan, but thinks it's thePacific.[30] |
| Governor Frontenac | 1992 | New France, under the leadership of French governorLouis de Buade de Frontenac, repels the British invasion at theBattle of Quebec (1690) (narration was later added to this Minute in order to clarify the story).[31] |
| Syrup | 1997 | A First Nations family teaches early settlers how to makemaple syrup.[32] |
| Laura Secord | 1993 | Canadian heroineLaura Secord aids the British in theWar of 1812 with an overland trek to warn of an American military advance.[33] |
| Responsible Government | 1991 | Queen Victoria decides to grant Canadaresponsible government after the crushing of theRebellions of 1837.[34] |
| Baldwin & LaFontaine | 1992 | Lawyer and politicianRobert Baldwin andLouis-Hippolyte Lafontaine build interlingual cooperation.[35] |
| Orphans | 1991 | French Canadian families adopt Irish orphans in the 1850s while allowing them to keep their original names.[36] |
| Underground Railroad | 1991 | AnAfrican American escapes to Canada along theUnderground Railroad.[37] |
| Etienne Parent | 1990 | Journalist and government officialÉtienne Parent demands equality for French and English.[38] |
| Hart & Papineau | 1995 | The efforts of politician and lawyerLouis-Joseph Papineau give full equality of religion toJews in Canada.[39] |
| The Paris Crew | 1995 | The surprise victory of theParis Crew, a group of unheralded Canadian rowers, at the 1867 World Championships.[40] |
| Joseph Tyrrell | 1992 | Geologist and cartographerJoseph Tyrrell discovers a plethora ofdinosaur bones in Alberta (seeRoyal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology).[41] |
| Basketball | 1992 | Sports coachJames Naismith's invention ofbasketball is featured.[42] |
| Joseph Casavant | 1992 | Joseph Casavant, world-renownedorgan maker is featured.[43] |
| Emily Carr | 1992 | The art ofEmily Carr is featured.[44] |
| Soddie | 1991 | Prairie settlers build ahouse of sod (seeAddison Sod House).[45] |
| Midwife | 1992 | A look at the importance ofmidwives in early Canada.[46] |
| Saguenay Fire | 1992 | The 1870 fire inSaguenay is featured.[47] |
| Sandford Fleming | 1990 | Engineer and inventorSandford Fleming develops the system of internationalstandard time.[48] |
| Nitro | 1990 | A youngChinese Canadian risks his life to set a dangerousnitroglycerine charge while helping to build theCanadian Pacific Railway in the 1880s.[49] |
| Jennie Trout | 1991 | Jennie Trout becomes Canada's first woman doctor.[50] |
| Rural Teacher | 1992 | TeacherKate Henderson sways school trustees to embrace new methods, and the event is represented in the famous painting byRobert Harris,A Meeting of the School Trustees (see image at top).[51] |
| Louis Riel | 1991 | The achievements and execution of political and spiritual leaderLouis Riel are featured.[52] |
| Sitting Bull | 1990 | Native American ChiefSitting Bull seeks refuge in Canada (starringGraham Greene as Sitting Bull).[53] |
| Les Voltigeurs de Québec | 1990 | The rehearsal for the first performance ofO Canada.[54] |
| Grey Owl | 1999 | Englishman Archie Belaney (played byPierce Brosnan) rises to prominence as a notable author and lecturer after he took on the First Nations identity calledGrey Owl.[25] |
| Frontier College | 1997 | Frontier College educates those away from the urban centres.[55] |
| Sam Steele | 1993 | Major-General and police officialSam Steele (portrayed byAlan Scarfe) of theRoyal Canadian Mounted Police bars an unruly American (portrayed byDon S. Davis) from entering theYukon with pistols, despite being threatened at gunpoint.[56] |
| Emily Murphy | 1992 | Women's rights activist, jurist, and authorEmily Murphy's (played byKate Nelligan) quest for equal rights for women.[57] |
| Myrnam Hospital | 1995 | The town ofMyrnam, Alberta forms a non-denominational hospital.[58] |
| Agnes Macphail | 1992 | The first woman to be elected to the Canadian House of Commons,Agnes Macphail (portrayed byDiane D'Aquila), fights forpenal reform.[59] |
| Marconi | 1990 | InventorGuglielmo Marconi receives the first trans-Atlantic radio signals inNewfoundland and is awarded theNobel Prize in Physics.[60] |
| John McCrae | 1990 | Author, artist and physician during World War IJohn McCrae pensIn Flanders Fields (starringColm Feore as McCrae).[61] |
| Halifax Explosion | 1991 | Train dispatcherVince Coleman sacrifices his own life to save a train from theHalifax Explosion.[62] |
| Vimy Ridge | 2005 | GeneralArthur Currie prepares his forces for the successfultaking of Vimy Ridge in World War I.Cedric Smith appears as GeneralJulian Byng.[63][13] |
| Valour Road | 1991 | Three men from Pine Street inWinnipeg win theVictoria Cross inWorld War I, and the street's name is changed toValour Road in their honour.[64] |
| Winnie | 1990 | The bear of Canadian soldierHarry Colebourn becomes the inspiration forWinnie the Pooh.[65] |
| Nellie McClung | 1991 | Feminist, politician, and social activistNellie McClung demands the right to vote inManitoba.[66] |
| Joseph-Armand Bombardier | 1993 | InventorJoseph-Armand Bombardier and the beginnings of his passion forengineering.[67] |
| J.S. Woodsworth | 2003 | Author, lecturer and social activistJ. S. Woodsworth (played byColin Fox) convinces Prime MinisterWilliam Lyon Mackenzie King to introduceold age pensions.[68] |
| Superman | 1991 | Comic book artistJoe Shuster, en route to visit his cousin,Frank Shuster, createsSuperman.[69] |
| Water Pump | 1995 | CanadianMennonites devise sustainable agriculture practices that aid the Third World.[70] |
| La Bolduc | 1993 | The story of howMary Travers becomes a famed popular singer in Quebec.[71] |
| Bluenose | 1995 | The shipBluenose an important Canadian symbol in the 1930s wins its last race.[72] |
| Wilder Penfield | 1991 | How Dr.Wilder Penfield makes important discoveries inneuroscience when a patient smells burnt toast as the initial signal for anepileptic seizure, during theMontreal procedure.[73] |
| Osborn of Hong Kong | 2005 | Sgt. MajorJohn Robert Osborn (played byTed Dykstra) sacrifices his life to protect his men from Japanese forces during theBattle of Hong Kong in World War II, and is posthumously granted theVictoria Cross.[74][13] |
| Marion Orr | 1997 | Female World War II pilotMarion Orr is featured.[75] |
| Mona Parsons | 2005 | Mona Parsons (portrayed bySonja Smits), a partisan World War II Allied agent in theNetherlands escapes execution and later imprisonment by theNazis and meets her future husband who confirms her nationality to Canadian forces liberating the nation.[76][13] |
| Juno Beach | 2005 | BroadcasterJohnny Lombardi (played byFabrizio Filippo) entertains his comrades in the field during a respite of theWorld War IID-Day taking ofJuno Beach by Canadian forces.[77][13] |
| Andrew Mynarski | 2005 | Pilot officerAndrew Mynarski (played byGabriel Hogan) attempts to free his friend from a bomber turret.[78][13] |
| Tommy Prince | 2005 | A eulogy is given forTommy Prince (portrayed byThomas King), Canada's most-decorated Aboriginal war veteran.[79][13] |
| Home from the Wars | 2005 | Returning World War II veterans (portrayed byAllan Hawco) successfully agitate for increasinghousing assistance.[80][13] |
| John Humphrey | 1997 | Legal scholar, jurist, and human rights advocateJohn Humphrey drafts theUnited NationsUniversal Declaration of Human Rights.[81] |
| Jackie Robinson | 1997 | Baseball playerJackie Robinson joins theMontreal Royals on October 23, 1945.[82] |
| Lucille Teasdale | 2000 | SurgeonLucille Teasdale (played byMarina Orsini) devotes her life to helping the poor inAfrica.[83] |
| Marshall McLuhan | 1990 | Philosopher of communication theoryMarshall McLuhan (played byCedric Smith) coins the phrases "the medium is the message" and "global village".[84] |
| Maurice Ruddick | 1993 | MinerMaurice Ruddick recounts the1958 Springhill mine disaster.[85] |
| Nat Taylor | 1997 | HowNat Taylor invents themultiplex theater.[86] |
| Pauline Vanier | 1995 | The achievements of professional diplomatsGeorges andPauline Vanier are featured.[87] |
| Maurice "Rocket" Richard | 1997 | Hockey playerMaurice Richard, portrayed by actorRoy Dupuis, scores five goals and three assists for eight points in a single game.[88] Dupuis reprises the role for the 2005 Maurice Richard biographical filmThe Rocket. |
| Stratford | 1997 | A look back at the beginning of theStratford Festival of Canada.[89] |
| Jacques Plante | 1991 | Jacques Plante becomes the firstNHL player to wear agoaltender mask in regular play.[90] |
| Avro Arrow | 1990 | The development of theAvro Arrow (this Heritage Minute was made using footage from the 1996 mini-seriesThe Arrow).[91] |
| Paul Emile Borduas | 1995 | The art ofPaul-Émile Borduas and theQuiet Revolution are featured.[92] |
| Le Réseau | 1993 | EngineerThomas Wardrope Eadie develops theTrans Canada Microwave telecommunications network.[93] |
| Flags | 1990 | Lawyer, judge, and politicianJohn Matheson (portrayed byPeter MacNeill) looks atcandidates forCanada's new flag.[94] |
| Expo 67 | 1997 | The planning of the MontrealInternational and Universal Exposition called Expo 67 is featured.[95] |
| Inukshuk | 1993 | AnInuksuk a stone landmark or cairn is built onBaffin Island.[96] |
| Dextraze in the Congo | 2005 | Brigadier-GeneralJacques Dextraze resolves a hostage situation in theCongo with hisUN Peacekeeping forces contingent.[97][13] |
| Richard Pierpoint | 2012 | Richard Pierpoint was a formerly enslaved Black Loyalist who, at age 68, enlisted black men to fight in the War of 1812.Captain Runchey's Company of Coloured Men fought in a number of battles in the Niagara region and were instrumental to the war effort.[98] |
| Queenston Heights | 2013 | At theBattle of Queenston Heights (October 13, 1812) MohawkChief John Norton (portrayed byBilly Merasty),John Brant (portrayed byMeegwun Fairbrother), and 80 Grand River warriors surprised hundreds of advancing American soldiers and skirmished with them for hours until reinforcements arrived and the battle was won. The minute was narrated byAlanis Obomsawin.[99] |
| Maple Leaf Gardens | 2005 | Considered one of the "cathedrals" of ice hockey, the construction and history of theMaple Leaf Gardens is featured.[100] |
| Sir John A. Macdonald | 2014 | The dominant figure ofCanadian Confederation,John A. Macdonald was the firstPrime Minister of Canada.[101] |
| Sir George-Étienne Cartier | 2014 | George-Étienne Cartier was a dominant figure in the politics ofCanada East (nowQuebec) overseeing its entry into Confederation.[102] |
| Winnipeg Falcons | 2014 | TheWinnipeg Falcons were a senior ice hockey team that fought through discrimination and stayed together even through theFirst World War, on their way to winning the gold medal for Canada at the1920 Olympics. Narrated byGeorge Stroumboulopoulos and an appearance by actorJared Keeso. This was the first Heritage Minute segment to extend longer than one minute.[15] |
| Nursing Sisters | 2015 | Nursing Sisters commemorates the service and sacrifice of women on the front lines of the First World War through the retelling of a real event from May 1918. It is the story of two of the nearly 3000 trained nurses who served overseas. Narrated byMolly Parker and starringSiobhan Williams.[16] |
| Terry Fox | 2015 | Terry Fox inspires the nation with his Marathon of Hope, a cross-country run to raise money for cancer research.[103] |
| Viola Desmond | 2016 | The story ofViola Desmond (portrayed byKandyse McClure), an entrepreneur who challenged segregation in Nova Scotia in the 1940s.[104] |
| Chanie Wenjack | 2016 | The story ofChanie "Charlie" Wenjack, whose death sparked the first inquest into the treatment of Indigenous children in Canadianresidential schools.[19] Unlike other Heritage Minutes that were narrated by actors, Wenjack's was narrated by his sister, Pearl.[105] |
| Naskumituwin (Treaty) | 2016 | The making ofTreaty 9 from the perspective of historical witnessGeorge Spence, an 18-year-old Cree hunter from Albany, James Bay.[20] |
| Kenojuak Ashevak | 2016 | The story ofKenojuak Ashevak, anInuk artist and a founder member ofCape Dorset's famed printmaking co-op.[106] |
| Edmonton Grads | 2016 | The story of theEdmonton Grads, a powerhouse women's basketball team. World Champions for 17 years, the Grads dominated regionally, nationally, and internationally for 25 years beginning in 1915. Dr. James Naismith called them "the finest team to ever step out onto a floor".[107][108] |
| "Boat People" Refugees | 2017 | A family escapes persecution in Vietnam,traveling by boat to a Malaysian refugee camp before finding a new home in Montreal (1980).[109] |
| Kensington Market | 2017 | In the first animated Heritage Minute new arrivals to Canada transform asingle store as it passes from generation to generation and culture to culture.[110] |
| Lucy Maud Montgomery | 2018 | The story ofLucy Maud Montgomery, who became known around the world as author ofAnne of Green Gables and 19 other novels, is narrated by The Right Hon.Adrienne Clarkson.[111] |
| Jim Egan | 2018 | The story ofJim Egan, who actively writes letters and articles in magazines and newspapers to advocate for equal rights and criticize the misunderstood and inaccurate perception of lesbian and gay people from 1949 to 1964.His case in 1995 became a milestone for LGBT rights in Canada.[112] The minute was narrated byk.d. lang. |
| Vancouver Asahi | 2019 | From 1914 to 1941, theVancouver Asahi were one of the city's most dominant amateur baseball teams, winning multiple league titles inVancouver and along the Northwest Coast, until the team was scattered as they wereinterned duringWorld War II.[113] The short was narrated by Kaye Kaminishi, the sole surviving member of the team, and writerJoy Kogawa.[114] In addition to English and French versions of the minute, a Japanese version was also released.[115] |
| D-Day | 2019 | On June 6, 1944, Canadian Forces landed onJuno Beach.D-Day, as this day would become known, was the largest amphibious invasion of all time, led to the liberation of France, and marked the beginning of the end of the Second World War. This Heritage Minute tells the story of 47-year-old MajorArchie MacNaughton, a First World War veteran and leader of the North Shore New Brunswick Regiment's "A" Company. The story is a tribute to the Canadian soldiers who fought on D-Day – ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. Narrated bySonja Smits andPeter Mansbridge providing end narration for the minute. |
| Acadian Deportation | 2019 | TheAcadians are descendants of early French settlers who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1604 and built a distinct culture and society over generations. Their peaceful existence was uprooted in 1755 when over 10,000Acadians were ripped from their homeland to ensure British rule in North America. |
| Liberation of the Netherlands | 2020 | Between 1944 and 1945, Canadian armed forces were on their way toliberate the Netherlands from Nazi Germany, who was occupying the country. The story is told through the eyes of Canadian LieutenantWilf Gildersleeve of theSeaforth Highlanders and of Marguerite Blaisse, a Dutch citizen, who met and later after the war, moved to Vancouver to live together. The end narration was provided byPeter Mansbridge. Another version of the minute was also released with Dutch subtitles.[116][117] |
| Elsie MacGill | 2020 | Elsie MacGill was the world's first female aeronautical engineer and Canada's first practicing woman engineer. She oversaw Canada's production ofHawker Hurricane aircraft at theCanadian Car & Foundry factory during the Second World War. Hawker Hurricanes were one of the main fighters flown by Canadian and Allied airmen in the Battle of Britain. This Heritage Minute follows Elsie MacGill in her role as chief engineer overseeing the production of these instrumental aircraft. The minute was narrated by physicist and Nobel Prize winnerDr. Donna Strickland.[118][119] |
| Oscar Peterson | 2021 | Oscar Peterson was a jazz pianist who grew up in theMontreal neighbourhood ofLittle Burgundy. In his over 60-year career, he released over 200 recordings, won sevenGrammy Awards, and received numerous other awards and honours.[120] Contemporary jazz pianistThompson Egbo-Egbo portrays the young Peterson early in his career, with footage of Peterson himself representing his later life.[121] |
| The Discovery of Insulin | 2021 | Starting in 1921, a team of scientists led byFrederick Banting andCharles Best at theUniversity of Toronto isolated insulin, and in 1922 successfully used it to treatType 1 diabetes for the first time. The minute was narrated by actorVictor Garber.[122] |
| Chloe Cooley | 2022 | Chloe Cooley, an enslaved Black woman in Upper Canada in 1793, engaged in acts of resistance against estate owner Adam Vrooman. As rumours of abolition circulated, Vrooman and his men kidnapped Chloe on March 14, 1793, and violently forced her onto a boat to the United States, where Vrooman hoped to profit from selling Chloe. Witnesses, including the free man Peter Martin, later testified to Chloe's resistance in the face of her violent removal, leading to Canada's first legislation limiting slavery. Despite this, slavery in Canada was not abolished until 1834.[123] End narration was provided by The Hon.Jean Augustine. |
| Tom Longboat | 2022 | Onondaga long-distance runnerTom Longboat (whose nameGagwe꞉gih means "everything") was one of the most celebrated athletes of the early 20th century and has inspired generations of athletes. After running away from the Mohawk Institute Residential School in Brantford, Ontario, in 1900, he continued running his whole life. Despite the racism he faced as an Indigenous athlete, Tom won many races, including his record-breaking win at the 1907 Boston Marathon, making him a household name. In the Heritage Minute, while Longboat is a dispatch carrier during the First World War, an officer he is escorting struggles to keep up and complains, "Who do you think I am? Tom Longboat?"— Tom replies, "No, Sir… I am" and continues to run. Tom Longboat was portrayed byJoshua Odjick as an adult,Sladen Peltier as young Tom Longboat, and the voice of Tom Longboat was performed byGary Farmer.[124] |
| Jackie Shane | 2022 | SingerJackie Shane was a key figure in the 1960sToronto Sound, and an important pioneertransgender performer. Narrated byBeverly Glenn-Copeland.[125] |
| Paldi | 2023 | Bishan Kaur describes her arrival in Canada in 1927 to join her husband, lumber entrepreneur Mayo Singh, in the mill town ofPaldi, in an era of uncertainty for Asian Canadians. In the face of anti-Asian sentiments and policies, the Mayo Lumber Company was established by Sikh lumbermen in 1917 and employed South Asian, Chinese, Japanese, and white Canadian workers. The town became known as a welcoming and inclusive home to people of all backgrounds, and mill workers and their families called Paldi home until the 1980s. Today, the historic site of the Paldi gurdwara remains a symbol of this inclusive, multicultural community.[126][127] |
| Mary "Bonnie" Baker | 2023 | In 1952, celebrity panelists on game showWhat's My Line? attempt to guess the extraordinary profession of guestMary "Bonnie" Baker (portrayed byMichelle Mylett), with panelistDorothy Kilgallen correctly guessing Baker is a professional baseball player. Born in Regina, Saskatchewan, Baker was one of 68 Canadian players in theAll-American Girls Professional Baseball League and debuted as a catcher for theSouth Bend Blue Sox in 1943, where she remained until 1949. The minute is narrated by Baker's daughter, Maureen "Chick" Baker.[128] |
| Norman Kwong | 2024 | Norman Kwong (portrayed byPatrick Kwok-Choon), born in Calgary in 1929, he began his professional football career one year after the end of the Chinese Exclusion Act, when Chinese Canadians were granted the right to vote in federal elections, and became the firstCFL player of Chinese heritage. Following his football career and winning fourGrey Cups, he became a co-owner of the Calgary Flames hockey team, and he would become lieutenant-governor of Alberta in 2005. The minute was narrated by actorAndrew Phung.[129][130] |
| Mary Riter Hamilton | 2024 | Mary Riter Hamilton (portrayed byMegan Follows), a Canadian painter, captures powerful imagery in herpaintings of the aftermath of theFirst World War.[131] |
| Edwin Baker | 2024 | Edwin Baker (portrayed by legally blind actorBruce Horak), is blinded by a sniper's bullet. With the help ofSir Arthur Pearson, he becomes self-reliant and takes what he learns to helps others in Canada, culminating in co-founding theCanadian National Institute for the Blind. The minute was narrated by Paralympic swimmerDonovan Tildesley, who also portrays a blind veteran.[132] |
| Bora Laskin | 2025 | In 1973,Bora Laskin (portrayed byVictor Garber) argues in favour of theappeal of a woman's right to a farm and that there is no just reason that a wife's contribution to a farm should be any less significant than the husband. In the Great Depression, Laskin had struggled to find work after being called to bar and faced rampant antisemitism in Toronto in the 1930s. He eventually became the first Jewish Chief Justice of theSupreme Court of Canada. Maintaining an extensive career which spanned many notable cases, Laskin was known as an innovative educator and the first academic on the Supreme Court. The minute was narrated by The Right Hon.Beverley McLachlin, a former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, in English and byYves Fortier, a former Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations and noted lawyer and diplomat, in French.[133] |
| Anne Innis Dagg | 2025 | After developing a lifelong interest in giraffes as a child,Dr. Anne Innis Dagg travelled to South Africa to study giraffes, where she encountered challenges as an unmarried woman travelling alone. Her research would make her leading authority on giraffes. Despite being well-qualified, Dagg struggled to receive a permanent teaching position and later advocated for gender equality, particularly in academia. The minute was narrated by Dagg's daughter, Mary Dagg.[134][135] |
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