Must watch: More Canadian history films and series
If the Canada: The Story of Us (9 p.m. / 9:30 NT on CBC) has you hungry for more Canadian history viewing, this section of documentaries and series go in-depth with even more stories and perspectives that shaped our Canadian identity. Watch them all on the CBC player.
The story: Canada: A People's History is a 32-hour documentary television series on the history of Canada. This series has become a resource for classrooms, with extra educational resources on this site.
What you'll see: From 15,000 BC to 1990, the Gemini Award-winning series tells a dramatic history of our people, through the words of great leaders and explorers, as well as the voices of everyday people from those times. Stay tuned for two new chapters coming June 2017.
The story: Canada Day is a day of mourning for Newfoundlanders. On July 1st, 1916, in the Battle of Somme, the Newfoundland Regiment lost nearly 90 per cent of its troops in 30 minutes. No single moment in the province's history had a more profound effect on Newfoundlanders.
What you'll see: Brian McKenna tells the story of this epic tragedy. He recruited 21 descendants of soldiers who fought with the Newfoundland Regiment to re-live their ancestors' experiences in the trenches and understand their sacrifices. Find out about some of their stories on this interactive site.
More on Newfoundland at war:
Trail of the Caribou
The Women Who Crossed an Ocean
A Call for Peace
The story: By the end of the Vietnam War, the Canadian government, reflecting changing public opinion, criticized American policy regarding the bombing of North Vietnam.
What you'll see: Interviews from a variety of fascinating perspectives, including photographer Laura Jones, who fled the U.S. with her husband and chronicled the war resistance movement from Toronto.
The Story: WWII has been exhaustively examined, but there are men in their nineties with something to still bring to the conversation: the Conscientious Objectors.
What you'll see: Interviews with a handful of still-living WWII COs who describe the faith that drove them to refuse arms, and the resistance they faced from society for their choice.
The story: If you're in the mood for a political thriller, this film dramatizes the events that led up to Canadian Confederation in 1867, based on Richard Gwyn's non-fiction book John A.: The Man Who Made Us.
What you'll see: The riveting rivalry between John A. Macdonald and George Brown — which eventually resulted in a nation-shaping alliance.
More on biographies of Canadian figures:
Extraordinary Canadians
Indigenous Stories
The story: In the summer of 1990, all eyes were on the small town of Oka for a standoff between the Mohawk people of Kanehsatake, Quebec police, and eventually the Canadian army. The Oka Crisis lasted 78 days, drawing worldwide attention and catapulting Indigenous land rights into the spotlight.
What you'll see: In this POV documentary, compelling characters — like Clifton Nicholas and Waneek Horn Miller — tell their own personal Oka Crisis stories and reflect on its legacy.
The story: In 1964, the Gwa'sala and 'Nakwaxda'xw Nations were relocated from their villages on the coast of BC to Tsulquate, a newly-built reserve just outside of Port Hardy. With only five homes for over 200 people, the move proved disastrous.
What you'll see: Anishinaabe filmmaker Lisa Jackson draws upon interviews and archival footage to tell the inspiring story of the resilient Gwa'sala-'Nakwaxda'xw nations.
The story: For Indigenous peoples, the roads created to bring settlers across the country embody a powerful and ironic reality: colonization is still so powerful, we name our roads after it.
What you'll see: Anishinaabe comedian, Ryan McMahon travels across Ontario learning about Colonization Roads — the ways in which they have dispossessed Indigenous people of land and access to traditional territories while creating space for settlers in the colonial experiment that has become Canada.
The story: NunatuKavut means "Our Ancient Land." It's the territory of the Inuit of NunatuKavut, the Southern Inuit, who reside primarily in southern and central Labrador. The people of NunatuKavut have ancient roots on Alaska's coastal plain, and have travelled the breadth of the Arctic to the shores of Labrador over centuries.
What you'll see: A profile and journey of self-discovery of the Inuit-Metis people of southern Labrador.