A look back at Peter Mansbridge's career
CBC News | Posted: September 6, 2016 10:50 PM | Last Updated: September 7, 2016
From an early standup from a young reporter in Manitoba, to coverage of 9/11 and the fall of the Berlin Wall
In 29 years as chief correspondent and close to 49 as a reporter, Peter Mansbridge has been a witness to history and the face and voice interpreting the news for Canadians.
He announced Monday that his time as anchor with The National will be coming to an end next year.
"It's been an amazing time to report our history, but I've decided that this year will be my last one. I've let the CBC know that I'd like to step down from The National next July 1st, shortly after anchoring our very special Canada Day coverage for 2017," Mansbridge said in a statement.
Here's a look back at some significant moments in his career.
This is an early standup by Mansbridge, reporting from Manitoba, where the lowering of the drinking age to 18 had started an invasion of American teenagers. It was one of the stories that brought a former radio reporter to the attention of the network.
Mansbridge was handed the reins of The National on May 2, 1988, initially sharing duties with veteran broadcaster Knowlton Nash. Here's that broadcast, which begins with Mansbridge's "Good Evening" and a report from Ottawa by then-CBC reporter Mike Duffy. Nash officially retired in 1992.
Mansbridge has covered 14 federal elections, hosted eight Olympic ceremonies and conducted an estimated 15,000 interviews, sitting opposite Canadian and global leaders, along with numerous personalities from the worlds of politics, sports and entertainment.
Here, Mansbridge questions Margaret Thatcher about the war in the Falklands and receives a bit of tongue-lashing from the Iron Lady.
He's also borne witness to seminal events of the 20th and 21st centuries. In 1989, Mansbridge was reporting from in front of the Brandenberg Gate on the "wild weekend" that the Berlin Wall fell.
On Sept. 11, 2001, a tragic event and one to test the skills and stamina of journalists. On a day he described as "unforgettable," Mansbridge began broadcasting in the morning, shortly after two planes hit the World Trade Center and was on air for more than 15 ½ hours, rounding up the day's shocking events for Canadians.
In 2003, the lights went out across most of Ontario and the eastern part of the continent and normally clean-shaven Mansbridge alarmed Canadians by turning up on air with facial hair. He'd been on vacation when he got word of the blackout, one of the biggest in history, and headed into the studio.
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