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Growing Up Canadian: Family

2003 46 min
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Canadians of all ages tell stories of growing up with mom, dad, siblings and even the family pet. From making underwear out of flour sacks to scrounging for coal, most Canadian families were poor for the first half of the 20th century. Set against the backdrop of a country moving from rural dominion to urban nation, this episode follows changes in family homes, cars and neighbourhoods. Throughout the episode, stories of family rituals, rules and discipline highlight dramatic cultural changes in the century. Family is one of a 6-part series entitled Growing Up Canadian. These documentaries explore the myths and …

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Growing Up Canadian: Family

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Canadians of all ages tell stories of growing up with mom, dad, siblings and even the family pet. From making underwear out of flour sacks to scrounging for coal, most Canadian families were poor for the first half of the 20th century. Set against the backdrop of a country moving from rural dominion to urban nation, this episode follows changes in family homes, cars and neighbourhoods.

Throughout the episode, stories of family rituals, rules and discipline highlight dramatic cultural changes in the century.

Family is one of a 6-part series entitled Growing Up Canadian. These documentaries explore the myths and realities of Canadian childhood through family life, schooling, work, play, health and the media. The series marks the contribution of childhood and youth experience in defining Canada as it grew into full nationhood in the 20th century.

  • executive producer
    Sheila Petzold
    Ken Stewart
    Marcel Clément
  • producer
    Hoda Elatawi
  • series creator
    Sheila Petzold
  • director
    Susan Terrill
  • writer
    Susan Terrill
  • participant
    Tony Asimakopoulos
    Brent Bambury
    Lundy Befrene
    Henry Bishop
    Anna Bonokoski
    Carl Brewer
    Marilyn Buffalo
    Kathryn Burke
    Hinson Calabrese
    Herménégilde Chiasson
    Melanie Doane
    Ken Dryden
    Misa Friesen-Kobayashi
    Mabel Geary
    Barbara Gowdy
    Denis Guertin
    Jack Harrison
    Elizabeth Hillman
    William Patrick Kinsella
    Joy Kogawa
    Myrna Kostash
    Clare Laking
    Christina Lamey
    Steven Lonsdale
    Greg Malone
    Denis F. Mildon
    Matthew Mitchell
    Bob Mellor
    Aiko Murakami
    James Pattison
    Mary Pratt
    Mary Sexton
    Karen Shopsowitz
    Maurice Strong
    Carolyn Thomas
    Hellie Wilson
    Caroline Woodside
    Jamie Zeppa
  • narration writer
    Sheila Petzold
    Susan Terrill
  • narrator
    Becky Rynor
  • interviews
    Susan Terrill
    Sheila Petzold
  • original concept
    Sam Kula
  • director of photography
    Karl Roeder
  • music composer
    Andrew Huggett
  • off-line editor
    Tiffany Beaudin
    Douglas von Rosen
    Richard Millen
  • online editor
    Tiffany Beaudin
    Marie-Claude Gagnon
  • graphic designer
    Ron Allen
  • production manager
    Shelley Coultish
    Kate Yule
  • production coordinator
    Shannan Thomson
  • additional interview
    Andrea Hossack
  • script editor
    Sheila Petzold
    Susan Terrill
    Penny McCann
  • archival research
    Vivian Hanwell
    Kate Keating
    Kate Yule
    Erin Brophy
    Jillian Pranger
  • research
    Helen Dundass
    Jody Nassr
    Isobel Ripley
  • additional research
    Shelley Coultish
    Pam Gaffield
    Sophia Geeves
    Fern Graham
    Dave Pyette
    Lea Robinson
    Theresa Rowat
    Susan Villeneuve
  • content consultant
    Barbara Freeman
    David McDonald
  • sound engineer
    Robin Dumas
  • sound recordist
    Eldy Gouthro
    Peter Kettlewell
    Kate Kechnie
    Larry MacDonald
    Jane Porter
    Vaughn Rowsell
    Don Stewart
    Douglas von Rosen
  • additional camera operator
    Mike Tien
    Roland Pirker
    Raymond Hagel
  • production services
    Derek McClintock
  • grip
    Don Black
    Lewis Hill
    Marcus Hutchings
    Mathew Reid
    John Roche
    Henrietta Veerman
    Chris Anderson
  • assistant sound engineer
    Dan Sidoli
  • post-production services
    Nancy Bissonnette
  • post-production intern
    Maliha Hamidee
  • production accountant
    Cheryl Williams
  • production assistant
    Jason Claude
    Kathy Dunphy
    Sophia Geeves
    Doug Ralph
    Henrietta Veerman

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Education

Ages 15 to 16
School subjects

Ideal for essays, research projects or multimedia oral history exploring family life. Chart the history of your family from the present back to the early 20th century; where is your family from, where have they lived, and what major world events shaped your family? Compare your home, education, income level and leisure activities with that of your parents and grandparents; what are the similarities and differences? Record an interview with a family member, using the “Great Questions” at storycorps.org.

Growing Up Canadian: Family
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