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Subjects (65)
Politics and Government - Canada (38)

Newsreels (8)

  • Action: The October Crisis of 1970
    Action: The October Crisis of 1970
    Robin Spry 1973 1 h 27 min
    This feature-length documentary looks at those desperate days of October 1970 when Montreal awaited the outcome of FLQ terrorist acts. Using news reports and clips from the time, the film reflects upon the October Crisis and reveals the relief, dismay and defiance people felt when the Canadian army stepped in.
  • Eye Witness No. 12
    Eye Witness No. 12
    1949 20 min
    These vignettes from 1949 covered various aspects of life in Canada and were shown in theatres across the country. Here, the camera records the traditional ceremonies of the opening of Canada's Parliament for the first time in history. Senators, parliamentary leaders, and finally the Governor General and his party arrive on the "Hill," and the Vice-Regal group is escorted to the Senate Chamber. The film then takes us inside the House of Commons, where members assemble before being summoned by the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod to the Senate to hear the Speech from the Throne. Then, with pomp and historical ceremony over for another session, the representatives of the people get down to the job of doing the people's business.
  • Eye Witness No. 9
    Eye Witness No. 9
    1948 15 min
    In this installment of the Eye Witness series from 1948, we watch as Canada's long-time prime minister, Mackenzie King, retires and his successor, Louis St. Laurent, takes the reins. We then head to Manitoba's Netley marsh, where three of the continent's main duck breeds meet, creating a hunter's paradise. On the BC coast, whaling resumes after a five-year halt, and finally, all across Canada we watch children collect pennies and nickels to buy school supplies for European children.
  • Nothing Sacred
    Nothing Sacred
    Garry Beitel 2003 51 min
    This feature documentary is a portrait of Montreal political cartoonists Aislin and Serge Chapleau. In the pages of The Montreal Gazette and La Presse, respectively, they’ve been skewering politicians for 30 years. But who are these biting satirists? The film seeks to answer this question through interviews with the cartoonist's friends, families, colleagues, and even a few of their favourite victims, including Gilles Duceppe and Louise Beaudoin. Featuring many of their classic cartoons, Nothing Sacred pays tribute to gifted iconoclasts whose hilarious characters have seeped into our collective consciousness.
  • Royal River
    Royal River
    Gordon Sparling  &  Roger Blais 1959 31 min
    The picturesque St. Lawrence, Canada's river of history, welcomes Queen Elizabeth II to the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway. Many close-ups of the Queen, Prince Philip and President Eisenhower are shown. The theme of the film is the river's history, from its discovery by French explorers to its opening to the shipping of the world.
  • Royal Journey
    Royal Journey
    David Bairstow ,  Gudrun Parker , … 1951 54 min
    A documentary account of the five-week visit of Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh to Canada and the United States in the fall of 1951. Stops on the royal tour include Québec City, the National War Memorial in Ottawa, the Trenton Air Force Base in Toronto, a performance of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet in Regina and visits to Calgary and Edmonton. The royal train crosses the Rockies and makes stops in several small towns. The royal couple boards HMCS Crusader in Vancouver and watches Native dances in Thunderbird Park, Victoria. They are then welcomed to the United States by President Truman. The remainder of the journey includes visits to Montreal, the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton, a steel mill in Sydney, Nova Scotia and Portugal Cove, Newfoundland.
  • The Royal Visit
    The Royal Visit
    1939 1 h 30 min
    This feature documentary offers a complete record of the 1939 Royal Tour of Canada by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. The film opens as the royal couple makes a stop in Québec city, where Premier Duplessis greets them. They then visit Montréal and meet mayor Camilien Houde. A visit to Ottawa brings them to Parliament, where Prime Minister MacKenzie King is present. The visit continues throughout Ontario, the prairies, and western Canada. The Royal couple also makes a brief stop in Washington and meets President Franklin Roosevelt. They then stop in on the Maritime provinces before boarding a Royal yacht for the journey back to England.
  • Referendum - Take 2/Prise deux
    Referendum - Take 2/Prise deux
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    Stéphane Drolet 1996 1 h 16 min
    October, 1995. The most important political event in recent Canadian history, the Quebec vote on sovereignty, is about to unfold. During the tense days leading up to the referendum for independence, 23 filmmakers from the NFB's English and French documentary studios take their cameras into the streets and homes of Quebeckers. Culled from 250 hours of footage, Referendum is an emotional portrait of a profoundly divided society. In a collage of powerful moments, the video recaptures the emotions of that time and measures them against today's political agenda. Implicit is the question: What next?

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