Canada: A People's History

The opening of the Canadian West is a story of great fur-trading empires, of the Aboriginal people who were the fur traders' indispensable allies, of bold explorers and map-makers, and span two centuries and the boundless territory from sea to sea. The episode recounts the remarkable stories of Pierre Radisson, Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, Matonabbee and Samuel Hearne, Alexander Mackenzie, and David Thompson, and concludes as settlers and miners begin to claim the West for themselves.

The colonial societies of Nova Scotia, Lower Canada and Upper Canada are caught up in a torrent of rapid growth and new currents of democratic thought. Through the stories of Joseph Howe, Louis-Joseph Papineau and William Lyon Mackenize, the strikingly different courses these political conflicts took are portrayed. Within ten years English- and French-speaking politicians would establish long-lasting partnerships that won the prize of self-government.

In a few short years, a handful of small and separate British colonies are transformed into a new nation that controls half the North American continent. The remarkable story of Confederation is told against a backdrop of Civil War in the United States and Britain's determination to be rid of the ungrateful colonies. The dawn of the era of photography provides a vivid portrait of the diverse people who make up the new Dominion of Canada.

The new Dominion faces the enormous challenge of extending its reach to the Pacific Ocean. But Canada blunders in taking over the West without the consent of its inhabitants, especially the Mètis and their charismatic leader Louis Riel. Their resistance lays the groundwork for Manitoba to join the country, but also sets the stage for decades of conflict over French-English rights. By 1873, British Columbia and Prince Edward Island have joined, and Canada is a dominion that extends from sea to sea to sea.