Prime Ministers of Canada
About the playlist
Discover Canada’s Prime Ministers
Learn more about Canada’s 22 Prime Ministers since Confederation in 1867. Each Prime Minister has had a major impact on the lives of Canadians, helping to shape Canada’s identity. The films in this selection span a number of years and a variety of topics, by exploring the films and the associated resources, learners will gain a rich understanding of the role of Canada’s Prime Ministers throughout Canadian history and today.
Overview of Canada’s Prime Ministers
• Sir John A. Macdonald
• Alexander Mackenzie
• Sir John Joseph Caldwell Abbott
• Sir John Sparrow David Thompson
• Sir Mackenzie Bowell
• Sir Charles Tupper
• Sir Wilfrid Laurier
• Sir Robert Laird Borden
• Arthur Meighen
• William Lyon Mackenzie King
• Richard Bedford Bennett
• Louis Stephen St. Laurent
• John George Diefenbaker
• Lester Bowles Pearson
• Pierre Elliott Trudeau
• Charles Joseph Clark
• John Napier Turner
• Martin Brian Mulroney
• Kim Campbell
• Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien
• Paul Edgar Philippe Martin
• Stephen Joseph Harper
Selected films
The Champions, Part 1: Unlikely Warriors
- In Part 1 of this 3-part documentary series, director Donald Brittain chronicles the early years of Pierre Elliott Trudeau and René Lévesque. From their university days in the 1950s to 1967 when Lévesque left the Liberal Party and Trudeau became the federal Minister of Justice, Brittain attempts to get at ...
- by Donald Brittain ,
- 1978,
- 57 min 10 s
The Champions, Part 2: Trappings of Power
- Part 2 of this 3-part documentary series about Pierre Elliott Trudeau and René Lévesque covers the years between 1967 and 1977, a colourful decade that saw Trudeau win three federal elections, the 1970 October Crisis and the sweeping rise to power of the Parti Québécois.
- by Donald Brittain ,
- 1978,
- 55 min 35 s
The Champions, Part 3: The Final Battle
- The final instalment of this 3-part documentary series about Pierre Elliott Trudeau and René Lévesque spans the decade between 1976 and 1986. The film reveals the turbulent, behind-the-scenes drama during the Quebec referendum and the repatriation of the Canadian Constitution. In doing so, it also traces both Trudeau's and ...
- by Donald Brittain ,
- 1986,
- 87 min 2 s
'Dief'
- This documentary short is a portrait of Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party and 13th prime minister of Canada, John George Diefenbaker (1895-1979). Diefenbaker's political career spanned 6 decades. When he died in 1979, his state funeral and final train trip west became more a celebration of life than ...
- by William Canning ,
- 1981,
- 26 min 35 s
Mackenzie King and the Conscription Crisis
- From the beginning of the Second World War in 1939, Mackenzie King tried to avoid conscription. Most English Canadians thought young men should be sent to fight, while most French Canadians vehemently disagreed. This same division had nearly torn the country apart during the First World War. King had to ...
- by Erna Buffie ,
- 1991,
- 31 min 4 s
Tommy Douglas: Keeper of the Flame
- This feature documentary traces the political career of T.C. (Tommy) Douglas, former premier of Saskatchewan and leader of the New Democratic Party, who was voted the Greatest Canadian in 2004 for his devotion to social causes, his charm and his powers of persuasion. Known as the "Father of Medicare ...
- by Elise Swerhone ,
- 1986,
- 57 min 47 s
History on the Run: The Media and the '79 Election
- This documentary examines the media's coverage of the federal election of May 1979. Filmed over a 3-week period, it takes a fascinating look at journalists in action and the politicians who attempt to manipulate the media.
- by Peter Raymont ,
- 1979,
- 56 min 45 s
Traitor or Patriot
- This feature documentary is a portrait of Adélard Godbout, the largely forgotten man who was Premier of Quebec from 1939 to 1944. During his office, Godbout helped lay the groundwork for the Quiet Revolution of the 1950s and 1960s: instituting compulsory education, giving women the vote, creating Hydro-Québec and trying ...
- by Jacques Godbout ,
- 2000,
- 82 min 40 s
The Road to Patriation
- This feature documentary retraces the century of haggling by successive federal and provincial governments to agree on a formula to bring home the Canadian Constitution from England. This film concentrates on the politicking and lobbying that finally led to its patriation in 1982. Five prime ministers had failed before Prime ...
- by Robert Duncan ,
- 1982,
- 93 min 34 s
Dancing Around the Table, Part One
- A documentary about the Conferences on the Constitutional Rights of the Aboriginal Peoples of Canada (1983-85), focusing on the concept of self-government.
- by Maurice Bulbulian ,
- 1987,
- 57 min 18 s
Dancing Around the Table, Part Two
- The sequel to Dancing Around the Table, Part One, this film deals with the constitutional negotiations with Canada's Native peoples that took place between 1983 and 1985. It documents the fourth and final meeting between Canada's Native leaders and the first ministers. Intercut between the speeches and debates ...
- by Maurice Bulbulian ,
- 1987,
- 50 min 8 s
Georges P. Vanier: Soldier, Diplomat, Governor General
- This short documentary looks at Governor General Georges Vanier: his military service in two world wars, his diplomatic service between the wars and his investiture as Canada's 19th Governor General.
- by Clément Perron ,
- 1960,
- 29 min 25 s
The Man Who Might Have Been: An Inquiry into the ...
- This feature documentary is a portrait of Herbert Norman, the Canadian ambassador to Egypt who leapt to his death in 1957. During his remarkable career, Norman had been a trusted aide of General MacArthur in post-war Japan and later played a key role in the Suez crisis. But for years ...
- by John Kramer ,
- 1998,
- 98 min 4 s
Confessions of an Innocent Man
- This raw exposé examines William Sampson’s harrowing experience while imprisoned in Saudi Arabia for a crime he didn’t commit. Sampson was working as a businessman when he was suddenly arrested and charged with a terrorist bombing and murder. He was tortured and held for 31 months. He is ...
- by David Paperny ,
- 2007,
- 52 min
Royal Journey
- 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 ...
- by David Bairstow ,
- Roger Blais ,
- Gudrun Parker ,
- 1951,
- 54 min
Canada at the Coronation
- This documentary depicts the colour and pageantry of the coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, as well as Canada's participation in this momentous event.
- by Allen Stark ,
- 1953,
- 48 min 52 s
The Royal Visit
- 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 ...
- by - ONFB ,
- 1939,
- 90 min
This Riel Business
- This documentary short is a cinematic recording of Tales from a Prairie Drifter, a stage comedy about the Northwest Rebellion during the opening of the Canadian West. Highlighting the roles of Louis Riel, the rebel leader, prime minister Sir John A. Macdonald and General Middleton, who was sent to quell ...
- by Ian McLaren ,
- 1974,
- 27 min 35 s
A Little Fellow from Gambo - The Joey Smallwood Story
-
This feature-length documentary paints a lively portrait of Father of Confederation and first premier of Newfoundland Joseph Roberts Smallwood, or "Joey," as he is known to most Canadians.
Following one of Canada’s most colourful political figures during a two-and-a-half-month period that included a stormy Liberal leadership convention, the film ... - by Julian Biggs ,
- 1970,
- 56 min 11 s
Action: The October Crisis of 1970
- 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.
- by Robin Spry ,
- 1973,
- 87 min 9 s
Democracy à la Maude
- Maude Victoria Barlow is a crusading warrior for social justice and the leader of Canada's largest citizens' rights group, the Council of Canadians. This feature film portrays Barlow's progress from young Ottawa housewife, quietly reading Germaine Greer alone at home, to outspoken activist, locking horns with such formidable ...
- by Patricia Kearns ,
- 1998,
- 61 min 5 s
Barbed Wire and Mandolins
- This short documentary introduces us to Italian-Canadians whose lives were disrupted and uprooted by seclusion in internment camps during the Second World War. On June 10, 1940, Italy entered WWII. Overnight, the Canadian government came to see the country's 112,000 Italian-Canadians as a threat to its national security ...
- by Nicola Zavaglia ,
- 1997,
- 48 min
Enemy Alien
- This documentary tells the story of the frustration and injustice experienced by Japanese Canadians, who fought long and hard to be accepted as Canadians.
- by Jeanette Lerman ,
- 1975,
- 26 min 49 s
