Heritage Minutes

1. Underground Railroad

Air Date: 1991-03-31

An African American escapes to Canada along the Underground Railroad.

2. Valour Road

Air Date: 1991-03-31

Three men from Pine Street in Winnipeg win the Victoria Cross in World War I, and the street's name is changed to Valour Road in their honour.

3. Jacques Plante

Air Date: 1991-03-31

Jacques Plante becomes the first NHL player to wear a goaltender mask in regular play.

4. Jennie Trout

Air Date: 1991-03-31

Jennie Trout becomes Canada's first woman doctor.

5. Superman

Air Date: 1991-03-31

Comic book artist Joe Shuster, en route to visit his cousin, Frank Shuster, creates Superman.

6. Peacekeepers

Air Date: 1991-03-31

Canadian peacekeepers are stationed in Cyprus to help diffuse tension between Greek and Turkish Cypriots.

7. Responsible Government

Air Date: 1991-03-31

Queen Victoria decides to grant Canada responsible government after the crushing of the Rebellions of 1837.

8. Soddie

Air Date: 1991-03-31

Prairie settlers build a house of sod.

9. Nellie McClung

Air Date: 1991-03-31

Feminist, politician, and social activist Nellie McClung demands the right to vote in Manitoba.

10. Orphans

Air Date: 1991-03-31

French Canadian families adopt Irish orphans in the 1850s while allowing them to maintain part of their Irish heritage.

11. Jacques Cartier

Air Date: 1991-03-31

French navigator and explorer Jacques Cartier misunderstands some Natives resulting in the name Canada.

12. Halifax Explosion

Air Date: 1991-03-31

Train dispatcher Vince Coleman sacrifices his own life to save a train from the Halifax Explosion.

13. Wilder Penfield

Air Date: 1991-03-31

A Montreal neurosurgeon makes ground-breaking advances in the treatment of seizure disorders.

1. Governor Frontenac

Air Date: 1992-06-28

New France, under the leadership of French governor Louis de Buade de Frontenac, repels the British invasion at the Battle of Quebec (1690).

2. Midwife

Air Date: 1992-06-28

A look at the importance of midwives in early Canada.

3. Agnes Macphail

Air Date: 1992-06-28

The first woman to be elected to the Canadian House of Commons Agnes Macphail fights for penal reform.

4. Emily Carr

Air Date: 1992-06-28

The British Columbia painter discovers the artistic muse that will drive her life's work.

5. Joseph Tyrrell

Air Date: 1992-06-28

Geologist and cartographer Joseph Tyrrell discovers a plethora of dinosaur bones in Alberta.

6. Basketball

Air Date: 1992-06-28

Sports coach James Naismith's invention of Basketball is tested by a group of young students in Springfield Illinois.

7. Saguenay Fire

Air Date: 1992-06-28

One family's quick thinking helps them to survive the 1870 fire in the Saguenay, Quebec.

8. Joseph Casavant

Air Date: 1992-06-28

Joseph Casavant, world renowned organ maker, builds his first organ.

9. Jean Nicollet

Air Date: 1992-06-28

French coureur des bois and explorer Jean Nicolet becomes the first European to reach Lake Michigan, but thinks it's the Pacific.

10. Peacemaker

Air Date: 1992-06-28

The formation of the Iroquois Confederacy presented by a First Nations grandfather explaining the significance of the Great Peace to his granddaughter.

11. Rural Teacher

Air Date: 1992-06-28

Teacher Kate Henderson sways school trustees to embrace new methods, and the event is represented in the famous painting by Robert Harris: A Meeting of the School Trustees.

12. Emily Murphy

Air Date: 1992-06-28

Women's rights activist, jurist, and author Emily Murphy's quest for equal rights for women.

13. Vikings

Air Date: 1992-06-28

L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland is settled by Norsemen (Vikings) around the year 1000 CE.

14. Baldwin & LaFontaine

Air Date: 1992-06-28

Lawyer and politician Robert Baldwin and Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine build inter-lingual cooperation.

1. Laura Secord

Air Date: 1993-04-30

Canadian heroine Laura Secord aids the British in the War of 1812 with an overland trek to warn of an American military advance.

2. Marshall McLuhan

Air Date: 1993-04-30

Philosopher of communication theory Marshall McLuhan coins the phrases "the medium is the message" and "global village."

3. Marconi

Air Date: 1993-04-30

Inventor Guglielmo Marconi receives the first trans-Atlantic radio signals in Newfoundland and is awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics.

4. Les Voltigeurs de Québec

Air Date: 1993-04-30

The band of this famous French Canadian regiment rehearses for the first performance of O Canada in 1880 at Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day celebrations.

5. Louis Riel

Air Date: 1993-04-30

What thoughts ran through Louis Riel's mind as he stood on the scaffold, waiting for the trap door to open to his death?

6. Étienne Parent

Air Date: 1993-04-30

Journalist and government official Étienne Parent demands equality for French and English.

7. Nitro

Air Date: 1993-04-30

A young Chinese Canadian risks his life helping to build the Canadian Pacific Railway.

8. Sir Sandford Fleming

Air Date: 1993-04-30

Engineer and inventor Sir Sandford Fleming develops the system of international standard time.

9. Maple Leaf Gardens

Air Date: 1993-04-30

Considered one of the "cathedrals" of ice hockey, the construction and history of the Maple Leaf Gardens is featured.

10. Le Réseau

Air Date: 1993-04-30

Engineer Thomas Wardrope Eadie develops the Trans Canada Microwave telecommunications network.

11. Joseph-Armand Bombardier

Air Date: 1993-04-30

Inventor Joseph-Armand Bombardier and the beginnings of his passion for engineering.

12. Maurice Ruddick

Air Date: 1993-04-30

Miner Maurice Ruddick recounts the 1958 Springhill mine disaster.

13. Inukshuk

Air Date: 1993-04-30

An Inukshuk a stone landmark or cairn is built on Baffin Island.

14. La Bolduc

Air Date: 1993-04-30

The story of how Mary Travers becomes a famed popular singer in Quebec.

15. Sam Steele

Air Date: 1993-04-30

Major General and police official Sam Steele (portrayed by Alan Scarfe) of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police bars an unruly American (portrayed by Don S. Davis) from entering the Yukon with pistols, despite being threatened at gunpoint.

1. Hart & Papineau

Air Date: 1995-05-22

The efforts of politician and lawyer Louis-Joseph Papineau give full equality of religion to Jews in Canada.

2. Paul Émile Borduas

Air Date: 1995-05-22

The art of Paul-Émile Borduas and the Quiet Revolution are featured.

3. Pauline Vanier

Air Date: 1995-05-22

Professional diplomats Georges and Pauline Vanier fight Canadian immigration policy in an attempt to help refugees fleeing Europe in the Second World War.

4. Water Pump

Air Date: 1995-05-22

Canadian Mennonites devise sustainable agriculture practices that aid the Third World.

5. Flags

Air Date: 1995-05-22

Lawyer, judge, and politician John Matheson looks at candidates for Canada's new flag.

6. Sitting Bull

Air Date: 1995-05-22

Native American Chief Sitting Bull seeks refuge in Canada.

7. John Cabot

Air Date: 1995-05-22

Italian navigator and explorer John Cabot discovers the Grand Banks of Newfoundland and runs "aground" on a bounty of fish.

8. Winnie

Air Date: 1995-05-22

The bear of Canadian soldier Harry Colebourn becomes the inspiration for Winnie the Pooh.

9. Myrnam Hospital

Air Date: 1995-05-22

The town of Myrnam, Alberta forms a non-denominational hospital.

10. Bluenose

Air Date: 1995-05-22

The Bluenose, a ship out of Halifax and an important Canadian symbol in the 1930s, wins its last race.

11. John McCrae

Air Date: 1995-05-22

Author, artist and physician during World War I John McCrae pens In Flanders Fields.

12. The Paris Crew

Air Date: 1995-05-22

The surprise victory of the Paris Crew, a group of unheralded Canadian rowers, at the 1867 World Championships.

13. Nat Taylor

Air Date: 1995-05-22

How Nat Taylor invents the multiplex theater.

14. Maurice "Rocket" Richard

Air Date: 1995-05-22

December 28, 1944 was moving day for 23 year old Maurice Richard. All day he hefted furniture - including a piano - into his new house. That night he scored 5 goals and 3 assists setting an NHL record

15. Avro Arrow

Air Date: 1997-01-12

The development of the Avro Arrow (this Heritage Minute was produced based on the 1996 mini-series "The Arrow").

16. Expo '67

Air Date: 1997-04-28

The planning of the Montreal International and Universal Exposition called Expo 67 is featured.

17. John Humphrey

Air Date: 1997-05-01

Legal scholar, jurist, and human rights advocate John Humphrey drafts the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

18. Marion Orr

Air Date: 1997-05-01

The story of female World War II pilot, Marion Orr.

19. Syrup

Air Date: 1997-05-01

A First Nations family teaches early settlers how to make maple syrup.

20. Frontier College

Air Date: 1997-08-01

Frontier College educates those away from the urban centres.

21. Jackie Robinson

Air Date: 1997-08-05

Baseball player, Jackie Robinson joins the Montreal Royals on October 23, 1946.

22. Stratford

Air Date: 1997-08-05

A look back at the beginning of the Stratford Festival of Canada.

23. Grey Owl

Air Date: 1999-10-01

Englishman Archie Belaney (played by Pierce Brosnan) rises to prominence as a notable author and lecturer after he took on the First Nations identity called Grey Owl. Adapted from the film of the same name.

24. Lucille Teasdale

Air Date: 2000-04-28

Surgeon Lucille Teasdale devotes her life to helping the poor in Africa.

25. J. S. Woodsworth

Air Date: 2003-01-01

Author, lecturer and social activist J. S. Woodsworth convinces Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King to introduce old age pensions.

1. Osborn of Hong Kong

Air Date: 2005-01-01

In World War II, the troops in Hong Kong were the first Canadians to see combat. During an attack, Sergeant Major John Osborn of Winnipeg protected his company by throwing himself on a live grenade.

2. Mona Parsons

Air Date: 2005-01-01

Mona Parsons was sentenced to a Nazi prison camp for helping dozens of downed Allied airmen escape.

3. Tommy Prince

Air Date: 2005-01-01

Tommy Prince of the Brokenhead Objibway Nation is one of the most decorated soldiers in Canada's history.

4. Vimy Ridge

Air Date: 2005-01-01

Canadian General Arthur Currie leads Allied forces to Canada's most significant victory of World War I (1917).

5. Andrew Mynarski

Air Date: 2005-01-01

A young Canadian gunner stays behind to save his friend in a flaming Lancaster Bomber and dies in the attempt. He was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for bravery.

6. Home from the Wars

Air Date: 2005-01-01

After WWII, veterans confronted a politician about the lack of shelter, launching the construction of 10,000 units of Veterans' Housing.

7. Dextraze in the Congo

Air Date: 2005-01-01

General Jacques Dextraze of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force rescued a group of hostages from the Katangan rebels in the Congo.

8. Juno Beach

Air Date: 2005-01-01

On the evening of D-Day, musician and broadcaster Johnny Lombardi boosts morale on the edge of a Normandy Beach.

1. Richard Pierpoint

Air Date: 2012-10-01

Richard Pierpoint was a formerly enslaved Black Loyalist who, at age 68, enlisted black men to fight in the War of 1812.

2. Queenston Heights

Air Date: 2013-06-18

October 13, 1812, Mohawk Chief John Norton and 80 Grand River warriors surprised hundreds of advancing American soldiers and skirmished with them for hours until reinforcements arrived and the battle was won.

3. Sir John A. Macdonald

Air Date: 2014-01-11

Sir. John A. Macdonald, George-Étienne Cartier and George Brown discuss how to go about uniting the colonies in British North America. The Charlottetown Conference is featured, and highlights the final push toward Canadian confederation.

4. Sir George-Étienne Cartier

Air Date: 2014-01-11

George-Étienne Cartier was a dominant figure in the politics of Canada East (now Quebec) overseeing its entry into Confederation.

5. Winnipeg Falcons

Air Date: 2014-11-06

A team of Icelandic-Canadians serve in the First World War before bringing home the very first gold medal in Olympic hockey.

6. Nursing Sisters

Air Date: 2015-05-14

Nursing Sisters serve at the No. 3 Canadian Stationary Hospital in France during the First World War.

7. Terry Fox

Air Date: 2015-09-21

Terry Fox inspires the nation with his Marathon of Hope, a cross-country run to raise money for cancer research.

8. Viola Desmond

Air Date: 2016-02-02

The story of Viola Desmond, an entrepreneur who challenged segregation in Nova Scotia in the 1940s.

9. Chanie Wenjack

Air Date: 2016-06-21

The story of Chanie "Charlie" Wenjack, whose death sparked the first inquest into the treatment of Indigenous children in Canadian residential schools.

10. Naskumituwin (Treaty)

Air Date: 2016-06-21

The making of Treaty 9 from the perspective of historical witness George Spence, an 18-year-old Cree hunter from Albany, James Bay.

11. Kenojuak Ashevak

Air Date: 2016-10-20

As a founding member of Cape Dorset's famed print making cooperative, Kenojuak Ashevak introduced Inuit art to the world (1927-2013).

12. Edmonton Grads

Air Date: 2017-03-08

The Grads challenge the self-proclaimed 'world champions' the Cleveland Favorite Knits to a two game tournament in 1923. They would go on to become the most successful team in Canadian sports history.

13. "Boat People" Refugees

Air Date: 2017-06-20

A family escapes persecution in Vietnam, traveling by boat to a Malaysian refugee camp before finding a new home in Montreal (1980).

14. Kensington Market

Air Date: 2017-10-25

Neighbourhoods like Toronto's Kensington Market have helped shape our country by providing newcomers a first stop in Canada. In the first animated Heritage Minute, a single store is transformed as it passes between generations and cultures.

1. Lucy Maud Montgomery

Air Date: 2018-03-08

Lucy Maud Montgomery battled depression, rejection, and sexism to become known around the world for Anne of Green Gables and 19 other novels. This Heritage Minute tells her story in her own words, as drawn from her journals.

2. Jim Egan

Air Date: 2018-06-13

James Egan was a Canadian LGBT rights activist, best known for his role in the landmark Supreme Court of Canada case Egan v. Canada. He is considered Canada's first prominent LGBTQ activist, due to his initial period of activism from 1949 to 1964.

3. Vancouver Asahi

Air Date: 2019-02-20

From 1914-1941, the Vancouver Asahi were one of city's most dominant amateur baseball teams. In 1942, after Canada declared war on Japan, 22,000 Japanese Canadians were interned in the interior of BC, including the Asahi players

4. D-Day

Air Date: 2019-05-30

On June 6, 1944, Canadian Forces landed on Juno Beach. D-Day, as this day would become known, was the largest amphibious invasion of all time, led to the liberation of France, and marked the beginning of the end of the Second World War.

5. Acadian Deportation

Air Date: 2019-08-15

The Acadians are descendants of early French settlers who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1604 and built a distinct culture and society over generations. Their peaceful existence was uprooted in 1755 when over 10,000 Acadians were ripped from their homeland to ensure British rule in North America. This Heritage Minute portrays the deportation through the eyes of an Acadian mother.

8. Oscar Peterson

Air Date: 2021-02-17

Oscar Peterson is one of Canada's most honoured musicians and widely regarded as one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time. His interest in music began at the age of five growing up in the Black working-class community of Little Burgundy in Montreal. This Heritage Minute recounts the circumstances in which Peterson was raised and follows his rise to fame.

1. Episode 1

Air Date: 2020-05-05

2. Episode 2

Air Date: 2020-10-01

3. Episode 3

Air Date: 2021-02-17

4. Episode 4

Air Date: 2021-05-17

5. Episode 5

Air Date: 2022-02-22

6. Episode 6

Air Date: 2022-06-04

7. Episode 7

Air Date: 2022-11-02

1. Episode 1

Air Date: 2023-04-19

2. Episode 2

Air Date: 2023-10-26

3. Episode 3

Air Date: 2024-02-13

4. Episode 4

Air Date: 2024-10-29

5. Episode 5

Air Date: 2024-12-03

6. Episode 6

Air Date: 2025-05-07

7. Episode 7

Air Date: 2025-10-02