Canada: A People's History Season 1, Episode 7: Rebellion and Reform

When the World Began...

120 min

Adventurers and Mystics

120 min

Claiming the Wilderness

120 min

Battle for a Continent

120 min

A Question of Loyalties

120 min

The Pathfinders

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.

120 min

The Great Enterprise

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.

120 min

From Sea to Sea

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.

120 min