| OTTAWA,
July 10, 2000 --
As research for the CBC’s Canada: A People’s History enters
the final stages, so too does the National Archives’
collaboration with the CBC for this 30-hour bilingual television
series. On October 22, the first of the 16 episodes will be
broadcast simultaneously in English and French on the CBC and
Radio-Canada. It will be preceded by a special on the making of
the series October 8. To date, the CBC and Radio-Canada have
made use of approximately 2,600 maps, paintings, and photographs
from the rich collections of the National Archives (NA) and over
200 moving images.
Innovative
Collaboration
In 1997,
the CBC approached the NA to discuss the research for this
project. The NA quickly recognized that the series was an
excellent opportunity to make Canadians more aware of its
treasures. In a spirit of collaboration, the NA subsequently
provided the CBC’s researcher, Monica MacDonald, with an
office and the same direct access to NA collections and services
as regular staff members. Since 1998, the NA has been home to
Ms. MacDonald who has also coordinated the activities of the CBC
at the NA. |
|
| Research
and
Use of Documents
Over the
past two years, Ms. MacDonald has waded through innumerable
stacks of historical papers, walked through kilometres of
vaults, screened hours of audio-visual material, perused
numerous diaries and other historical records and consulted
numerous specialists of the National Archives. The documents she
chose and had replicated will be put to various uses: to set the
texts that will be used by both actors and narrators; to create
the visual content; to ensure historical accuracy; to design the
sets and props. As Ms. MacDonald points out: "I feel
privileged to have been involved in a project that allowed me to
witness the reciprocal benefits of collaboration between two
national cultural institutions. It was a challenging and
rewarding experience that would have greatly suffered without
the knowledge, professionalism and friendliness of the National
Archives staff." |
 |
| Gene
Allen, Senior Producer and Director of Research for Canada :
A People’s History, also believes that Ms. MacDonald’s
special status was invaluable to the project: "This
[arrangement] has not only made the process of obtaining
archival documents and visuals much more efficient but, even
more importantly, it has allowed our producers to learn much
more about the enormous amount of [archival] material available.
This in turn will enable them to make better use of this
inexhaustible resource to tell the stories of Canada’s past,
to the benefit of producers, archivists, and, most important of
all, the public."
The CBC’s
appreciation for the value of archives confirms the opinion of
the National Archivist, Ian E. Wilson: "...Canadian history
is not dead, it is being transformed into history written in the
first person. The CBC has tapped into our archival heritage and
discovered the treasures of our past. This documentary heritage
belongs to all Canadians; it is the unique record of the voices
and images of those who have preceded us. And Canadians are
using these resources more than ever before because they have
stories to tell, as individuals, as families, and as
communities. This is our history, and archives all across this
country make it possible for institutions like the CBC and for
individuals to base their stories on the reliable and authentic
testimony of many generations of Canadians." |
 |
The Mission of
the National Archives
The National
Archives of Canada preserves the recorded memory of Canada, including
the essential records of the Government of Canada. By opening these
records to Canadians, it contributes to the protection of the rights
of all Canadians and enhances their understanding of Canada.
This serves Canadians by connecting them to the sources of their past,
and with their personal and collective stories.
-30-
For more information, please contact:
Pauline Portelance
Media Relations Officer
Telephone: (613) 996-6128
Fax: (613) 995-0919
E-mail: media@lac-bac.gc.ca
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