Heritage Minutes makes return with new funding

The series Heritage Minutes is set to return with brand new instalments after a funding announcement from the federal government.

Tuesday, Heritage Minister James Moore said the government is spending $12 million to promote Canada’s history through TV, online and in schools.

The Historica-Dominion Institute will get $400,000 in new funds to produce two new Heritage Minutes per year between now and Canada’s approaching 150th birthday in 2017.

First produced in the early 1990s by Charles Bronfman’s CRB Foundation and later picked up by the Historica-Dominion Institute, the iconic series Heritage Minutes originally consisted of 60 short vignettes commemorating Canada’s history, featuring the Halifax Explosion, War of 1812 heroine Laura Secord, and Nellie McClung’s push for women’s rights.

Moore said he laments the disconnect between Canada’s youth and Canadian history, saying that the country could be in “serious jeopardy” if the country forgets its past.

“Canadians want to know more about our history, and these new measures will make our history more accessible to all Canadians, particularly our youth,” said Minister Moore, in a press release Tuesday.

Below are some of the memorable Heritage Minutes:

Wilder Penfield, neurosurgeon

With the memorable line “I can smell burnt toast,” this video highlights the work of Dr. Wilder Penfield, a Canadian neurosurgeon. Building a roadmap of the human mind, Penfield invented a procedure that treated patients with severe epilepsy.

Joe Shuster, Superman

With Man of Steel hitting theatres this weekend, Canadians should remember that one of the original creators of the beloved Superman comic, Joe Shuster, was born in Toronto.

The Halifax Explosion

In 1917, a French cargo ship filled with wartime explosives collided with another ship in a strait near the Halifax harbour in Nova Scotia. Approximately 2,000 people died in the ensuing blast with another 9,000 people injured. The human cost could have been far greater if not for the heroic efforts of Patrick Vincent Coleman, a railway dispatcher who warned incoming trains of the imminent explosion ultimately sacrificing his life in the process.

Agnes MacPhail, Canada’s first female MP

The first woman to be elected to the Canadian House of Commons in 1921, Agnes MacPhail was an outspoken politician and championed a complete overhaul of the Canadian prison system. She would later go on to found the Elizabeth Fry Society of Canada.

The origin of the word Canada

While French explorer Jacques Cartier was exploring a region of New France he encountered of group of Iroquois along the St. Lawrence River. After misunderstanding the word Kanata, which means “village” or “settlement,” Cartier would later refer to the entire region of New France as Canada.

Which Canadian moments, people or achievements would you like to see featured in a Heritage Minute? Let us know in the comments below.