Heritage Minutes

An 1885 Robert Harris painting, A Meeting of the School Trustees, depicted in the 1992 Heritage Minute episode "Rural Teacher", on the benefits of pedagogy

The Heritage Minutes is a series of sixty-second short films, each illustrating an important moment in Canadian history. Published by Historica Canada the Minutes integrate Canadian history, folklore and myths into dramatic storylines.[1][2][3] Like the Canada Vignettes of the 1970s, the Minutes themselves have become a part of Canadian culture and been the subject of academic studies as well as parody.[4]

The Minutes were first introduced on March 31, 1991, as part of a one-off history quiz show hosted by Wayne Rostad.[5] Originally distributed to schools,[2] they appeared frequently on Canadian television and in cinemas before feature films, and were later available online and on DVD.[4] "Radio minutes" have also been made.[6] From 1991 to 1995, 50 episodes aired. In 2012, new Minutes were produced in the lead-up to Canada's sesquicentennial (150th anniversary of Canadian Confederation) in 2017.

The Minutes have featured appearances by some of Canada's best-known personalities, including Jared Keeso, Michael Shanks, Calum Worthy, Colm Feore, Dan Aykroyd, and Kate Nelligan. Voice-over end narration for the Heritage Minutes has been provided by such recognizable voices as Peter Mansbridge, k.d. lang, Adrienne Clarkson, and Lloyd Robertson.[7]

  1. ^ Ryan Edwardson (2008). Canadian Content: Culture and the Quest for Nationhood. University of Toronto Press. p. 286. ISBN 978-0-8020-9519-0.
  2. ^ a b Alan Gordon (2010). The Hero and the Historians: Historiography and the Uses of Jacques Cartier. UBC Press. p. 185. ISBN 978-0-7748-5920-2.
  3. ^ Stefan Berger; Linas Eriksonas; Andrew Mycock (2013). Narrating The Nation: Representations in History, Media and the Arts. Berghahn Books. p. 284. ISBN 978-0-85745-412-6.
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Barbour & Evans was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference thecanadian was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Radio Minutes". Historica Canada. Retrieved 2015-09-12.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference z495 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).