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Made between 1918 and 1929, these Canadian documentary short films are a useful resource for historical research and teaching. They also complement other primary sources. Widely viewed and popular with the public at the time, they are useful for understanding how perceptions and perspectives were influenced and constructed. This specific Library and Archives Canada film collection is significant, exceeding 1,000 films. Their subjects are diverse and will be of interest to labour and social historians; better farming techniques, celebrations of industrial technology, scenic vacation spots for the leisure class and appropriate workplace behavior, are just some subjects addressed by the films in the collection. --Website description

Après avoir vécu une séparation difficile avec son copain engagé dans des affaires louches, Ariane se retrouve sans le sou. Afin d'éviter la vente de son condo, elle trouve un emploi de traductrice dans une entreprise de transformation alimentaire de la grande région de Montréal. Là, en plus des tâches administratives diverses, elle est chargée de traduire en espagnol les directives de Stéphane, le patron, aux employés guatémaltèques embauchés pour la saison estivale. Elle découvre alors un milieu contraignant et parfois cruel, géré d'une main de fer par les propriétaires français de l'usine. Témoin de pratiques injustes, voire illégales, à répétition, Ariane finit par se ranger du côté des travailleurs, quitte à perdre son emploi et se retrouver dans une situation financière plus que difficile. --Website description

À l’époque de l’industrialisation, le monde du travail est d’une grande brutalité. Peu de lois protègent les ouvrier.ère.s. C’est dans ce contexte qu’est fondé en 1921 le tout premier syndicat québécois non associé à un syndicat américain, la Confédération des travailleurs catholiques du Canada (CTCC), maintenant connu sous le nom de Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN). À l’occasion du 100e anniversaire de l’organisation, Savoir média revisite cette époque marquante de l’histoire du Québec avec la présentation du documentaire Les unions, qu’ossa donne ?, produit et réalisé par Hélène Choquette, avec la narration de Anne-Marie Cadieux. Au-delà des syndicats, le film met de l’avant les nombreux changements sociaux apportés par ces revendications ouvrières. --Publisher's description

The Great Depression was a time of widespread poverty and suffering in Newfoundland and Labrador. Steadily declining cod prices made it almost impossible for fishers to make a living, while wage cuts and layoffs plagued the forestry and mining industries. With thousands of men and women newly unemployed, the government was forced to spend heavily on relief programs. These, however, were often inadequate and left many people without enough food, clothing, and other necessities to properly support their families. Malnutrition became rampant and facilitated the spread of beriberi, tuberculosis and other diseases. --Introduction to accompanying article on website.

Director Min Sook Lee's award-winning documentary follows the story of migrant workers who come to labour in Ontario greenhouses as part of Canada's Temporary Foreign Worker Program. Many are women recruited by brokers who illegally charge fees upwards of $7,000, with greenhouse owners complicit in the scam. The film examines the lives of a group of strong, vibrant migrant women who resist systemic oppression and exploitation. --TV Ontario website description

In this feature documentary, 6 student activists visit 36 Canadian towns to take on one giant corporation. Filmed over 2 summers, these young crusaders (plus a gonzo journalist) try to raise public awareness about Wal-Mart's business practices and their effect on cities and towns across Canada. With youthful passion and often hilarious cultural jams, this film takes us to the frontlines of the ongoing debate over the company's increasing dominance in the Canadian retail market.

Documentaire sur Michel Chartrand (1916-2010) et cinquante ans de vie politique et d'action syndicale au Québec à travers lui. Ayant consacré sa vie à défendre les droits des travailleurs, ce passionné de justice sociale s'y révèle homme de cœur, complexe et généreux, amateur de poésie et de fine cuisine. --Description du site de l'ONF

The filmmakers were given remarkable freedom to record the historic 1984 contract negotiations between the United Auto Workers and General Motors Corporation. Bob White, labour leader of the Canadian branch of the UAW, must also confront his American counterpart from Detroit and succeeds in arriving at a contract that is significantly Canadian. His members had already given him a mandate to fight for independence from the American union. This is an invaluable document for anyone interested in the complexities of United States-Canada relations. It's an extraordinary film about revolutionary events. --NFB website description

As Friend and Foe, a National Film Board short film from 1980, is a brief look at the Canadian federal government’s relationship to workers: “as friend and foe” in shaping the architecture of Canada’s labour relations from 1900 to 1980. The film ends by observing that after 1975, the federal and provincial governments have ordered striking workers back-to-work on numerous occasions, concluding that “what the government gives, it can also take away.” --Website description

La grève des travailleurs des mines de nickel de la multinationale INCO à Sudbury en 1978-79 est un jalon de l’histoire ouvrière au Canada. Les cinéastes ont choisi de suivre ce conflit d’une durée de 9 mois du point de vue des femmes des grévistes qui s’organisent en comité d’appui à la grève. Tourné au cœur des familles ouvrières, le film documente au quotidien l'implication des femmes dans la grève : les activités pour soutenir les familles, les lignes de piquetage, les prises de conscience et les débats parfois houleux avec le syndicat ou leurs maris. Ensemble, les femmes de Sudbury découvrent l’emprise de la compagnie sur leur vie personnelle et sur la vie collective, remettant en question leur rôle domestique traditionnel et découvrant leur propre pouvoir. // The 1978-79 strike of mine workers at the International Nickel Company (INCO) in Sudbury was a milestone in Canadian labour history. The filmmakers chose to follow the nine month conflict from the point of view of the strikers' wives, who organised themselves into a strike support committee. Shot at the heart of working-class families, the film documents the women's day-to-day involvement in the strike: activities to support their families, picket lines, awareness-raising and the sometimes heated debates with the union or their husbands. Together, the women of Sudbury discover the company's hold on their personal and collective lives - in the process questioning their traditional domestic role and discovering their power. --Website description

Documentaire controversé réalisé en 1970 par Denys Arcand dans le milieu de l'industrie textile québécoise. Le film met en lumière le phénomène de la fermeture de ces usines, la vie quotidienne des ouvriers, frappés par la maladie (surdité industrielle, pneumochonyose), et enfin, les grèves et les luttes pour se sortir de cette pénible situation.