CBC Archives

Opposition to the Seal Hunt
Canada's seal hunt has long been a target of animal rights activists. We learn more about the hunt, and those who oppose it, in this report from 1976.

Canadian Labour Congress Is Founded
Canada's labour movement has been active in attempting to influence public policy for more than a century. But the labour movement itself has not always been united—this changed in 1956 when the Trades and Labour Congress of Canada merged with the Canadian Congress of Labour to form the million-member Canadian Labour Congress. As seen in this CBC report, while some delegates to the founding convention expressed concern, the vote for union was unanimous.

Assembly of First Nations Elects Fontaine
Canada's Aboriginal peoples have been lobbying government to protect their interests since long before Confederation. Lobbying has swung between militant positions and more pragmatic approaches depending on who the prominent leaders were in the movement. In this report we see the emergence of Phil Fontaine as the new national chief of the Assembly of First Nations. By voting for Fontaine, Canada's native chiefs have chosen a pragmatic approach over a more aggressive style, reports CBC's Saša Petricic.

Protest and Pepper Spray at APEC Conference
Frustration is mounting in Vancouver. Politicians from around the world meet at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Conference. UBC students carry protest signs, angry that the issue of human rights isn't on the APEC agenda. The RCMP try to clear the area but chaos erupts. Protesters tear down a fence and pepper spray is shot into the crowds. Later, in response to an off-camera question from UBC radio DJ Nardwuar, an unapologetic Prime Minister Chrétien brushes away the pepper spray incident: "For me, pepper, I put it on my plate."

Protester Pies Prime Minister
It's one of the oldest gags in the book, but nobody's laughing today when a lone protester pushes a pie in the face of Jean Chrétien. The prime minister is in Charlottetown, PEI, glad-handing with islanders on a lazy midsummer visit for Old Home days. But then pastry bandit Evan Brown slips past RCMP scrutiny, and lands "a direct hit" on the PM. In classic Chrétien style, he later dismissed the creamy mess, joking that PEI had developed "a funny way of serving pies."

TVO's The Agenda

LGBTQ Parental Rights in Ontario
Under Ontario law, some LGBTQ couples have to adopt their own children, or get a legal declaration of parentage. In 2006, the Ontario Superior Court ruled this law was discriminatory, and yet little has changed. The Agenda looks at the legal battle to give LGBTQ families equal rights. Then Attorney General Yasir Naqvi discusses the government's recent announcement they will introduce new parental recognition legislation in September.

Nestle’s Ontario Water Problem
Nestlé recently outbid the Township of Centre Wellington to purchase a well in Middlebrook near Elora. It intends to draw 1,364 litres of water per minute and bottle it in nearby Aberfoyle. Meanwhile in neighbouring Guelph, which is under an outside water use restriction, a motion to block the renewal of Nestlé's Aberfoyle water permit has been referred to a council committee. The Agenda discusses the developments in this contentious issue.