0:00:02 > 0:00:07I have crossed the Atlantic to ride the railroads of North America
0:00:07 > 0:00:10with my faithful Appleton's Guide.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12TRAIN HOOTS
0:00:12 > 0:00:14Published in the late 19th century,
0:00:14 > 0:00:17it will lead me to all that is magnificent...
0:00:18 > 0:00:20..charming,
0:00:20 > 0:00:23confusing, invigorating
0:00:23 > 0:00:26and wholesome in the United States and Canada.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32As I journey through this vast continent,
0:00:32 > 0:00:35I'll encounter revolutionaries and feminists,
0:00:35 > 0:00:37pilgrims and witches,
0:00:37 > 0:00:42and ride some of the oldest and most breathtaking railroads in the world.
0:00:42 > 0:00:44TRAIN HOOTS
0:01:06 > 0:01:10I'm using an Appleton's Guide to Canada from 1899
0:01:10 > 0:01:14to explore a nation which has now celebrated
0:01:14 > 0:01:16its 150th anniversary.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26I'm continuing my rail journey through French-speaking Quebec,
0:01:26 > 0:01:31where I hope to take a red leaf out of the Canadian recipe book.
0:01:31 > 0:01:32Then I'll move on to Ottawa,
0:01:32 > 0:01:36symbolically chosen to be the capital of the Canada province
0:01:36 > 0:01:38by Queen Victoria herself.
0:01:39 > 0:01:43By then, I shall be in English-speaking Ontario.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47But at games time, the accent will be distinctly Scottish.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51This North American journey began on the eastern seaboard
0:01:51 > 0:01:53of the United States.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56I explored the picturesque New England coast.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00Then traversed the states of Connecticut, Vermont and New York,
0:02:00 > 0:02:02en route to the Canadian border.
0:02:02 > 0:02:06Having explored Montreal, I'm now approaching Ottawa,
0:02:06 > 0:02:10before following the Saint Lawrence River to Lake Ontario,
0:02:10 > 0:02:13and Canada's biggest metropolis, Toronto.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17This leg will cover around 100 miles,
0:02:17 > 0:02:21from the forested outskirts of Montreal in Quebec,
0:02:21 > 0:02:26through the Ontario countryside and on to Canada's capital city.
0:02:27 > 0:02:31Today, I sample an authentic taste of a national delicacy...
0:02:31 > 0:02:33It's magic.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36..get to grips with my Scottish heritage...
0:02:36 > 0:02:37Argh!
0:02:38 > 0:02:41..and find a parliamentary home from home.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43If only I'd had a desk to bang on.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46All I could do was say, "Yeah, yeah, yeah,"
0:02:46 > 0:02:48or, "Rubbish!"
0:03:04 > 0:03:07I shall be leaving this train at Vaudreuil.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10My Appleton's Canadian guidebook tells me that Quebec
0:03:10 > 0:03:13has wild maple-wooded hills.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17The tree is a symbol for strength and endurance.
0:03:17 > 0:03:21Its leaf graces the national coat of arms and flag.
0:03:21 > 0:03:27Maple Leaf insignia are proudly worn by decorated Canadian military.
0:03:27 > 0:03:31I expect my encounter with the species to be somewhat sticky.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41The railways reached Vaudreuil in 1887,
0:03:41 > 0:03:45when it was added as a stop on a line built by the Canadian Pacific
0:03:45 > 0:03:47to connect Montreal and Ottawa.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53Today, it's a suburb of the big city
0:03:53 > 0:03:57but it's my gateway to the wilderness beyond.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00My guide is maple farmer Pierre Faucher.
0:04:00 > 0:04:02Hey, salut, Michael.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04- Pierre, bonjour, monsieur. - Comment ca va?
0:04:04 > 0:04:06Ca va, merci.
0:04:06 > 0:04:08Bienvenue a la Sucrerie de la Montagne.
0:04:08 > 0:04:12- What a lovely name.- That means, en Anglais, maple farm of the mountain.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14OK, let's go.
0:04:16 > 0:04:18- Apres toi, Michael.- Merci, Pierre.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25Who invented this tradition of maple syrup?
0:04:25 > 0:04:28The first Europeans who came here learned it from the natives.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31It was a great gift because we didn't have any sugar.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34The only sugar we had was from the maple tree.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37By the time of my guide,
0:04:37 > 0:04:40the maple's sweet secrets had been passed down through the generations.
0:04:42 > 0:04:46Here, Pierre produces maple syrup as it was done in Appleton's day.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49Pierre, this is absolutely beautiful.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52- Did you build it?- Yes, with the help of the old farmers,
0:04:52 > 0:04:54who were really good carpenters,
0:04:54 > 0:04:57we built all these buildings to protect the tradition.
0:04:57 > 0:04:58We live the tradition.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04Today, Canada produces 80% of the world's maple syrup.
0:05:04 > 0:05:10Exports are worth more than 350 million a year.
0:05:10 > 0:05:11Pierre's son, Stefan,
0:05:11 > 0:05:15is taking me to the font of this iconic Canadian product.
0:05:15 > 0:05:19So, Stefan, all the trees give you the sap, do they?
0:05:19 > 0:05:22Yes. Well, all of these sugar maple trees you can,
0:05:22 > 0:05:24starting at about 40 years' maturity.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27So we drill a new hole each season in late February or early March,
0:05:27 > 0:05:30and then for six weeks we'll collect maple water.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33It needs to freeze at night and thaw during the day.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35So every thawing day, sap rises in the tree,
0:05:35 > 0:05:38and a portion of it falls drop by drop into the bucket.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41So, it doesn't come out as maple syrup?
0:05:41 > 0:05:44It doesn't, unfortunately. I wish it did.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47The tree's producing sugar and the roots are pulling water
0:05:47 > 0:05:49from the ground, and that water is sweetening inside the tree
0:05:49 > 0:05:52and going to feed the future buds for the future leaves,
0:05:52 > 0:05:55and so we're taking a portion of that water.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01The sap rises only in the spring.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03I'm too late for that.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06But Stefan is going to show me how it's done.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08You put the hand drill here.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11So...how far do I go?
0:06:11 > 0:06:13Four centimetres, that should be good.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16Then you need to rotate back and pull out.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19And then I'll give you the spigot that goes in...
0:06:21 > 0:06:24- So we put the bucket on the hook. - Ah!- There you go.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28And so, if this were the spring...
0:06:28 > 0:06:32Yeah, you'd get maple water coming out, drop by drop.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36Around the time of my guidebook,
0:06:36 > 0:06:39maple sap began to be processed indoors
0:06:39 > 0:06:41using more sophisticated equipment.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45Sugar shacks like this one sprang up across Canada.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49Nowadays, most Canadian maple syrup is mass produced.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52But here they stick to the old ways.
0:06:52 > 0:06:56First, the sap is boiled for around five hours.
0:06:56 > 0:07:01The resulting syrup can be sold or turned into an even sweeter treat.
0:07:01 > 0:07:02So this is boiling maple syrup
0:07:02 > 0:07:04and we're going to make maple taffy with it.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07This is between the stages of syrup and taffy.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12It starts to drip off and leave a filament backup.
0:07:12 > 0:07:13It's maple taffy.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18- Oh, what a gorgeous scent! - Isn't it wonderful?
0:07:18 > 0:07:21- It's really good to soak bread in it.- Sounds good!
0:07:32 > 0:07:33It's magic!
0:07:33 > 0:07:36Even after all this time, I still can't get enough of it.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40# Trois beaux canards s'en vont nageant... #
0:07:40 > 0:07:41Before my next train,
0:07:41 > 0:07:45I'm giving thanks for Canada's sweet signature dish,
0:07:45 > 0:07:48just as the 19th century maple farmers would have done
0:07:48 > 0:07:50at harvest time.
0:07:50 > 0:07:52# V'la l'joli vent
0:07:52 > 0:07:54# V'la l'bon vent ma mie m'appelle
0:07:54 > 0:07:56# V'la l'bon vent
0:07:56 > 0:07:59# V'la l'bon vent ma mie m'attend. #
0:08:06 > 0:08:08Bravo!
0:08:31 > 0:08:33My next stop is an hour to the west.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37I'm crossing from French-speaking Quebec Province
0:08:37 > 0:08:40into English-speaking Ontario
0:08:40 > 0:08:45and I'm on the hunt for traces of Canada's British colonial past.
0:08:46 > 0:08:50Appleton's tells me that the country is settled by a thrifty farming
0:08:50 > 0:08:53population of Celtic highlanders.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57It's time for a little fling with the tartan brigade.
0:08:57 > 0:08:59BAGPIPES PLAY
0:09:05 > 0:09:07Merci, a bientot.
0:09:08 > 0:09:12I'm leaving the train at Alexandria in Glengarry County,
0:09:12 > 0:09:16where an annual event celebrates all things Caledonian.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23I have a rendezvous with a very special escort.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25March!
0:09:25 > 0:09:27DRUM ROLL
0:09:29 > 0:09:31BAGPIPES PLAY
0:09:34 > 0:09:38I'm being piped into the showground for the Glengarry Highland Games.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50Local historian Allan McDonald
0:09:50 > 0:09:55is helping me to understand the ties that bind Scotland and Canada.
0:09:55 > 0:10:00So, Allan, this is really a splendid Scottish gathering.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03Any idea how many Canadians would claim a Scottish root of some kind?
0:10:03 > 0:10:0515%.
0:10:05 > 0:10:09So at least four million that claim Scottish descent.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12And do they make efforts to retain their heritage?
0:10:12 > 0:10:16They absolutely do. They lost their language, they lost the Gaelic,
0:10:16 > 0:10:19but they've kept their culture in the form of Highland Games,
0:10:19 > 0:10:20such as this.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24But they also have piping and Scottish dancing,
0:10:24 > 0:10:27step dancing and, of course, Scottish fiddling.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30What is the origin of all of these Scots in Canada?
0:10:30 > 0:10:34The Scottish population in Canada goes back to the 1700s.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37They hoped that this would be the land of economic opportunity.
0:10:37 > 0:10:42And of course you have the Glengarry Scots that came up here first of all
0:10:42 > 0:10:47from the United Empire, the Loyalist war against the American Revolution.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50In 18th and 19th century Scotland,
0:10:50 > 0:10:55the Highland clearances evicted thousands of Scots from their land
0:10:55 > 0:10:57and plunged them into poverty.
0:10:57 > 0:10:58Many fled to Canada.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01And in the late 1800s they were followed by others,
0:11:01 > 0:11:05lured by the promise of a new life in the wild Canadian west.
0:11:07 > 0:11:12Highland Games were first held in Glengarry County in the 1850s.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15My mother was Scottish.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18Does that entitle me to wear a kilt?
0:11:18 > 0:11:19Oh, quite!
0:11:19 > 0:11:21Pull!
0:11:22 > 0:11:24Heave!
0:11:38 > 0:11:42Despite my Scottish heritage, I've never tossed a caber.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44And I think I should learn.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46How's the day gone for you today?
0:11:46 > 0:11:48It was actually a very successful day for me.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50I beat my elder brother by half a point to finish fourth.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52Oh, that's wonderful! Wonderful!
0:11:52 > 0:11:54- Yeah, great.- And show me how you begin this caber toss
0:11:54 > 0:11:57because you grasp the caber like that, don't you?
0:11:57 > 0:12:00- We do, yeah.- And then you... - We interlock our fingers.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04- Uh-huh.- And then you slide it down, slide it down,
0:12:04 > 0:12:07and then we give the caber a squeeze, a hug with our hands.
0:12:07 > 0:12:11And we throw it up, up high, and then we catch it.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14And then we let it rest against the shoulder.
0:12:14 > 0:12:18And then we sometimes have to move around and get it balanced.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21And then when we have it set, we start to slowly inch it forward
0:12:21 > 0:12:23and pick up speed, pick up speed,
0:12:23 > 0:12:26and quickly stop and throw it over your head
0:12:26 > 0:12:29- as hard as you can, as fast as you can.- Ha!
0:12:33 > 0:12:36Having been coached by a professional, I must give it a go.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46HE GRUNTS
0:12:48 > 0:12:50HE GROWLS
0:12:52 > 0:12:54Aargh!
0:12:54 > 0:12:56Whoa.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59APPLAUSE
0:13:07 > 0:13:11The first prime minister of modern Canada, John Macdonald,
0:13:11 > 0:13:12was born in Scotland.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15He championed the transcontinental railway,
0:13:15 > 0:13:17built by a Scots-Canadian company.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22Scottish immigrants and their descendants
0:13:22 > 0:13:24have shaped this nation's history.
0:13:24 > 0:13:26And, boy, are they proud.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29CROWD CHEER AND APPLAUD
0:13:36 > 0:13:411,400 musicians advancing across the field like a small army,
0:13:41 > 0:13:44I never saw anything like this in Scotland.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47I never felt my Scottish heritage like today.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50MUSIC: Amazing Grace
0:13:55 > 0:13:56Merci.
0:14:05 > 0:14:09I hope to cover the 60 miles to my next stop before nightfall.
0:14:13 > 0:14:15My train is approaching Ottawa,
0:14:15 > 0:14:18which, Appleton's tells me, leads a double life
0:14:18 > 0:14:23as a rich capital and as a rafting and milling centre.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26It is the city of laws and saws.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29For once, not my pun, but Appleton's.
0:14:29 > 0:14:34Its upper town rings with the eloquence of our legislators.
0:14:34 > 0:14:36It sounds like my kind of town.
0:14:50 > 0:14:54A new day and the Canadian capital awaits.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01Appleton's tells me that Ottawa is on the south shore
0:15:01 > 0:15:06of the Ottawa River, which divides English-speaking Ontario
0:15:06 > 0:15:08from French-speaking Quebec.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17I'm making a beeline for Parliament Hill,
0:15:17 > 0:15:19home of the Canadian legislature.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23The parliamentary buildings, says Appleton's,
0:15:23 > 0:15:26are designed in a modified 12th century Gothic,
0:15:26 > 0:15:31and are an admirable combination of simplicity, grace and strength.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33The cream-coloured sandstone's richness of tone
0:15:33 > 0:15:36grows under the touch of time.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39The parliamentary library has a lofty dome
0:15:39 > 0:15:42supported by flying buttresses.
0:15:42 > 0:15:46The first stone was laid by the Prince of Wales in 1860.
0:15:46 > 0:15:50But what I see there doesn't particularly resemble
0:15:50 > 0:15:52the illustration in my book.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55I think it's time to update my Appleton's with a visit.
0:16:01 > 0:16:05When work on this building began, Canada was the name of a province,
0:16:05 > 0:16:08comprising modern Quebec and Ontario.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13It was under British control
0:16:13 > 0:16:18and Queen Victoria had chosen Ottawa as its capital in 1857.
0:16:18 > 0:16:22To me, as a former politician, this is like a home from home.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25But if you know the British Parliament,
0:16:25 > 0:16:27you would not for a moment confuse the two.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30Because, although they're both Gothic,
0:16:30 > 0:16:32this is Gothic with a difference.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34But the feel is the same.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37And the intention in both places, I'm sure,
0:16:37 > 0:16:40is to place upon the legislator
0:16:40 > 0:16:43a weight, a burden,
0:16:43 > 0:16:46a responsibility of history.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00- Hello, Johanna.- Hello!- What a pleasure to be in the parliament.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02We're very delighted you're here.
0:17:02 > 0:17:07Johanna Mizgala is curator of the Ottawa House of Commons.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10Johanna, here we are in the magnificent dome,
0:17:10 > 0:17:11which I recognise from my Appleton's.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14But the rest of the building appears substantially different.
0:17:14 > 0:17:16Why is that?
0:17:16 > 0:17:19So, on February 3rd 1916, in the evening,
0:17:19 > 0:17:23there was a fire that began in the reading room of the old building.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26The library was saved due to the quick thinking of one of
0:17:26 > 0:17:29the assistant librarians, who ordered one of the pages to close
0:17:29 > 0:17:32the iron doors as people were exiting the building.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35But this is all that remains of the original structure.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38Why was the decision taken in the first place
0:17:38 > 0:17:40to build in a neo-Gothic style?
0:17:40 > 0:17:44Well, that was really the architectural style of the period,
0:17:44 > 0:17:46and Westminster has been constructed as well.
0:17:46 > 0:17:48So it's natural, in a sense,
0:17:48 > 0:17:51that a building which is going to have a similar function will have
0:17:51 > 0:17:53a similar style and flavour.
0:17:53 > 0:17:58And, as your legislators do their research, Queen Victoria presides.
0:17:58 > 0:18:02Yes, Queen Victoria appears throughout the building, obviously,
0:18:02 > 0:18:04because of her connection to the space.
0:18:04 > 0:18:06We have portraits of Queen Victoria,
0:18:06 > 0:18:09there are signs and symbols of her reign throughout the building.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11Yes, of course, she's right here.
0:18:14 > 0:18:15As in the Palace of Westminster,
0:18:15 > 0:18:17there are two chambers of parliament.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20An upper house, or senate, and a lower chamber.
0:18:22 > 0:18:26Johanna, what a magnificent chamber, the House of Commons of Canada.
0:18:26 > 0:18:28Tell me where the people sit.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31Behind us in the chair of course is the Speaker.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34On this side of the space is the government seats.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36On the other side is the opposition.
0:18:36 > 0:18:41And the gallery, up above, behind, is where the press sits.
0:18:41 > 0:18:45Compared with Westminster, it's much bigger than our chamber.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48But critically, people have a seat to sit on.
0:18:48 > 0:18:52In the House of Commons, it is Darwinian, it is pandemonium!
0:18:52 > 0:18:54You have to fight for your seat on a bench,
0:18:54 > 0:18:56you're elbowing people from side to side.
0:18:56 > 0:19:00So presumably this produces a rather more orderly atmosphere in your
0:19:00 > 0:19:02- parliament?- Well, it does.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05In our chamber we have assigned seats.
0:19:05 > 0:19:09And one of the main differences as well between the two chambers is,
0:19:09 > 0:19:11of course, we have our desks.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15That creates a different kind of drama and theatre, if you will.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18They use the desks very clearly to make sure that people know
0:19:18 > 0:19:20how they're feeling, happy or sad.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23They bang on the desks when they need to.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26How wonderful! If only I'd had a desk to bang on!
0:19:26 > 0:19:28All I could do was shout, "Yeah, yeah, yeah,"
0:19:28 > 0:19:30or, "Rubbish!"
0:19:34 > 0:19:38In 1867, these buildings took on a new significance
0:19:38 > 0:19:43when Ottawa became the capital of a newly united Dominion of Canada.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49Professor Dominique Marshall is talking me through
0:19:49 > 0:19:50the birth of a nation.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55What did Confederation bring about in 1867?
0:19:55 > 0:19:58It divides the powers between the provinces
0:19:58 > 0:20:00and the central government.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02It gives guarantees to French-Canadians
0:20:02 > 0:20:06that their schools and their culture and their rights will be secured.
0:20:06 > 0:20:12And it also severs some of the links with Britain, and keeps others.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15Like defence, international defence and diplomacy.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18It keeps the same queen, we still have the same queen,
0:20:18 > 0:20:19but it's the Queen of Canada now
0:20:19 > 0:20:23and otherwise it becomes an independent nation.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26Just three colonies joined the fledgling state.
0:20:26 > 0:20:30But its territory soon dramatically expanded thanks, in part,
0:20:30 > 0:20:35to the enticing prospect of a new transcontinental railway.
0:20:35 > 0:20:37By the time of my guidebook,
0:20:37 > 0:20:41Canada had largely acquired its modern shape.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44What about the indigenous people, the First Nations of Canada?
0:20:44 > 0:20:46At the time of Confederation,
0:20:46 > 0:20:49Aboriginal people were one person out of 20.
0:20:49 > 0:20:53They were not voting, they were not invited at the table.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56And they considered their relationships with the government
0:20:56 > 0:20:58to be bilateral negotiations.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01They had to negotiate power and land.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04And up to nowadays, the Algonquins
0:21:04 > 0:21:07have not ceded the land on which we stand.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10When did Canada become 100% independent?
0:21:10 > 0:21:11Not long ago, really.
0:21:11 > 0:21:151982, the constitution comes back to Canada.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18It means that when you want to change it,
0:21:18 > 0:21:20you do not have to go to London.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22There is now a formula to change it over here.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25But up to then, it could not be changed
0:21:25 > 0:21:29without going to the Privy Council in London.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31BRASS BAND PLAYS
0:21:44 > 0:21:47Canada may be independent today, but for British tourists
0:21:47 > 0:21:49there are many reminders of home.
0:21:49 > 0:21:53With the red tunics, the bearskins,
0:21:53 > 0:21:56the inexpert eye could be fooled into thinking
0:21:56 > 0:21:58that this is Great Britain.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01But the ear could not be deceived.
0:22:01 > 0:22:05The incoming guard received its orders barked out in French.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08SHOUTS ORDERS IN FRENCH
0:22:20 > 0:22:26I'm continuing my exploration of Ottawa on the so-called O-Train.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28This is Ottawa's Trillium Line.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31I don't know whether to call it a train or a tram.
0:22:31 > 0:22:35Unlike most new metros that I know, it isn't electric, but diesel.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39And unlike most trams, it's entirely separated from the traffic.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42At the moment, the system is tiny.
0:22:42 > 0:22:44But wherever you look, they're building new stations.
0:22:47 > 0:22:51By the time of my Appleton's, the Canadian Pacific Railroad
0:22:51 > 0:22:54connected a vast country that spanned a continent
0:22:54 > 0:22:56and stretched up into the Arctic.
0:22:57 > 0:23:01But, to begin with, settlers were slow to populate the inhospitable
0:23:01 > 0:23:03Canadian west.
0:23:05 > 0:23:10I've come to an area of urban Ottawa that feels more like the prairies,
0:23:10 > 0:23:13to hear how a 19th-century government initiative
0:23:13 > 0:23:16encouraged migrants in their droves.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19Scientist Dr Malcolm Morrison is my guide.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22- Malcolm, lovely to see you.- Welcome to the Ottawa Research Centre.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24I'm really pleased to be here, thank you.
0:23:24 > 0:23:29This is the Central Experimental Farm, founded in 1886.
0:23:29 > 0:23:33Malcolm, why was this institution set up?
0:23:33 > 0:23:37The minister of agriculture believed that we needed research
0:23:37 > 0:23:41in this country in order to improve the lot of the farmer.
0:23:42 > 0:23:47- What was the problem that Canada was struggling with?- Adaptation.
0:23:47 > 0:23:51We could bring crops in from England or Russia or Japan,
0:23:51 > 0:23:54but they certainly weren't adapted to our environment.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57They weren't adapted to the short growing season that we have,
0:23:57 > 0:24:01the amount of frost that we have in Western Canada, for example.
0:24:04 > 0:24:08The Central Experimental Farm was the hub of a series
0:24:08 > 0:24:11of research stations founded across Canada.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14They helped to pioneer scientific plant breeding.
0:24:15 > 0:24:17This fellow here was Charles Saunders.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19He was the first Dominion Cerealist
0:24:19 > 0:24:22and he was the inventor of Marquis wheat,
0:24:22 > 0:24:26which was the wheat that opened up the Canadian Prairies for us.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28Saunders developed the frost-resistant,
0:24:28 > 0:24:32early-maturing Marquis wheat in a series of experiments conducted
0:24:32 > 0:24:34in the early 1900s.
0:24:34 > 0:24:40In 1911, the Canadian Pacific Railway offered 1,000 worth of gold
0:24:40 > 0:24:43to the best wheat variety in Canada,
0:24:43 > 0:24:45and Marquis won by a margin.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50Wheat acreage went from about 3.5 million acres,
0:24:50 > 0:24:53and it doubled inside of about five years
0:24:53 > 0:24:55and then again tripled.
0:24:55 > 0:24:59So by 1920, 85% of all the wheat that was grown,
0:24:59 > 0:25:03not just in Canada but in North America, was Marquis wheat.
0:25:03 > 0:25:07And some people say that having a good supply of wheat
0:25:07 > 0:25:11during the First World War was one of the reasons that the Allies
0:25:11 > 0:25:13actually won the First World War.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16Because by then you were not just supplying your domestic market,
0:25:16 > 0:25:18you were suppliers to the world.
0:25:18 > 0:25:22Yes, one of the first globalised crop was wheat.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29Back in the 1880s, this area was undeveloped land
0:25:29 > 0:25:32and Ottawa has grown around it.
0:25:33 > 0:25:39This 960-acre oasis remains at the forefront of agricultural research.
0:25:40 > 0:25:45Malcolm's team is constantly refining new varieties of cereal,
0:25:45 > 0:25:48including, of course, wheat.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50What is it you're trying to find out?
0:25:50 > 0:25:54We're trying to find a crop that has better disease resistance,
0:25:54 > 0:25:55better adaptation,
0:25:55 > 0:26:00better tolerance to things like heat, stress and drought.
0:26:08 > 0:26:14This is a test of a lot of different varieties of wheat.
0:26:14 > 0:26:20And they're being tested for yield, and adaptation
0:26:20 > 0:26:23and disease resistance. Look at that.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26Your institution was established in the 19th century,
0:26:26 > 0:26:29and I thought then you determined what grew well in Canada.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32- Are you reinventing the wheel?- Of course we're reinventing the wheel,
0:26:32 > 0:26:35just like all the car companies have reinvented the wheel
0:26:35 > 0:26:37since Henry Ford's time.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40And look where we are now with vehicles.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42It's the same with wheat.
0:26:42 > 0:26:47We would be at the same yield that we would have been at in 1880.
0:26:47 > 0:26:52Now we're about two to three times the amount of wheat per acre
0:26:52 > 0:26:54that we got in 1880.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57And what's the satisfaction you get from doing this, Malcolm?
0:26:57 > 0:27:00The work that I'm doing, in some way,
0:27:00 > 0:27:02feeds the population of the world.
0:27:02 > 0:27:07I think I've gained an awful lot of satisfaction from this career,
0:27:07 > 0:27:09- from my job.- And the world from you.
0:27:20 > 0:27:25Having been a member of the British House of Commons for about 20 years,
0:27:25 > 0:27:30I felt privileged and moved to visit its counterpart here in Ottawa.
0:27:30 > 0:27:34This city was chosen to be capital in part because it lay between
0:27:34 > 0:27:38the Francophone Montreal and the Anglophone Toronto,
0:27:38 > 0:27:42in a country that requires balance and compromise
0:27:42 > 0:27:44if it's to hang together.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47But it struck me that the designs of the parliament
0:27:47 > 0:27:51and the changing of the guard ceremony tend, very strongly,
0:27:51 > 0:27:54to emphasise the British heritage.
0:27:56 > 0:28:00Next time, I'll discover the magic of the Thousand Islands...
0:28:00 > 0:28:05Ahead of me now, a tiny island with an enormous house,
0:28:05 > 0:28:08and the Saint Lawrence sweeps by on either side.
0:28:08 > 0:28:12..learn to tread in the footsteps of a famous Canadian showman...
0:28:12 > 0:28:16- Extend your arms and breathe. - Whoa...
0:28:18 > 0:28:21..and immerse myself in Canada's military history.
0:28:21 > 0:28:25I will unleash fire and fury like the world has never seen!
0:28:25 > 0:28:26Fire!
0:28:26 > 0:28:28CANNON FIRES