0:00:02 > 0:00:08I have crossed the Atlantic to ride the railroads of North America
0:00:08 > 0:00:10with my faithful Appletons' guide.
0:00:12 > 0:00:16Published in the late 19th century, it will lead me to all that is
0:00:16 > 0:00:19magnificent... ..charming...
0:00:20 > 0:00:23..confusing, invigorating...
0:00:23 > 0:00:24..and awesome
0:00:24 > 0:00:26..in the United States and Canada.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32As I journey through this vast continent,
0:00:32 > 0:00:34I'll encounter revolutionaries.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37And feminists, pilgrims, and witches.
0:00:37 > 0:00:42And ride some of the oldest and most breathtaking railroads in the world.
0:01:16 > 0:01:18I'm exploring Canada.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21Using an Appletons' guide published some 30 years
0:01:21 > 0:01:24after the Dominion of Canada was created.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30My rail journey in Eastern Canada
0:01:30 > 0:01:33has brought me into English-speaking Ontario.
0:01:33 > 0:01:39On this stage, I'll thrill at islands more numerous than generally thought,
0:01:39 > 0:01:44find out how Canadian officers are taught,
0:01:44 > 0:01:48view a bastion against US invasion - or "fort",
0:01:48 > 0:01:53hear of high-wired tricks with danger fraught
0:01:53 > 0:01:56and of motor cars by royalty sought.
0:02:01 > 0:02:06This has been an international North American adventure.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10I began in the former British colonies of New England,
0:02:10 > 0:02:12now a part of the United States.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15Before crossing into Canada.
0:02:15 > 0:02:17Having explored Francophone Quebec,
0:02:17 > 0:02:20I stopped off in the national capital.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24From now on, my route will run parallel to the United States border
0:02:24 > 0:02:27as I approach my final destination, Toronto.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32On this leg, I will come up 180 miles,
0:02:32 > 0:02:35travelling alongside the St Lawrence River
0:02:35 > 0:02:37and the shores of Lake Ontario,
0:02:37 > 0:02:38as far as Oshawa.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45Along the way, all discover the magic of the 1000 Islands...
0:02:46 > 0:02:51Ahead of me now, a tiny island with an enormous house
0:02:51 > 0:02:54and the St Lawrence sweeps by on either side.
0:02:54 > 0:02:58..learn to tread in the footsteps of a famous Canadian showman...
0:02:58 > 0:03:00Extend your arms, and breathe.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02Good.
0:03:03 > 0:03:07..and immerse myself in Canada's military history.
0:03:07 > 0:03:11I will unleash fire and fury like the world has never seen.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13Fire!
0:03:29 > 0:03:33I'm following the route of the Grand Trunk Railway,
0:03:33 > 0:03:37which linked to the 19th-century commercial capital of Montreal
0:03:37 > 0:03:38with up-and-coming Toronto.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51- Bonjour, Madame. - Bonjour, vous allez bien?
0:03:51 > 0:03:53Tres bien, merci. Comment vous appellez-vous?
0:03:53 > 0:03:55Je m'appelle Lauren.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57Lauren. Have you got some lovely breakfast for me?
0:03:57 > 0:04:01Yes, I got a nice south-west omelette with potato, chorizo,
0:04:01 > 0:04:02and fresh asparagus.
0:04:02 > 0:04:07Or a nice fresh fruit casserole with almond cereals and Greek yoghurt.
0:04:07 > 0:04:09What a fantastic choice.
0:04:09 > 0:04:11- The omelette, with the asparagus, please.- Yes.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15That looks very nice.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17- Voila.- Merci.
0:04:17 > 0:04:18Bon appetie, monsieur.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21Would you like a cup of tea?
0:04:21 > 0:04:22A cup of green tea, please.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24A cup of green tea, marvellous.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33My first stop will be Brockville,
0:04:33 > 0:04:37described in my Appletons' as "the 1000 Islands city".
0:04:39 > 0:04:44"The 1000 Islands are really many more than a thousand in number.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46"Some are precipitous,
0:04:46 > 0:04:50"others barely lift their heads above the lily pads that encircle them.
0:04:50 > 0:04:56"Some are naked, as if their granite frames had just come from the provincial fires.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59"Others are topped with pine and fir,
0:04:59 > 0:05:03"or softly rounded with the foliage of vines."
0:05:03 > 0:05:07My Appletons' was written by the poet Sir Charles Roberts,
0:05:07 > 0:05:09and I hope to be equally inspired.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21Au revoir! It was nice having you.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23- Enjoy your day.- Bye-bye.
0:05:23 > 0:05:24Bye.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37Brockville is named after General Isaac Brock,
0:05:37 > 0:05:40hero of the war of 1812.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43In that conflict, British forces successfully repelled
0:05:43 > 0:05:46the United States' invasions of Canada.
0:05:46 > 0:05:50Today, the boundary between the two now-friendly nations runs down the
0:05:50 > 0:05:52middle of the St Lawrence,
0:05:52 > 0:05:55punctuated by the picturesque 1000 Islands.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57How do you do?
0:06:18 > 0:06:21I'm taking a cue from my Appletons',
0:06:21 > 0:06:23which recommends a river trip here
0:06:23 > 0:06:26as "one of the most attractive on the continent."
0:06:41 > 0:06:45Ahead of me now, a tiny island with an enormous house
0:06:45 > 0:06:49and a boat which is perfectly in proportion.
0:06:49 > 0:06:50The house fills the island
0:06:50 > 0:06:54and the St Lawrence sweeps by on either side.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02- Hello, Susie.- Hi, Michael.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05Susie Smith has written a history of these islands.
0:07:05 > 0:07:07What a beautiful place you live in.
0:07:07 > 0:07:08Well, thank you.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10We think we're lucky.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20I see the islands are settled, at least in part.
0:07:20 > 0:07:21When were they settled?
0:07:21 > 0:07:25Up until the American Civil War in the 1860s,
0:07:25 > 0:07:27there was very little leisure time,
0:07:27 > 0:07:30but it was after that, when all the manufacturing started,
0:07:30 > 0:07:33that the wealthy manufacturers could take time off.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36And so they would come up to the 1000 Islands,
0:07:36 > 0:07:38and the train stopped right in Gananoque,
0:07:38 > 0:07:40so you could get on the train in Montreal,
0:07:40 > 0:07:43or you get on the train in Toronto and end up here.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46And that was the perfect place to come.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57As well as building holiday homes,
0:07:57 > 0:08:00those 19th-century tourists established
0:08:00 > 0:08:02an unusual vacation ritual.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05What's the ceremony we're going to today?
0:08:05 > 0:08:07It's called Half Moon Bay.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09And it's Sunday vesper services.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12It was started in 1887,
0:08:12 > 0:08:15they would all gather together and, in their canoes,
0:08:15 > 0:08:17in their St Lawrence skiffs,
0:08:17 > 0:08:21and they'd sing hymns and somebody would say some prayers.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23And the man that owned the property
0:08:23 > 0:08:26bequeathed 20 feet all around that bay
0:08:26 > 0:08:27to the town of Gananoque,
0:08:27 > 0:08:31providing therapy church services there in perpetuity.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36My Appletons' says of the 1000 Islands,
0:08:36 > 0:08:41"Hither and thither among them dart the trim craft of the canoeists.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44"For it is here that they most do congregate."
0:08:44 > 0:08:47But this is not the kind of congregation that you might expect.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50WOMAN SINGING
0:09:10 > 0:09:14Welcome to this special service at Half Moon Bay.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16APPLAUSE
0:09:19 > 0:09:22Lord God, we ask your blessing on this our sanctuary.
0:09:22 > 0:09:28Filled by your light, blessed by your breath, created by your hand.
0:09:28 > 0:09:33Bless the members of your communities gathered in this place.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36In the name of our saviour Jesus Christ,
0:09:36 > 0:09:37amen.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41The New Testament talks about the Disciples, who were fishermen,
0:09:41 > 0:09:43sheltering from the storms
0:09:43 > 0:09:45and here, the tranquility of the 1000 Islands
0:09:45 > 0:09:47in the St Lawrence River,
0:09:47 > 0:09:49these people have brought their boats to
0:09:49 > 0:09:51the secure haven of Half Moon Bay.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56We'll sing together the Half Moon Bay hymn.
0:09:56 > 0:10:01THEY ALL SING
0:10:23 > 0:10:25Peace be with you.
0:10:25 > 0:10:26- Peace be with you. - Peace be with you.
0:10:28 > 0:10:30- Peace be with you. - Peace.- Peace.
0:10:31 > 0:10:36It seems that some of the earliest and most recent Christian disciples
0:10:36 > 0:10:37were people in boats.
0:11:05 > 0:11:09I'm now rejoining the route of the Grand Trunk Railway.
0:11:09 > 0:11:14Built from the 1850s, by 1860, the 800-mile line linked Portland,
0:11:14 > 0:11:17Maine on the East Coast of the United States,
0:11:17 > 0:11:19with Sarnia in Ontario,
0:11:19 > 0:11:23from where trains could continue over the border into Michigan.
0:11:25 > 0:11:29The Grand Trunk was a symbol of trans-North American trade
0:11:29 > 0:11:30and cooperation.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42But I'm leaving the train at Kingston, Ontario
0:11:42 > 0:11:46to learn about a low point in US-Canadian relations
0:11:46 > 0:11:48back in the days of British rule.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56I'm meeting guide and re-enactor Mark Bennett.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00Hello, sir, welcome to Fort Henry.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03Michael Portillo. 1832?
0:12:03 > 0:12:06Well, that is Fort Henry number two, sir.
0:12:06 > 0:12:08The first fort was built during the war of 1812,
0:12:08 > 0:12:12with hostilities between the United States of America and Great Britain.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16This is the point where the St Lawrence River meets Lake Ontario.
0:12:16 > 0:12:21The Navy protected the water, Fort Henry protected the land.
0:12:21 > 0:12:22In 1812,
0:12:22 > 0:12:27Britain was at war with Napoleonic France and was aggressively blocking
0:12:27 > 0:12:30United States trade with the enemy.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32In a bid to force a change of policy,
0:12:32 > 0:12:37the US launched an unsuccessful invasion of British North America.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40Fort Henry itself escaped attack.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43But Canada remained uneasy about its southern neighbour.
0:12:43 > 0:12:49By 1832, the British have now completed the Rideau Canal,
0:12:49 > 0:12:54so they wanted a bigger and better Fort Henry to protect the dual
0:12:54 > 0:12:55waterways meeting here.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58And so Fort Henry number two was constructed.
0:12:58 > 0:13:02Different forts at different times, but always the same enemy.
0:13:02 > 0:13:04That is correct, sir.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06MILITARY DRUMS
0:13:06 > 0:13:08May we proceed and inspect your men?
0:13:08 > 0:13:09Let's head this way.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16Present arms!
0:13:19 > 0:13:24Since the 1930s, Fort Henry has been a living museum, where visitors
0:13:24 > 0:13:28can get an authentic taste of 19th century military life.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31Time to man the guns!
0:13:31 > 0:13:34But not everyone gets this close to the action.
0:13:34 > 0:13:36On the double!
0:13:36 > 0:13:37Move!
0:13:52 > 0:13:56I will unleash fire and fury like the world has never seen.
0:13:56 > 0:13:58Cannon ready!
0:13:58 > 0:13:59Fire!
0:14:13 > 0:14:16Fort Henry may be a tourist attraction today,
0:14:16 > 0:14:20but Kingston continues to play an important role
0:14:20 > 0:14:23in Canadian military affairs.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26"The Royal Military College," says Appletons',
0:14:26 > 0:14:28"is the West Point of Canada,
0:14:28 > 0:14:32"where the cadets get a training the efficiency of which
0:14:32 > 0:14:37"is well recognised in sister colonies and in the mother country."
0:14:37 > 0:14:41I have reason to believe that the quality of the education is still
0:14:41 > 0:14:42extraordinarily high.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46Ronald Haycock is a professor of military history
0:14:46 > 0:14:49of the Royal Military College.
0:14:50 > 0:14:54Ron, tell me about the foundation of the military college.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57Well, the College was founded in 1876
0:14:57 > 0:15:01largely because the British forces had withdrawn from North America
0:15:01 > 0:15:05and we had to take care of our own defence after Confederation.
0:15:05 > 0:15:07Who provided the training staff in the early years?
0:15:07 > 0:15:09It was nearly all British.
0:15:09 > 0:15:11Largely hired because of their expertise.
0:15:11 > 0:15:15Canada had no professional capability
0:15:15 > 0:15:17and, as a result, there was a reliance on the British.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20At Confederation in 1867,
0:15:20 > 0:15:25Canada won significant independence and Britain happily relinquished
0:15:25 > 0:15:29the burden of defending the border with the United States.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32Of course, Canada remained loyal to the Empire.
0:15:32 > 0:15:36The Canadians have made an enormous contribution to the wars of the
0:15:36 > 0:15:39British Empire. Remind me of those, please.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42We had 7,000 troops the Anglo-Boer War.
0:15:42 > 0:15:46Of course, 750,000 troops raised in the First World War.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49And in the Second World War goes without saying.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51So it's a long history.
0:15:51 > 0:15:53What were Canadian casualties during the First World War?
0:15:53 > 0:15:55The casualties were immense.
0:15:55 > 0:16:01There was 66,000 dead, and more than twice that many as casualties.
0:16:01 > 0:16:02An extraordinary sacrifice.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04It is an extraordinary sacrifice.
0:16:06 > 0:16:10Among those who served were 982 graduates
0:16:10 > 0:16:12of the Royal Military College -
0:16:12 > 0:16:15by then a fully Canadian institution.
0:16:16 > 0:16:20From the outset, the College has aimed to infuse officer cadets
0:16:20 > 0:16:23with leadership skills.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25Your three services are trained here together?
0:16:25 > 0:16:26That's correct.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29It works superbly well because they work together
0:16:29 > 0:16:33in all three services. When they go out on active duty,
0:16:33 > 0:16:34they know each other.
0:16:34 > 0:16:35They speak the same language.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37They are developed in the same ethos.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40And from our point of view, that's a good thing.
0:16:44 > 0:16:4850 years ago, Canada adopted a new national flag,
0:16:48 > 0:16:50inspired by the banner of the college.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54Today's cadets will go on to serve proudly
0:17:22 > 0:17:24under the country's Maple Leaf.
0:17:26 > 0:17:31A new day. Skirting the northern shores of Lake Ontario,
0:17:31 > 0:17:34my guidebook is continuing to lead me west.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43Good morning.
0:17:43 > 0:17:44- Hi.- How are you doing?
0:17:45 > 0:17:48Fine, here we go.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50- OK.- I'm headed for Port Hope.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52Port Hope? Well, we don't stop at Port Hope.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54Well, where do I get off?
0:17:54 > 0:17:55You get off at Cobourg.
0:17:55 > 0:17:56Cobourg, that'll do me.
0:17:56 > 0:17:58OK, awesome.
0:18:01 > 0:18:03And...there we go.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06- Thank you. Have a great day.- Thank you very much.- You're welcome.
0:18:24 > 0:18:28From Cobourg, I'm heading down the road to Port Hope,
0:18:28 > 0:18:33described in my Appletons' as "picturesquely situated in a deep ravine."
0:18:39 > 0:18:44These are the beautiful clear waters of the Ganaraska River.
0:18:44 > 0:18:50And they say that in one year, more salmon passed up this river
0:18:50 > 0:18:53than all the rivers of Europe combined.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56I don't know whether I believe that.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59But I just love these fishy statistics.
0:19:00 > 0:19:02Around the time of my guidebook,
0:19:02 > 0:19:06these waters inspired equally implausible feats
0:19:06 > 0:19:07from a local character
0:19:07 > 0:19:11whose legend is kept alive here, whiskers and all.
0:19:12 > 0:19:17Sir, do I have the honour of addressing the Great Farini?
0:19:17 > 0:19:19Indeed, I am the Great Farini.
0:19:19 > 0:19:21I was born and raised in Port Hope.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23Studied to be a doctor, but always wanted to be a showman.
0:19:23 > 0:19:27So I went to my first circus in Port Hope,
0:19:27 > 0:19:31when I was a boy, and saw the high wire act and fell in love.
0:19:31 > 0:19:33I went home and practised and practised and practised
0:19:33 > 0:19:38until, in 1859, I traversed a high wire myself
0:19:38 > 0:19:40across the Ganaraska River.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45AKA William Leonard Hunt, the Great Farini
0:19:45 > 0:19:50went on to win international fame when he crossed above Niagara Falls,
0:19:50 > 0:19:54even doing his laundry whilst on on the high wire.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57Farini was a product of the golden age of the travelling circus.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02These days, the nation that has given birth to Cirque de Soleil
0:20:02 > 0:20:06produces some of the world's most-skilled circus performers.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08In homage to Farini,
0:20:08 > 0:20:13Jill Arsenault is introducing me to the modern sport of slacklining.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24How different is this equipment that you use from what the Great Farini
0:20:24 > 0:20:27- would have utilised?- A tight rope, it's completely tensioned,
0:20:27 > 0:20:30whereas the slackline is very loose,
0:20:30 > 0:20:31there's a lot of movement to it.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34So the way that use your body is somewhat different
0:20:34 > 0:20:36to the way that you would walk a tightrope.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38What do you use your skill for?
0:20:38 > 0:20:42So a lot of slacklining for me is actually just for the love of it
0:20:42 > 0:20:44and the kind of expression that can come from it.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47So when you're on the line, it's very focused
0:20:47 > 0:20:49and you're really in the moment when you're doing it.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51It's very fluid. It's quite wonderful.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53Do you think an old man like me could pick up a few tricks?
0:20:53 > 0:20:54Absolutely.
0:20:54 > 0:20:58- How do we start, then?- OK, so I'm going to take your hand.
0:20:58 > 0:20:59You're going to balance with my hand.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03Your right foot is going to start to step on to the line.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05You're looking forward towards the tree.
0:21:05 > 0:21:06Yep.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09Extend your arms and breathe.
0:21:09 > 0:21:10Good.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17Push in your feet. Awesome.
0:21:17 > 0:21:19Keep looking forward and breathe.
0:21:19 > 0:21:21Keep breathing.
0:21:25 > 0:21:26Yeah, lots of pressure.
0:21:30 > 0:21:31Amazing.
0:21:49 > 0:21:53Back on terra firma, I'm returning to the tracks.
0:21:53 > 0:21:57The last stop on this leg of my journey is half an hour away.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04I'll be leaving this train at Oshawa,
0:22:04 > 0:22:07which Appletons' tells me means "carrying place"
0:22:07 > 0:22:09because it was the beginning of the Portage,
0:22:09 > 0:22:11where they had to haul the boats overland,
0:22:11 > 0:22:14between the Ontario and Scugog Lakes.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17Also a busy manufacturing town.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20Indeed, so many factories were developed here
0:22:20 > 0:22:23during the Industrial Revolution that it earned the soubriquet
0:22:23 > 0:22:25"The Manchester of Canada",
0:22:25 > 0:22:28although I prefer the nickname Motor City.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49The spread of railways brought new prosperity
0:22:49 > 0:22:53to the Lakeland settlements of 19th-century Canada,
0:22:53 > 0:22:59linking communities and changing people's lives and habits.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01At the start of the 20th century,
0:23:01 > 0:23:05private conveyances brought wealth to Oshawa,
0:23:05 > 0:23:08thanks to the vision of one entrepreneurial family.
0:23:09 > 0:23:14I'm visiting the McLaughlin estate to meet curator Samantha George.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17- Hello.- I'm Michael.
0:23:17 > 0:23:18- Welcome to Parkwood.- Lovely house.
0:23:18 > 0:23:20Let's start in the garden.
0:23:20 > 0:23:21Thank you very much.
0:23:28 > 0:23:30Samantha, Parkwood is a superb house.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33How did the McLaughlin family make their money?
0:23:33 > 0:23:37Originally, the family fortune came from carriages and sleighs.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40- Then the automobile.- How big was this carriage works in its day?
0:23:40 > 0:23:42The McLaughlin carriage works was huge.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44It's started off as a general hobby,
0:23:44 > 0:23:47and, within a few years, became the biggest carriage works
0:23:47 > 0:23:49in the British Empire.
0:23:49 > 0:23:55Founded in 1869, the carriage works moved to Oshawa in 1876
0:23:55 > 0:23:58for easy access to the railway.
0:23:58 > 0:24:02How did they make the transition from carriages, for horses,
0:24:02 > 0:24:03to motor cars?
0:24:03 > 0:24:06The second generation saw the automobile in the United States,
0:24:06 > 0:24:10came home, spoke to the patriarch of the family, Robert McLaughlin,
0:24:10 > 0:24:16and said can we start putting the engine into one of our carriages?
0:24:16 > 0:24:19Dad was a little bit hesitant, but he said go for it.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22- What sort of engine?- The first one was the Buick engine.
0:24:22 > 0:24:26So, in 1908, off the assembly line ran the McLaughlin Buick.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29In 1911, they had the same agreement with Chevrolet.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33And by 1917, General Motors of Canada was born.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36So this was the origin of GM Canada.
0:24:36 > 0:24:38That's correct. This is General Motors House.
0:24:39 > 0:24:43Thanks to the family's carriage-building expertise,
0:24:43 > 0:24:47McLaughlin cars soon established a reputation for quality.
0:24:49 > 0:24:54Their automobile empire brought great wealth, and in 1917,
0:24:54 > 0:24:57they completed this suitably lavish family seat.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04The dining room. A lovely, lovely room.
0:25:04 > 0:25:08Silk damask walls, the portraits of the family,
0:25:08 > 0:25:13all done by portrait painter to the Royal Family, Mr O. Salisbury.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15The whole house actually has that kind of feel
0:25:15 > 0:25:17of a British stately home, doesn't it?
0:25:17 > 0:25:21Yes, it was right off a blueprint of a British estate.
0:25:21 > 0:25:25They tried to create for themselves a legacy, so who do they turn to?
0:25:25 > 0:25:27They looked at the Empire.
0:25:27 > 0:25:29They looked at Britain. They created this.
0:25:29 > 0:25:34In the 1930s, the company received the Royal seal of approval.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36King George VI and his queen, Elizabeth,
0:25:36 > 0:25:41used a custom built McLaughlin Buick on a Royal tour of Canada.
0:25:42 > 0:25:46And other members of the family also displayed a taste
0:25:46 > 0:25:47for Canadian luxury.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50That is amazing.
0:25:53 > 0:25:54What a stupendous car.
0:25:54 > 0:25:58- What is it? - It is a 1937 McLaughlin Buick.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01Absolutely superb.
0:26:01 > 0:26:02I love it.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06And guess what? When King Edward VIII abdicated his throne,
0:26:06 > 0:26:09and was driving away from Buckingham Palace,
0:26:09 > 0:26:10he was in a McLaughlin Buick.
0:26:10 > 0:26:12And would you mind if I drive away now?
0:26:12 > 0:26:13Certainly.
0:26:32 > 0:26:36Of course, the car has no modern facilities like power steering
0:26:36 > 0:26:39or power braking or, indeed, air-conditioning,
0:26:39 > 0:26:41but it is a magnificent machine.
0:27:12 > 0:27:16The car that I've just driven is a blend of the finest engineering
0:27:16 > 0:27:20from Canada and the United States.
0:27:20 > 0:27:22But even though The Great Farini
0:27:22 > 0:27:25could cross on a tightrope above Niagara Falls,
0:27:25 > 0:27:27which spanned the border,
0:27:27 > 0:27:28for much of the 19th century,
0:27:28 > 0:27:30the governments of the two countries
0:27:30 > 0:27:33viewed each other with mutual suspicion.
0:27:33 > 0:27:39And war threatened to engulf even the lovely 1000 Islands.
0:27:39 > 0:27:40Canada, therefore,
0:27:40 > 0:27:43needed to develop a capable officer corps
0:27:43 > 0:27:46and military forces to defend itself.
0:27:46 > 0:27:49Thankfully, the cannon at Fort Henry,
0:27:49 > 0:27:54whose loud report caused me to flinch, never roared in anger.
0:27:58 > 0:28:02Next time, I'll enjoy the epitome of luxury...
0:28:02 > 0:28:05We do indeed save one very, very special thing
0:28:05 > 0:28:07for those very special VIP guests.
0:28:07 > 0:28:11..share in the success of Canada's financial capital...
0:28:11 > 0:28:13..one!
0:28:13 > 0:28:15CHEERING
0:28:18 > 0:28:22..and live life on the edge.
0:28:22 > 0:28:24Whoa.
0:28:24 > 0:28:28I'm leaning out of the tower and everything is just down there below.
0:28:28 > 0:28:29Argh!
0:28:55 > 0:28:58Subtitles by Red Bee Media