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The Premiers
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CPAC presents The Premiers, an unprecedented TV event that documents the lives and legacies of ten dynamic leaders. Produced by award-winning journalist Holly Doan, The Premiers focuses on the premiers and provinces that shaped a nation. The series features rare archival film never before seen on television and lively interviews with colleagues and commentators such as Conrad Black, Shirley Douglas, and John Crosbie. The documentaries capture the Canadian experience – from British Columbia to Newfoundland – as told through the political struggles of the country’s most unforgettable premiers.
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Coming Up
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 | Joey Smallwood - Newfoundland
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Self-dubbed "The Last Father of Confederation", Smallwood led the province for a generation, but not without any controversy. Featuring rarely seen archival footage and lively interviews with former Premier Brian Tobii, former Smallwood cabinet minister Edward Roberts, and Smallwood's daughter Clara Smallwood Russell, the documentary captures the essence of Smallwood the man and the province that he shaped. John Crosbie, the lieutenant governor of Newfoundland and Labrador, also speaks about their rivaled relationship, including his bitter leadership fight with Smallwood which culminated with Crosbie’s departure from the Liberal Party. | |
 | W.A.C. Bennett - British Columbia
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Bennett was a successful Kelowna hardware merchant who made history as the province’s longest-serving premier. Championing his Social Credit party and its ideals, Bennett built a big, bright future for British Columbia through development and enterprise.
Featuring rarely seen archival footage and lively interviews with Bill Bennett, W.A.C.’s son and former premier, and W.A.C.’s successor, Premier David Barrett, the documentary captures the essence of W.A.C. Bennett the man and the province that he shaped. | |
 | Maurice Duplessis - Quebec WATCH NOW
Known as “The Boss,” the two-time premier governed with absolute control and political tactics some considered corrupt. Although his era became known as La Grand Noirceur ("The Great Darkness"), Duplessis delivered roads, hospitals, and prosperity for Quebecers. Featuring rarely seen archival footage and lively interviews with notables including biographer Conrad Black, the documentary captures the drama of the Duplessis era. | |
 | William Aberhart - Alberta
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An evangelist known as "Bible Bill," William Aberhart served as premier from 1935 to 1943 as his province faced bankruptcy. He ran on the promise to feed and cloth the destitute and made it his lifelong goal to fight the injustices of the poor. Acting on the principles of Social Credit, Aberthart led Alberta by challenging the banks, courts and the press as he sought to reform the system for the people. Featuring lively and candid interviews with Aberhart’s friends from the Calgary Prophetic Bible Institute, including Larry Heather, Olive Hutchinson and Mary Macomber, and Aberhart’s granddaughter Patricia Hilton, the documentary reveals the story of a man who was the symbol of salvation at a time of extreme economic hardship. | |
 | Louis Robichaud - New Brunswick WATCH NOW
Known as “Little Louis,” Robichaud took on the role of premier at the age of 34 and became a legend as a radical reformer who gave a voice to the Acadian people. Among the people of New Brunswick, he saw only divisions – French and English, rich and poor – and would make it his mission to bridge both language and class gaps through the enactment of his equal opportunity program. Featuring family photographs, archival newsreels unseen since the 1960s, and interviews with Robichaud’s former aide, Doug Young, ex-assistant Robert Pichette, journalist Jackie Webster and son Paul Robichaud, the documentary explores the extraordinary life and legacy of the late premier. | |
 | Leslie Frost - Ontario WATCH NOW
The three-term premier championed small-town values in a time of large economic growth for his province. Over twelve years, he led Ontario’s post-war economic development, helped complete the St. Lawrence Seaway and became the first premier in Canadian history to manage a $1 billion annual budget. Featuring family photographs, newsreels unseen in half a century and candid interviews with former Ontario premier Bill Davis and Frost’s longtime aide Clare Westcott among others, the documentary is the first-ever national TV look at the late premier who left behind a considerable legacy despite his designation as “forgotten old man Ontario.” | |
 | Tommy Douglas - Saskatchewan
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A pioneering socialist known nationally for introducing universal public healthcare to Canada, Tommy Douglas led Saskatchewan over a 17-year period. The biography delves into Douglas’ early fascination with eugenics, his record of public ownership and ultimate failure in his stated ambition to “put the flag of socialism on Parliament Hill” as founding leader of the federal New Democratic Party. Featuring lively and candid interviews with daughter and actress Shirley Douglas, former premier Allan Blakeney, and Douglas Fisher, one of the last surviving MPs of the Co-Operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), the documentary marks the 65th anniversary of Douglas’ election as premier. | |
 | Robert Stanfield - Nova Scotia WATCH NOW
Nicknamed “the professor” as a schoolboy, Stanfield began his career as a 1946 organizer who revived the moribund Nova Scotia Progressive Conservative Party. He would go on to serve as premier under the Tory brand for 11 years before moving on to the federal scene where he came within two seats of winning election as prime minister against the charismatic Pierre Trudeau in 1972. Featuring candid and lively interviews with former premier Gerald Regan, former press aide Ron Macdonald, and Stanfield’s son Max Stanfield, the documentary chronicles Stanfield’s 20-year political career including a 1954 family tragedy that nearly ended his political path. | |
 | John Bracken - Manitoba
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John Bracken was a five-term premier who said he had “no sense of party politics” and could not even make a speech. Recognized as one of Canada’s leading agricultural scientists, Bracken was chosen to lead the United Farmers after the new party swept to power in Manitoba in 1922. He would be the only Canadian premier to win majority governments during the Depression years. Bracken’s strength as a coalition builder caught the eye of the national Conservative Party which drafted him as leader in 1942. Featuring rarely-seen archival footage and lively interviews with former Manitoba premier Duff Roblin, noted Canadian historian Jack Granatstein, and daughter-in-law Ruth Bracken, the documentary explores the former premier’s legacy and impact on both his province and Canada. | |
 | J. Walter Jones - Prince Edward Island
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J. Walter Jones championed plain living on the Island and resisted postwar changes embraced by the rest of Canada. As provincial leader, he increased his majority the longer he stayed in office. Although he believed “There’s not a worry on Prince Edward Island, but the hockey score and the price of potatoes,” his era drew to a close the old island customs that had been a way of life. Featuring rarely-seen archival footage and lively interviews with former premier Alex Campbell and author David Weale among others, the documentary explores the impact Jones had on his province, its politics and its people. | |
 | Host - Holly Doan
Award-winning journalist Holly Doan joined CPAC in the fall of 2002 as a regular contributor to CPAC's flagship show, PrimeTime Politics. Holly has gone on to produce The Prime Ministers, a ground breaking historical and biographical series about the lives of Canada's first 14 Prime Ministers. Her in-depth examination of current pressing political issues gives viewers a fresh perspective on the day’s events and offers a better understanding of where our politicians are heading.
Prior to joining CPAC, Holly served as CTV Bureau Chief in China where she reported on events including the Taiwan missile crisis, the death of Xiaoping and the Hong Kong handover. Holly’s news breaking report in May 1998, on the beating of interrogation suspects at a police station in Shanghai, earned her a nomination for an Amnesty International award. |
Please note that regularly scheduled programming may be pre-empted due to live CPAC programming. Please check listings for rebroadcast dates and times.
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Video On-Demand
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