Keeping History Alive

Fresh telling of 1919 strike story helps ensure it won't be forgotten.

On June 23, the CBC showed a new documentary called "Bloody Saturday". Produced by Andy Bliq and the CBC, the program is a modern view of the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike and the events leading up to Bloody Saturday. That's when a large number of people, mostly strikers, veterans and their families were injured by the minions of the business elite. One person was killed on Bloody Saturday, and one other man died later of his injuries.

The program uses commentary from people such as Nolan Reilly, from the University of Winnpeg, and Danny Schur, the composer and creator of Strike! The Musical. It also uses interviews from some of the last surviving witnesses to the strike, as well as descendants of important players on both sides of the strike.

After viewing "Bloody Saturday", MFL President Darlene Dziewit termed it "incredibly moving. The 1919 strike is very personal to me, as my grandfathers were directly involved.

"One, an immigrant from the Ukraine, was a trolley conductor, and the other was a returning World War I veteran. They lived and worked in the North End of Winnipeg, which is where my parents were raised. Many long time Winnipegers like myself still feel the results of the strike, in the way we view this city, and our places in it."

The only unfortunate thing about the program is the fact it was aired on a summer Saturday evening, hardly the ideal time to capture a large audience. It's to be hopeed that the CBC will repeat it again in the fall at a time when more people will be able to view it.