This past weekend award-winning journalist and documentary film maker Guylaine Maroist, traveled to the fair province of Newfoundland and Labrador from her home in Montreal. Her purpose: To help define the TRUE Canadian experience, a tall order by anyone’s estimate.
In an effort to uncover the underlying sentiments about our place in Canada, Ms. Maroist and her crew spent several days in the province interviewing local residents, political figures and journalists, a process I was more than happy to participate in myself.
The discussions were broad and wide ranging but with a single underlying current: What do we really feel about about the federation as a whole (or as some would say “a hole” but that’s another story) and why do we feel that way?
I know from my discussions with her over the past several days that she got what she came for. Newfoundlanders and Labradorians may be called a lot of things, shy isn’t one of them.
The concept of Ms. Maroist’s upcoming documentary is a simple yet enlightened one.
As she tells it, the idea grew from her life in Quebec and what she has witnessed there.
Most people in Quebec, according to Ms. Maroist, see Canada, with the exception of Quebec itself, as one homogenous nation of people. They see the issues facing Quebec as a case of “us against them”. Having traveled extensively, Ms. Maroist says she knew there was a lot more to Canada than a single culture and that many other parts of Canada are also dissatisfied with their experience in the federation. She decided to capture those stories.
From a growing separatist movement in Alberta to decades second class citizenship in Newfoundland and Labrador, a lot of dissent exists within Canada. Ms Maroist hopes to bring this story to the nation and, perhaps as importantly, to those in Quebec, in an effort shed light on the truth about the real Canada.
During the shoot, which is expected to take several months, Ms. Maroist and her team will travel the length and breadth of Canada, visiting as many provinces as possible. Her film, tentatively titled “Dis-United States” is expected to be released nationally by next summer.
Good luck, Guylaine. It’s a story that needs to be told and I look forward to seeing the outcome.
