Ottawa, Canada's Capital City (1938)

This film is a heritage item from Library and Archives Canada and is only available in English
A short film which presents a brief history and the many features of Canada's capital city, Ottawa. Included in the film is a brief explanation of why Ottawa was chosen as the capital city of British North America and the subsequent construction of the Rideau Canal. Also featured in the film is footage of aerial view of Ottawa and several landmark buildings such as the Centre Block of the Parliament Buildings, interior of the House of Commons in session, the National Research Council building, the Dominion Archives, the Royal Canadian Mint, the Victoria Memorial Museum, Rideau Hall, Union Station, the Chateau Laurier hotel, high angle shots of traffic along Confederation Square, the Parliamentary Library, the Dominion Observatory at the Experimental Farm and the recently constructed Confederation Building. The film also shows the busy streets of the city along with the more tranquil scenery along the driveways of the Rideau Canal and the Rockcliffe Parkway, a travelling shot along Clemow Avenue and residential homes. From the social standards of a garden party at the Governor General's residence to the raucous excitement of the midway at the Central Canadian Exhibition at Lansdowne Park, the film displays the many social activities that occur within the city limits. Also highlighted in the film are the many recreational sporting facilities that are scattered throughout the city allowing people to enjoy such activities as golf, soccer, thoroughbred horse racing, speedboat racing on the Ottawa River, tennis, canoeing and rowing competitions.
Source: Library and Archives Canada. National Film Board of Canada fonds, 1977-0207, IDC 197359.

[@mrmrfb101]

ottawa was more lit in 1938 than in 2020

[@markotanasijevic7861]

literally thought the same lol

[@markdemell3717]

Are you serious ? Good grief.

[@denarii5805]

pat, surely you dont mean that. right? you jest? for sure? am i mistaken?

[@Ira742HD]

Agreed dude. I feel like I live in a place no one cares about lol but after I saw this I feel happy living here, I feel like it's a place like Canada's Hollywood after seeing that. That hyped me up😅😅

[@dangrise6182]

@@Ira742HD 1930s style propaganda is persuasive. I heard a war was even fought over it. ;)

[@Mattisttam]

I stumbled upon these by accident and I'm glad I did!

[@markdemell3717]

The GOTHS came here and plundered the land and almost killed off the natives ,I want to vomit!

[@alt7648]

I'll never look at my home town the same again. I enjoyed this video very much thank you!! 😉

[@silvialogan9226]

Ottawa was and still is a very beautiful town.

[@CanadianTuBaoZi]

Huge mistake to get rid of the trains and street cars, now we’re spending billions to put them back and they’re not even as good.

[@之中的一根稻草]

who knew after 79 years I’m come to the city and lived 12 years . Ottawa is very very very....pretty city in my heart , here is my second country . Love Ottawa forever ❤️❤️❤️

[@TabbyAngel2]

Ottawa is the best my friend. We are so lucky to live in such a beautiful city.

[@之中的一根稻草]

TabbyAngel2 you are right , thanks god bless everyone , take care .

[@Megaman-kk1lu]

Most beautiful clean city If u ask me Is Ottawa

[@ThrivolousZ]

I love this guy's old-timey voice. :)

[@hummingbird2254]

My mom and my grandparents were from Ottawa. My mom would have been 3 years old when this was filmed. My grandfather worked in Parliament, and my grandma worked at the Bank Notes Building.

[@revagreen2303]

Moving Union Station was a huge mistake, the first of many.

[@cc-uy5ci]

80 years after, Ottawa still looks same as before

[@jkprez]

Note to Library and Archives Canada.... This film would be great if you put it through the 'colourization' process that has been done to many old black and white films...eh?

[@booishoois309]

Wow what a great documentary, and just look at what we can achieve when we're happy and positive about our country instead of bashing it constantly like today.

[@derptower]

"fortunately the nations of north america were soon to realize the futility of armed conflict and the mutual advantages of being good neighbours" it seems one of us has forgotten

[@sickerOr]

Public transport was so neat back then. Trams every few minutes and a central train station in the heart of the city.

[@DalekQueen]

that was amazing

[@michelvachon704]

Wished they would have shown Carruthers street where my great grandfather built his home 😢

[@canadian4168]

So much has changed over the years. Ottawa is still beautiful tho.

[@markdemell3717]

Rideau Hall where the rich controllers meet and live their decadent lifestyle.

[@junkboxxxxxx]

2:28 let us praise the Chicago Style architecture, but also admit that the Daly Building actually looked like a warehouse box of bricks right next to the Chateau Laurier.

[@markdemell3717]

I praise not Gothic plunderers who killed off most of the natives and stole the land for the Queen!

[@michaelschultz1997]

5:18 Clemow eastbound from Bank

[@TheSensfan09]

wow for someone who was born and raised in Ottawa it is neat seeing my city 80 years ago, I miss the ex though we lost it some 15 years ago when Lansdowne park basically became to run down to run it anymore. Since than they have completely renovated it and we have our CFL team back which at one point was the Ottawa rough riders now the Redblacks.

[@FullOfMalarky]

Michael Kingsbury Gloucester fair out in the boonies still exists

[@carolsimpson4422]

@@FullOfMalarky the ex wasnt a fair it was an exhibition. Still a good ex in Toronto every year. Animals, tech, exhibits AND fair rides and carnival games. Not just a fair.

[@casperskitzo9920]

I have lived in Ottawa my whole life (34 years) and I can confirm that Ottawa is still as exciting as this video lol

[@TabbyAngel2]

Ottawa is the best!

[@ahtaimo]

Casper Skitzo Ahahahaha! I saw what you said there! Yep... native Ottawan here and you’re so right... the excitement is overwhelming!

[@philipberthiaume2314]

Having grown up in Montreal and now living in Ottawa, I concur with your comment.. :)

[@jonnyassmuncher5414]

What a beautiful city. Although it was not shown in winter time.

[@barryhayes7164]

Thank you, Jonny Assmuncher.

[@kenevoy5383]

You don’t want to be there in the winter time

[@brenthill3241]

That's why it looked beautiful.

[@bjdon99]

The "Dominion" Government was much smaller then than it is now and Ottawa was the size of a much smaller country and administration.

[@janejames9173]

Awesome❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@shaskaone]

If only it was true that government work and wish for the well being of its people

[@JohnPaul-pb4eu]

I didnt see the Senators hockey stadium anywhere in the video??😅 i also didnt see the Prescott hotel ??😮😢😢

[@susanb4816]

as a resident of ottawa i can say not much has changed. you still need to have cash to participate in all the city has to "offer"

[@brenthill3241]

Lots of cash yes.

[@TabbyAngel2]

True, but Ottawa is still the best

[@susanb4816]

@@TabbyAngel2 best at what? not quality of living unless you have money and a car. ottawa is hell if youre poor

[@carolsimpson4422]

@@susanb4816 it's not great to be poor anywhere.

[@susanb4816]

@@carolsimpson4422 true, but it is easier to be poor in Toronto, for example. better transit, fewer food deserts, more services for the poor, more community involvement and inclusion. not good, but better. being widowed young really opens your eyes to the truth

[@K.I.M.7777]

Anyone ever questioned how they built the train station which has Greco Roman columns, yet the first power tool was only invented in 1895!? Or how they built what is now called The Royal Canadian Mint, which is a Castle by the way. Who built that? And if we are advancing, and we're not, but they say we are so how come in the early 1900s are we building shacks for homes using wood planks and building barns made out of wood? Man goes from building massive ornate buildings made with marble or millions of brick to then start building wooden shacks. Something smells off. We don't even "see" those old world buildings which are right in our face. Founded really means "found it". They found those buildings! Most of those old world structures are now used as government buildings too. And many of the old world buildings have huge doorways. They tear those old world buildings down so that we don't have a clue about this world or where we live, etc. Destroy the history. Nobody "evolves" backwards. You don't build impressive "cathedrals" with spires with old world technology on the roofs with super ornate details and graduate from that to building shacks! Anyway, I was born in Ottawa in 1971. Fascinating to see how it once looked. Can't say it didn't pull at my heartstrings because it did. Thank you for this video.

[@cheeseknife3593]

I'm going there tomorrow with my sister

[@terrendously]

It was a gorgeous city. It's been mostly ruined by modernists. Although at least Parliament still looks fantastic.

[@markdemell3717]

Evil GOTHS came here and plundered the land from the natives.

[@DolphinTM]

Wow... Just wow

[@JulietMartin2022]

Interesting that it states that the Governor General represents the King. This was before QE2 in 1938. History has come full circle.

[@lilyeti6203]

I've always been blown away by the size and intricacy of the Parliament Buildings, but they look so much more epic here sitting in the space that was cut for them without any ugly modern architecture spoiling it , it's a shame they've been all but swallowed up by office buildings.

[@K.I.M.7777]

Loved how the narrator says "face of the earth". Yup. Not planet but face.....a watch has a face. We have a face. Where is the "face" on a globe?

[@lilyeti6203]

I would like to see videos of them doing the roof on parliament.. absolutely mind blowing structures for the time.

[@gulfy09]

It's impossible to build it today and yesterday all those stones came from where and how were they moved in place

[@lovehandr]

This film was produced just before the downtown post office was torn down later in 1938.

[@frankgarrett9500]

A ‘Northern Electric recording.’ Which later became Nortel.

[@deandunn-q1o]

Moved there in 1984, it was a really nice place. By the time we moved away in 2012 it was a toilet, crime ridden, take an hour to drive 20 minutes place. A real shame what politicians did to that once pretty and freindly city.

[@speedcanada1]

I've lived in Ottawa (on and off) since 1985. IMHO "toilet, crime ridden" is a little excessive, but I agree that it's gone downhill. I chalk a lot of that up to growth (it's almost doubled in population), but it's also inefficiency. I vividly remember driving down the Ottawa River Parkway from Lincoln Heights to downtown and how green, manicured, and beautiful it was. I've mainly lived in Nepean, which was financially well-managed, had great services and low taxes. I recognize that Nepean benefited from Ottawa infrastructure, but I would have rather been surcharged for that than to roll up Ottawa's debt and take on the much higher tax burden.

[@junkboxxxxxx]

Big Jos Montferrand had a girl down in Kingston town He went back and forth so much the path he wore became the Rideau Canal

[@UCs6ktlulE5BEeb3vBBOu6DQ]

Pro tips #21: Watch at 0.75 play speed.

[@brentsarazin4346]

Great promotional video but you can't deny the scope of nature landscape and geographical location. The freedoms and welcoming hands of Canadians are seen not only here but across our entire country, and the World is very jealous, for good reason.

[@gulfy09]

No way any human being built anything like this

[@NormalCleanCars]

So weird to see where I drive everyday downtown

[@canman5060]

The good old days of the British Empire.

[@JohnMartin-yj3gv]

Nice to see the Union Flag flying from the peace tower all part of our proud history.

[@Libertyjack1]

For crying out loud, how many generations does this British fiendery need to go on? & you're wrong, too. The Statute of Westmonster gave Britain's former colonies exclusive rights to full self government, in 1931. While part of this was due to increased national identity of the colonies, a good part was that Britain was weakened by WW1, and couldn't afford the administrative costs of controlling foreign governments. When Canada went to war, one year after this film was made, it was done by act of its own Parliament, unlike the stupid affair that perpetrated it, back in 1914, where the act of a British Parliament brought Canada to war. Mind you, the British, much like the American today, would continue to impose themselves, especially on its brown skinned colonies, for economic exploitation and geopolitical posturing.

[@Libertyjack1]

​@@JohnMartin-yj3gvI imagine you to be one of those guy that circle the City with two Canadian flags wailing fro.a pickup truck, an a vulgar reference directed to the Prime Minister. Did granddad tell you how much he hated this flag?

[@pukalo]

They took this from you.

[@buckwang5039]

These people would be ashamed of what Ottawa has become

[@unknownninja4430]

Pretty sure they'd hang themselves if they saw what happened to Toronto.

[@bonghungk7544]

No Somalians and no head wrappers/economic migrants. People believed in working and owned up to their responsibilities. Way before both Trudeaus who ruined this great country of Canada.

[@SomeDudeQC]

@@bonghungk7544 hahahaha

[@Megaman-kk1lu]

@@bonghungk7544 Why did Somalis do to u?

[@SomeDudeQC]

I love how they just ignore the slums in these films.

[@alt7648]

You the beautiful city now called downtown hull? Lol

[@JIMIIXTLAN]

How enlightened of you

[@markdemell3717]

Well of course they did ! The evil GOTHS came here and stole the land from the natives and plundered it ! The NWO is going to try and starve us all to death!

[@denarii5805]

@@markdemell3717 yeah man. NFT's all the way brother.

[@adriennc7120]

I hoped to see uOttawa tho:(

[@practicerepeat5927]

no internet days and no twerking

[@kennethrood4717]

Canada is such a great country. How in hell did it wind up with Justin Trudeau. What a duffus.

[@SomeDudeQC]

Paved the way by ten years of Harper

[@stewthecanadian]

Harper was great, but it was only time..

[@SomeDudeQC]

@@stewthecanadian That's where we disagree.

[@stewthecanadian]

@@SomeDudeQC So it seems. But it's always been like that, long run with conservatives, then the liberals come in for a number of years, then back to the conservatives..

[@bonniebluebell5940]

It "was" a great country and there is no way back without a "Great Awakening" . We need to uphold THE TRUTH or sink to the bottom. * VICTORIA IN DEO *

[@FreedomLovingLoyalist]

Back when Ottawa looked like Ottawa.

[@DS-qg9ck]

big boo boo,those are not the Laurentains,they are the Gatineau hills

[@markdemell3717]

well what does one expect from the evil GOTHS ? All of our history is a lie.!

[@JenShea]

Actually, the Gatineau Hills are a part of the Laurentian Mountain range… they were often referred to as the Laurentians.

[@hazysativa3045]

A dominion of 9 provinces... probably not a bad idea these days either... haha

[@cherifbar]

And Canadian truckers!

[@jamess5179]

Go sens go

[@nasalimbu3078]

Wall e

[@fazhadi1073]

اطقع مدينه

[@frankdiscussion2069]

it looks like a 3rd world country now

[@markdemell3717]

Gothic buildings looming over us ,controlling things ,wow! Sick.

[@thomassouliere7613]

The Ottawa Valley and the Outaouais were a jewel. Now they're just a lump of coal.