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00:00Hi, it's October and I'm in a survival suit in the middle of the north-west Atlante.
00:16These are troublesome waters, and it's not only that there are waves calculated as high
00:27as 89 feet on one occasion, there are icebergs big enough to sink the Titanic.
00:35But none of these troubles are as bad as those experienced by the European visitors on that
00:44coastline over there, because that is Canada, and that's where I'm going.
00:53Though, I'm never going to get there like this.
01:02Come with me as I travel across an immense and mighty land.
01:06I'm on my way across Canada.
01:10A journey of discovery.
01:12Let's go, and my puppies.
01:14From east to west.
01:17There we are, from the mountains to the sea.
01:21Extreme landscapes.
01:23You never told me about the traverse?
01:25Oh, yeah.
01:26Of breathtaking natural wonder.
01:28One of the most astounding encounters of my life.
01:32I'll be exploring the past.
01:34Oh!
01:35And celebrating the future.
01:37So startlingly green.
01:39As I uncover what it means to be Canadian.
01:42And embrace the character.
01:45That's my size, is it?
01:47Heart.
01:48It's awesome.
01:49And soul.
01:50It's amazing.
01:51Of this immense and exciting place.
01:54This truly is Canada.
02:12Well, welcome aboard.
02:15Good thing you got that survival kit on there, bud.
02:18Well, I guess we can get you inside, get you nice and warmed up.
02:20Okay.
02:21All right.
02:23So we're coming ashore here in Newfoundland.
02:26The province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
02:29Or New Found Land, as it was called in 1497, when the first English adventurer arrived here to claim it for King Henry VII.
02:42That's, that's almost in the Middle Ages.
02:45But in fact, Europeans have been here way before.
02:48They've, they've now discovered that sometime in the 10th century, the Vikings established, not just, they didn't just come here, they actually established a settlement here.
02:58But they didn't seem to stay.
03:00Was it because the land was too harsh and combative?
03:03Was it some conflict with the indigenous First Nation people, the Beotook?
03:07This tribe were hunter-gatherers and they were to face conflict and disease when more Europeans came 500 years later.
03:16The last of the Beotook is believed to have died from tuberculosis in 1829.
03:22We're just coming into Conception Bay, which the British called Britannola.
03:28I'm starting my journey here on the island of Newfoundland, before travelling 4,000 miles across a country which is big enough to contain 41 Great Britons.
03:41My final destination is Vancouver Island.
03:44But on the way there, I want to try and discover who Canadians really are, and how this country's extreme geography and turbulent history made them.
03:55Caitlin, thank you, thank you for rescuing me.
03:58No problem.
03:59Now, while you're in here in Newfoundland, you've got to be great in the kitchen.
04:02Great in the kitchen?
04:03Yes.
04:04Great in the kitchen.
04:05You'll figure out what it means.
04:06Okay, I'm sure I will.
04:07You'll have a great time now.
04:08Thank you very much.
04:09Don't end up in any more oceans.
04:10I will, thank you.
04:12Okay, so that's my challenge then.
04:15Great in the kitchen.
04:19Well, this is the beginning.
04:24I feel like I'm standing on the very edge with a toehold on Canada, on one of the largest slabs of the inhabited world.
04:39And I don't know Canada.
04:43I don't know how much any of us do, really.
04:46We think of North America all the time as being about those noisy people in the basement.
04:52The United States.
04:55And yet Canada is out there, ready to be explored, and it's full of wilderness, and winter, and wildlife, and lots of other words beginning with W, like Winnipeg, and crazy places like Medicine Hat, and Moose Jaw.
05:13And I've got the next six weeks to take it on.
05:20Yup, a vast expanse awaits me.
05:22But first off, a good night's sleep might help.
05:25Because tomorrow, I'm up at dawn.
05:28This is Cape Spear.
05:33It's the easternmost point in the whole of North America, and so the first spot on the continent to be touched by sunrise.
05:43This is magnificent, lighting by God.
05:48This is my first moment of Canadian awesomeness.
05:53The sun is rising here to begin a journey which will take it over 4,000 miles until it sets in Vancouver.
06:02It will pass through six time zones, and will effectively give some idea of the sheer breadth of Canada.
06:14I find that I'm not the only one to get up early to catch the spectacle here.
06:21Hi.
06:22Hello.
06:23Do you mind if I join you sheltering from the wind here just a bit?
06:27Please do.
06:28What did you think?
06:29It was amazing.
06:30It was so nice.
06:31Have you seen it before?
06:32Er, not here, no.
06:33You're not from Canada originally then?
06:35No, I'm from Birmingham.
06:36Are you?
06:37And you've come here just to sit here and enjoy the show?
06:40Yeah.
06:41What did you think?
06:42I came here to ask Brett to marry me.
06:43Did you?
06:44Yeah.
06:45Well, today, this very day...
06:46We just got engaged.
06:47Many congratulations.
06:48Fantastic.
06:49Do you live in Newfoundland?
06:50We do now.
06:51We moved here a month ago.
06:52Right.
06:53And what do you think?
06:54It's great.
06:55I love it.
06:56Great food.
06:57Great people.
06:58What's great about Canada?
06:59The people are very nice.
07:00It's very easy to make friends.
07:02Er, it's also a very pretty place.
07:03Like, you don't have to travel.
07:05I mean, we've driven 15 minutes away from our house and we're here.
07:08It's a huge place to try and...
07:11It's vast, yeah.
07:12It's huge.
07:13It's huge.
07:14And the flights are long.
07:15I mean, Vancouver is as far away from here as Birmingham is.
07:18So...
07:19It's, er...
07:20It's big.
07:21And I'm sorry that in the middle of just sitting, just the two of you, watching the sun come
07:26up and it's a moment for the two of you that I came to get out of the wind and rather interrupted
07:31things.
07:32But anyway, great to meet you.
07:33It's nice to meet you.
07:35Thank you very much.
07:36Enjoy the rest of your trip.
07:39There are hiking trails that run along the cliffs here.
07:43And I suppose I could set out to walk the entire coastline of Canada.
07:48That's about 125,000 miles.
07:52If I did 30 miles a day, it would take me 11 years.
07:57It's five times more than the girth of the entire planet.
08:03But, er, I think I'll drive.
08:18They call this place The Rock.
08:21The island itself is the 16th biggest island in the entire world and the 4th biggest in
08:28Canada.
08:29The island is as big as Great Britain, with a population of half a million.
08:36The early European visitors came here to fish and they did that seasonally.
08:42For about 300 years, they camped out on the coast during the warm weather.
08:48The British government had no appetite at all to settle.
08:52They discouraged it.
08:54Not only would it be, they thought, a drain on the public purse, it was just too harsh and cold.
09:00Besides its fish stocks, Newfoundland was seen for many years as something in the way.
09:11I've arrived at the outskirts of St John's, once described as the biggest fishing village in the world.
09:18As the most easterly city on the continent, St John's was geographically important for boats transiting between Europe and America.
09:27This hill is where, in 1762, 200 English soldiers battled with the French to reclaim the town.
09:35It marked the end of a seven-year war with the French for world supremacy and, more particularly, the control of Canada.
09:45I'm just coming up here to Cabot Tower, which is at the top of Signal Hill.
09:52And this is a really significant place in the history of Newfoundland and, indeed, of Canada.
09:58Because it was also here in 1902 that the Italian inventor, Guilamo Marconi, received the very first radio signals to cross the Atlantic.
10:07Radio, telephone, were both developed in Canada, partly because of the hugeness of this country.
10:18But I have my own date with Destiny here today, and that's due at exactly 12 o'clock.
10:28Well, very good to meet you.
10:29Oh, it's our pleasure.
10:30What have I come here to do?
10:32You've come here to fire our noon gun, to send a signal to St John's that it's 12 noon.
10:38And that's like a working harbor, and people just needed to be told what time it was, time for lunch.
10:43The principal thing was, back in the days of sailing ships, all ships had chronometers, very accurate timepieces.
10:50So you could calculate your latitude by other means, but for longitude, to see how far you traveled, you had to have a very accurate clock that was set to Greenwich Mean Time.
11:00And they would check the time against their chronometer to make sure it was accurate.
11:03The history of Newfoundland, as a dominion, is part of this story.
11:07Because she wasn't part of Canada until 1949.
11:11That's correct.
11:12There's a famous saying, Newfoundland is a state of mind, more so than a state of politics.
11:17So we're very proud to be part of Canada, but we also are very, very proud to be Newfoundlanders as well.
11:22And we don't forget our history.
11:23And one of those traditions that I've been asked to prepare myself for is a kitchen party.
11:30Yes.
11:31Can you sing?
11:32Well, not necessarily what people expected to hear.
11:35I thought I might be happy to produce some sort of interesting dish of food.
11:39That happens too.
11:41Does it?
11:42Yes.
11:43So everybody would bring something.
11:44Everybody in the community would be known for, you know, Grandma would be known for her cakes or molasses pudding or, you know.
11:52Molasses pudding.
11:53There you go.
11:54Okay.
11:55Well, that's quite a challenge anyway.
11:56Yeah.
11:57Well, I mean, it's like...
11:58Time is coming on.
11:59Should we be prepared?
12:00Yes.
12:01We're going to have the...
12:02You're going to tell everybody in St. John's it's 12 o'clock.
12:04Exactly.
12:05I don't want the Hall of St. John's to blame me because they had an extra half hour at work.
12:08That would not be good.
12:09I was asked to wear the appropriate uniform and stick in some earplugs.
12:14All right.
12:15I beg your pardon?
12:16Are we good?
12:17Yes.
12:18I'm fine.
12:19Yeah, yeah.
12:20Okay.
12:21Ready?
12:22Single gun!
12:23Time!
12:24Oh!
12:25Did you hear that?
12:30That was loud.
12:32I just love the idea of all over St. John at this moment, people are going, no, that
12:37can't be the top.
12:38That's right.
12:39That's right.
12:40Yeah.
12:44Well, I love to fire off a cannon before lunch.
12:49And having woken them up, I think it's time to go off and take on St. John's.
12:53Newfoundland and Labrador are known for being the wettest part of Canada.
13:05But not only that, they're also the windiest part of Canada.
13:09They're also the foggiest part of Canada.
13:13They're the snowiest part of Canada, too.
13:18And I think they can only manage that by getting everything in one day.
13:23St. John's is the oldest city in North America.
13:30Some say the houses here were painted brightly to help returning sailors spot their homes
13:36through the fog on their way back from long voyages.
13:40It's a bit blustery, but I am enjoying my walk around St. John's.
13:49These are the famous jellybean houses, and very colourful they are, too.
13:53Look, there's a sort of strawberry one, which I've chosen to match me, and there's a sort
13:57of denim one, and then there's a sort of dung-coloured one.
14:02In a way, these wooden houses reflect the hugeness of Canada, because wood is available.
14:08I mean, half of Canada is covered in forest.
14:12And very pretty, it looks as well.
14:14You can paint it these beautiful colours, and it cheers up even an averagely rotten day like today.
14:32Well, I'm currently in a vehicle which has no discernible qualities whatsoever, apart from the fact that it is huge.
14:44I've got into it simply to experience something even bigger.
14:51The biggest highway in the world.
14:55But TransCanada goes on for 4,860 miles all the way to Vancouver.
15:07We've just passed a sign saying, look out for the moose.
15:10I want to see a moose.
15:12I'm very, very, very interested in moose, moose says, moose, moose, mees.
15:18I'm very interested in the idea of, you know, several plural moose.
15:23And this place has got more moose in it than most places.
15:27Just four moose were introduced here as a food source by the government in 1904.
15:33The population now stands at around 120,000 on the island.
15:39Hence the need for annual controlled culls.
15:42I sincerely hope nobody wants me to shoot a moose.
15:46I'm going into the woods now.
15:56And my guide is not a hairy man of the woods, but Taylor, who's 17.
16:00Hi, Taylor.
16:01Hello.
16:02How do I look? Am I all right?
16:04No, I think you need more appropriate attire.
16:06Really?
16:07I was hoping that if I wore my red, then, you know, nobody would shoot me because they'd see me coming in.
16:12No?
16:13No.
16:14It's better to look.
16:15I think this jacket might be a little bit more fitting.
16:17Okay.
16:18Hopefully it fits.
16:20No.
16:21No.
16:22No.
16:23No.
16:24No.
16:25Taylor, though a keen hunter, is also a dedicated conservationist.
16:29She works part-time at an animal sanctuary nearby.
16:33Where you live, are you on the edge of the forest?
16:39I'm right in it.
16:40You're right in it?
16:41Right next to the water, the ocean.
16:42Yeah.
16:43And then right behind my house is all woods.
16:48Taylor has been hunting with her dad since she was four years old.
16:52And even though the legal age to start driving here is 16, she handles the amphibious six-wheeler Argo with aplomb.
17:00This looks like a good pat to walk down.
17:02Okay.
17:04So on open spots like this, you look for moose tracks and moose poop.
17:10Is that something that you see something?
17:12I thought I did, but I didn't.
17:13Okay.
17:17Canada is famous for its moose, but spotting one is not as easy as you might think.
17:24If we see a moose, what's the next step?
17:27Call him in to a close enough range.
17:29When you say call him out, what do you mean?
17:32Do your best moose call that you can do.
17:35Can you do a moose call?
17:37No.
17:38Your dad doesn't, does he?
17:39Yep.
17:40It sounds more like that or something like that.
17:42We got recording.
17:43Oh, is it?
17:44What is that bull hearing?
17:45The sound of a female moose?
17:47Or is he hearing another bull that he wants to have a go at?
17:50It depends on what you want him to hear.
17:52So you could have a cow balling out that she wants a boyfriend, or you could have a bull
17:56grunting and scraping his antlers against a tree that he wants to fight.
17:59And you have shot a few, haven't you?
18:01Yep.
18:02When did you do that?
18:03My first moose I killed last fall, so I was 16.
18:06And did your father say to you, you're old enough to do this now?
18:09Dad said, I think you're ready for this, because I had went moose hunting with him before.
18:13Yeah.
18:14So I went in the woods and I did it all myself, and then I just had another one there a couple
18:18days ago.
18:19And you've watched him, though, many times do this?
18:21Yep, many times.
18:22So you grew up as an assistant?
18:24Yep, now he's my assistant.
18:26To help control the exploding moose population and the destruction they caused to the forests,
18:32a little over 29,000 moose hunting licenses were issued in the province last season.
18:38Now these clearings we're coming into, they're sort of natural clearings, partly made by bog,
18:46but partly also the moose themselves would clear areas, wouldn't they?
18:51They eat a lot of the stuff that's on the ground, and they rub and knock down trees,
18:55so that creates these open spots like this.
18:58You only get a moose license every three to four years, so you've got to put your name
19:02in and it goes through dry, and if you get one, you're lucky.
19:06Is it important food for your family?
19:09Most definitely.
19:10You eat moose on a regular basis?
19:12Yep, sometimes once or twice, three times a week.
19:15Do you like moose?
19:16I love moose.
19:17Like is an understatement.
19:18So we have it in sausages, we eat it in burgers, have it in moose heart, moose liver fried up.
19:23There's so many ways to eat it.
19:25And do you think that hunting is part of, an important part of Cameliers' character?
19:29I believe so.
19:30That's why I would like to, when I graduate high school this year, I'd like to go in for wildlife conservation
19:35and keep the moose levels where they need to be and make sure the people that are out poaching and taking advantage of these animals are put to a stop.
19:43Because if everybody's out poaching and taking too many of these animals, there's not going to be any left.
19:48And then this great part of Canadian history is gone.
19:51We may have totally ambivalent feelings about the idea of hunting.
19:56But the thing we need to remember is that if it wasn't for the fact that people needed to get into these woods to get food,
20:05and also to hunt prey and fur, then the history of Canada would have been entirely different.
20:16Come on, Griff!
20:17I'm coming!
20:18I'm stuck in the bog!
20:20You've got to move faster if you want to go hunting with me!
20:24I'm not sure that I could ever shoot a living creature, or that I should be allowed to.
20:34But Taylor decides to test my capabilities anyway.
20:38That's amazing shooting.
20:55The last time I really shot a gun, it would have been 48 years ago.
21:01Make sure your safety's on.
21:03And don't take it off till you know you're ready to shoot.
21:07Stay calm, there's no rush.
21:10Just make sure your breath's into your nose and out to your mouth.
21:13Calm, take your time, there's no rush.
21:20You're not too bad for someone who hasn't shot in almost 50 years.
21:23Last shot, Griff, no pressure.
21:30I think you're ready to go a moose hunt.
21:32I don't want to shoot a moose, but I do want it to drive the Argo.
21:36I can try and teach you to drive the Argo.
21:38OK, thank you.
21:42Keep these bolts turned.
21:43Yeah?
21:44Now turn your wrist.
21:46Whoa!
21:51Keep them both forward and the one you haul back is where you want to turn.
21:54Oh, I see.
21:55Oh, I see.
21:56Oh, I see.
21:57Yeah.
21:58Oh, OK.
21:59OK.
22:00OK.
22:01Oh, OK.
22:02Oh, I see.
22:03Oh, OK.
22:04Oh, OK.
22:05Oh, OK.
22:06Oh, OK.
22:07Oh, OK.
22:08Oh, OK.
22:09Oh, OK.
22:10Oh, OK.
22:11Oh, OK.
22:12Oh, OK.
22:13Oh, OK.
22:14Oh, OK.
22:15Oh, OK.
22:18Survival in this harsh yet beautiful coastal region of Newfoundland and Labrador has always depended
22:24upon adapting to the environment.
22:27A brilliant example of that is to be found in the descendants of the native dog breeds here.
22:35Oh, hi.
22:36Monica.
22:37Hi.
22:38Hello.
22:39How nice to see you.
22:40How great.
22:41Great.
22:42So who...
22:43Now, tell me, one of these wonderful dogs is Calma.
22:47This one here.
22:48This is Calma.
22:49Yeah.
22:50And the other is Tiempo.
22:51Over there.
22:52You're from Spain, but these are Newfoundland dogs.
22:57They are.
22:58Originally, the Vikings brought their tall-purpose type of dogs that came with them and interbred
23:04with the local dogs here in Newfoundland and they selected the ones that were performing
23:09better, that were more adjusted to the elements and they selected what we see today.
23:15I wish I had your coat.
23:18They must...
23:19This must keep them fantastically warm.
23:21Yes.
23:22Definitely.
23:23Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful animals.
23:25They thrive in the winter and the colder, the better for them.
23:29Water dogs.
23:30Water dogs.
23:31Excellent swimmers.
23:32They went with the fishermen.
23:33They were retrievers of the nets.
23:36They hauled the wood from community to community before their horses were introduced in Newfoundland.
23:42One of them is loving you, slobbering over you, and loving you to pieces.
23:48All right, but this is all one way.
23:50Are you going to do it to me now?
23:54OK.
23:55All right.
23:56With the world's friendliest dogs now aboard, Monica is heading for home.
24:01Petit Harbour.
24:02She's offered me a lift.
24:04People do say that Newfoundland people are amongst the most welcoming in the world.
24:08Have you found that?
24:09Yes, I have.
24:10I have made really good friends and I have found myself always welcomed and embraced.
24:17What do you like most about being in Newfoundland?
24:20The nature, the space, just being able to walk out and be in the middle of nowhere and have the land and nature surrounding me.
24:32Monica, how long ago did you move to?
24:35To Newfoundland?
24:36To Newfoundland?
24:37I came the first time in February of 1994, one of the coldest days of my life.
24:44We landed here and I came on a visit.
24:49I just came to Newfoundland with my Newfoundland dog to get to know the province and the history.
24:55For the sake, for the sense of the dog, you thought this is the place where I should be, where the dog should be and where I'll come with the dog.
25:02That's exactly right, yeah.
25:04I've heard of people doing that for a husband but not for a dog.
25:07Yeah.
25:08This is Petty Harbour, one of the oldest settlements in North America.
25:23A once thriving village and now home to 960 residents, it sits on the south-eastern tip of the island of Newfoundland.
25:32In order to understand the town and its people, there's perhaps no better activity to experience than the one which built the place.
25:43Yes, get aboard.
25:44OK, I'm sorry I'm late. Sorry I'm late, everybody.
25:46Hello, Griff.
25:47Can I help you get cast off in any way?
25:49We're casting off now.
25:50Casting off. We'll head her for the wild ocean.
25:53Hello, Kimberly. Nice to meet you.
25:55Hello, nice to meet you, Griff.
25:57I'm on board with Skipper, Leo, his wife, Kimberly, and friends.
26:02And you are the girls who fish?
26:05Uh, we are Girls Who Fish.
26:06It's good, because it sounds like a band, doesn't it?
26:08Oh, gosh. That sounds awesome.
26:11Kimberly established Girls Who Fish to provide women with the skills needed not only for a livelihood, but also for greater confidence and independence in life.
26:21Get away, Griff.
26:25Better go.
26:26When I was growing up in Newfoundland, someone told me that girls were jinkers on a boat, that they were bad luck.
26:34And so the first thing I could do when I got old enough was to buy my own boat.
26:38With that boat came independence and a desire to share her knowledge with other women.
26:44You start with landlubbers, I mean, people you've never been to sea before.
26:47Oh, yeah. Absolutely.
26:48Oftentimes that's true.
26:49And then you teach them how to come out here and fish.
26:53One of the young women who came to our program happened to be a fisheries researcher herself.
26:59Yeah.
27:00And so she is bringing the program to Japan because she sees the, you know, the value of getting women out on the water.
27:07And not just for inspiration and physical and mental health, but also to encourage them to get in the boat, get into the boardroom,
27:15and maybe begin having an impact on policy and decision making in fisheries.
27:21OK. Now we let it go. We let it go. We let it go. We let it go.
27:24And you can just let gravity take it.
27:25What's the skill here? Do I keep moving it or do I just move it?
27:28No, you're not jigging. You've got your squid bait and it's kind of bouncing there.
27:33And that should be pretty enticing if there's some fish down there.
27:36Well, that feels like something on the end of my line, which is exactly what went out there.
27:45When the Europeans rediscovered Canada, they found fish.
27:49Massive stocks of highly sought after cod.
27:52And that's what kept them coming here.
27:55For 350 years, the fishing industry thrived.
28:00It became the lifeblood of the province and made it the world's largest exporter of salted codfish.
28:07Then, devastatingly, the fish stock began to decrease dramatically.
28:12And he fished and fished till he cut it off.
28:16I read that in the 1930s, they asked the American Agricultural Department about the cod.
28:25And they said it's an inexhaustible resource.
28:28We even ourselves, like here in Pity Harbor, we said there's thousands of fish out there.
28:32You go out and anchor the boat like we're doing now and put out your lines and steady build all day long haul fish.
28:38Now, you go out there and you're like waiting and waiting and waiting.
28:42You can't get one because it's not there. You can't catch what's not there.
28:46In 1992, commercial cod fishing here was banned.
28:51Huge economic losses followed and 30,000 people lost their jobs.
28:56Even as fish stocks begin to slowly replenish, there's still no guarantee of a catch.
29:09But one man does have fish to fry.
29:13Local music legend Alan Doyle, former lead singer for Canadian rock band Great Big Seymour.
29:23Mr Doyle!
29:24Alan, man, nice to see you. Thank you so much. Sorry for the fishy hand, but it's the taste of the day.
29:29You're going to teach me how to make a Pity Harbor delicacy. What is it?
29:33We're going to show you how to cut and cook a cod's tongue.
29:38Cod don't talk? Why do they need tongues?
29:42Well, clearly, you haven't spent enough time on Dwarf and Pity Harbor if you think cod don't talk.
29:47Cod tongues is exactly what you think. It is indeed the tongue of a codfish.
29:52That's got a tongue.
29:53Yeah.
29:54And to cut it out, I'll do it quickly for you.
29:56It just goes like that.
29:57Whack it around.
29:58Hold around there.
29:59Done.
30:00These things were very important to me because it gave us a chance to learn how to buy and sell stuff and to work hard as a kid and to be part of the town's economy.
30:08You know, I certainly wouldn't have guessed that something as specific as cutting out cod tongues as a ten-year-old in Newfoundland might teach you lessons that would serve you well all over the world as a grown-up.
30:21But they certainly did.
30:22But I think, you know, why don't you cut one?
30:24I will.
30:25First thing, we're going to make cut and a cut down each side of the triangle. Excellent.
30:28Now, here's the tricky bit.
30:29Get two fingers or one, whatever fits, in under and push back on the bone.
30:33You'll see me.
30:34You'll see what I do.
30:35You're doing it right.
30:36Look at you.
30:37Okay.
30:38That's a good job.
30:39Yeah.
30:40Give it a good rip.
30:41Okay.
30:42And at this rate, I've managed to do sort of like one tongue.
30:46There you are.
30:47And you pull it.
30:48That's the last bit.
30:49Stop.
30:50Stop, Alan.
30:51Stop.
30:52I've got to just show that my tongue.
30:54Look at that.
30:55That's a prime tongue right there.
30:58Let's have a look at some of this remote place food in action.
31:01What we're doing here now is creating what, you know, you might see in any kind of fishing culture.
31:05You see, you know, greasing up the pan with something.
31:07Yep.
31:08Bacon in some places.
31:09In Newfoundland, it's salted pork.
31:11And this is really just going to make a salty, oily base.
31:14Delicious.
31:15Oh, man.
31:16I've been told that one of the things I have to do is I have to be great in the kitchen.
31:20That's my challenge.
31:21Oh, wow, man.
31:22And if you're going to be a connoisseur of the Newfoundland kitchen party, you've got to have a song.
31:25You've got to have a song.
31:26All right.
31:27I've got to have a song.
31:28But what sort of song?
31:29Did they sing traditional songs?
31:30Yeah.
31:31Or did you go there and sing a Beatles song?
31:32The joy of my young life was either way.
31:34There was Johnny Cash songs and Beatles songs.
31:36And then there might be a Newfoundland traditional song or a Southern Irish song or a sea shanty or whatever.
31:41And do you remember the earliest traditional songs that you would have sung?
31:44Yeah.
31:45Well, Newfoundland has a bunch of them, right?
31:47Nobody in Newfoundland would ever remember learning to sing, you know,
31:50Luke's boat is painted green.
31:52Ha, me, boys.
31:53Luke's boat is painted green.
31:55The prettiest boat you've ever seen.
31:57Ha, me, boys.
31:58A little eye day.
31:59The story of our history has been kind of written and recorded in traditional songs.
32:03Sea shanties in particular are working songs.
32:06You have to coordinate hard effort that where you need a bunch of people, dudes on a boat,
32:11people rolling barrels, whatever, doing something in concert, in time.
32:16A couple of appetizer tongues.
32:18Let's go check it out.
32:19Good stuff.
32:21My first.
32:25Good.
32:26Cod tongue.
32:27First cod tongue.
32:28So my advice is don't overthink it.
32:31Pop that whole thing in there.
32:33Right.
32:34Yeah.
32:36Because then you get a combination of the saltiness and you get the fresh codfish tasting.
32:40Delicious.
32:41Aren't they great?
32:42They're great.
32:43Fantastic.
32:44I love them.
32:45Hey, no bones.
32:46No bones in a cod tongue, that's right.
32:49Maybe in the one you've got.
32:51It's just fish.
32:53You know, it's fast free fish.
32:55Mm-hmm.
32:56So I'm going to appear at a kitchen party and I've got to find a song.
32:59Here's one.
33:00A is for the anchor that hangs from the bow.
33:04B is for the bowsprit that we lower down.
33:08C is for the cat's head where the anchor is stowed.
33:12D is for the David where our boat is hove.
33:15That's spectacular.
33:16That's good, isn't it?
33:17You're going to own the kitchen party.
33:19I don't think so.
33:20Because there are 26 letters of the alphabet.
33:23I'm just going to beat you inside because there are, in fact, two cod tongues.
33:28There won't be two left if I get in any.
33:30People might think they're not delicious.
33:32They are Alan Doyle.
33:36He's definitely with a very interesting thought, which is that because of its hugeness, Canada
33:43is dotted with individualistic, vibrant communities, the equal of this one, which is his hometown.
33:54Bell Island in Conception Bay is my next destination.
34:02To get there, I have to cross this stretch of water.
34:05It's known as the Tickle.
34:07Bell Island has had its booms and busts.
34:10And I'm hoping to discover how people can survive here, now, in the modern era.
34:16Someone who gets to see the community here at perhaps its best and worst is Officer Gary McLaughlin,
34:22recently relocated from British Columbia on the other side of Canada.
34:27You are a Mountie.
34:28Yes.
34:29I'd never have guessed, you see, that you were a Mountie,
34:32because I was expecting to meet a Mountie in a bright red coat wearing a Scouts hat.
34:36Yeah.
34:37Can I ask then, you've just moved to the Asylum?
34:39Yes, yes.
34:40Have you found this the backwoods?
34:43You know what? That's an interesting question.
34:45Yeah, it is, but that's the appeal for me.
34:48It's just been such a dramatic change for me and my family.
34:53We chose to come to Newfoundland.
34:56Because of everything that we've heard about Newfoundland.
34:59And it's all true.
35:00It's the nicest place I've ever been.
35:03And it's just, everybody looks after each other here.
35:07And it's evident the second I got here.
35:10Thank you very much, Gary.
35:11Enjoy your journey.
35:18That was fantastic.
35:20I've got a sea break.
35:26Hey, Griff.
35:29What are you at?
35:33I beg your pardon?
35:36You're supposed to say, this is it.
35:38Okay.
35:39I will.
35:40This is it.
35:41Awesome.
35:42Welcome aboard, sir.
35:44Let's give her a tell we shiver.
35:48In the 1600s, as the Europeans began finally to settle down here, the exploitation of natural resources advanced too, beyond fish.
35:57Bell Island was once home to one of the biggest underground iron ore mines in the world, supplying European countries like Germany.
36:06However, at the outbreak of World War II, that supply was cut off and the iron ore was redirected to the Allied forces.
36:14Hitler then sent in submarines to destroy this supply.
36:19The ships were at the pier.
36:20So they figured if they sink the ship at the pier, no ships would be able to get in and load.
36:25But they missed the ship and blew up the pier.
36:27Oh, look at that.
36:29And this is what's left to it these days.
36:33Now, just go up that pathway here.
36:35The old tramway is going to take you right to number two mine.
36:40Okay.
36:41And Brian is going to be waiting for you.
36:43Okay, thank you.
36:48All over the world, mining creates its own landscape.
36:53Mountain ranges of waste, dragged often from a tiny hole in the ground.
37:00Now, I've come here to meet Brian, who is going to show me the entrance to this mine.
37:14Oh.
37:15Hello, sir. How are you?
37:16Hi, Brian.
37:17Before you go underground, if you don't mind, would you be able to put on a miner's iron hat?
37:21I certainly will. Thank you very much.
37:23Good.
37:24All right, we're ready to head in?
37:25Okay, I am.
37:26Come on.
37:27There it is, the shaft disappearing down into the earth.
37:33And how far does it go?
37:35This one, number two mine, goes almost three miles underneath the ocean.
37:39Wow.
37:40It started in 1902, so it's almost 120 years old.
37:43And this is the original entrance.
37:46In 1628, early settlers became curious about the colour of the rock they discovered here.
37:52And they sent a sample to England for analysis.
37:57And it turned out to be 54% pure iron ore.
38:00And suddenly, instead of this being a bleak nowhere, a wilderness with nothing, they went, no, wait a minute.
38:06Exactly.
38:07There's something here which is valuable.
38:08Yeah.
38:09But there is more iron ore down here.
38:11Plenty more down here.
38:12Plenty more down here.
38:13They only scratched the surface of the valuable ore.
38:16It became cheaper to mine elsewhere where there's surface mines.
38:19Because you've got to remember, this one goes underneath the ocean.
38:22In its lifetime, they've removed 82 million tonnes of iron ore.
38:25That's what's been shipped around the world.
38:27Wow.
38:28There's still an estimated 2.5 billion tonnes still down here.
38:35To reopen this mine, economically, the value of iron ore would have to rise to about $200 a tonne.
38:42It's currently priced at about $125 a tonne, so it's cheaper to go elsewhere.
38:49Your family were here.
38:51All my grandfathers, my great-grandfathers, they worked down in these mines.
38:55Back in the early 1900s, my great-grandfather started on the picking belt above ground when he was 11 years old.
39:01The company awarded him a pin for his lapel.
39:0452 years of service, he worked underground in these mines.
39:07This is a slightly frightening notion.
39:11The idea that you're mining under the sea, was it intrinsically more deadly with the idea that the water would suddenly come in?
39:18Did that happen?
39:19That's a good question.
39:20What I asked my grandfather about today, I said,
39:22Pop, what were you thinking when you were working two miles under the ocean?
39:27He said, you tried not to think about it.
39:29He said, because every now and then, you're getting these drips of water coming down on your head.
39:33He said, that's not a leaky faucet upstairs.
39:35That's the cold Atlantic Ocean.
39:36Did they have tragedies here?
39:38Oh, yes.
39:39So, 71 years of mining, and unfortunately, we lost 106 men underground.
39:45It's a dangerous profession.
39:46Very dangerous.
39:47It doesn't really matter how it's done or where it is.
39:50It's always going to have a human cost.
39:51Exactly.
39:52These empty caverns were once one of the biggest iron ore suppliers in the world, at times employing
39:59over 2,000 men, supporting 15,000 people living above.
40:04When the mines closed in 66, we were hit really hard.
40:08Right now, we're down to under 2,500 people.
40:10The majority of us commute back and forth to St. John's.
40:13That's why the ferry is so important to us.
40:15But back in the day, Belle Island was the place to be.
40:18We were booming.
40:19With the mines closed, with fish stocks depleted, and the local economy crippled, many people
40:25left here in search of work elsewhere.
40:28Those that stayed carved out a new life and became the new breed of Newfoundlanders, and
40:33faced new challenges.
40:35I note that I have yet to fulfill my own personal challenge.
40:42Good afternoon.
40:43Hi.
40:44Hi.
40:45Can I just ask you something here?
40:46Now, you say outside that you are the oldest music store on the oldest street in the oldest
40:51town in the continent of North America, I understand.
40:54Some people say it's also the oldest lie, too.
40:57I've been invited to a kitchen party.
41:00And one of the, you know, requirements is that I come over great.
41:04I know the thing, man.
41:05Ugly stick.
41:06Want to see it?
41:07Yes, I do.
41:08So, there's a couple right here.
41:09This one is brand new.
41:11It matches your outfit nicely.
41:12Yeah, it does.
41:13Yeah.
41:14Never seen a pinky purple one before, but...
41:16How is the ugly stick used, then?
41:18You stamp this foot like your own foot.
41:21And then, I guess you could play off-beats.
41:27Whatever, you know, something like that, you know?
41:29You're telling me that these things are traditional and actually real.
41:33I'm not going to turn up.
41:34No, no, no.
41:35I'm not going to turn up and somebody's going to go...
41:36I wouldn't have this in the shop.
41:38I would not have this in the shop if I couldn't sell it.
41:40Okay.
41:41I just go...
41:42Yeah, keep it nice to the groove.
41:44Cool.
41:45I'm so glad I came in here.
42:00You're always going to look good if you show up with this, you know what I mean?
42:03Excellent.
42:04You've made a sale of the ugly stick.
42:06All right.
42:07Fantastic.
42:08I'm going to blow this kitchen party away.
42:09Well, it's time for the kitchen party, and I'm as nervous as if we were playing the Glasgow Empire.
42:22But, uh...
42:23Okay.
42:24Hello.
42:25Hello.
42:26Nice to see you.
42:27Are you Laurie?
42:28I am.
42:29Oh, well, thank you for having me here.
42:30Oh, good.
42:31Kitchen parties are a much-loved tradition here.
42:36The kitchen, often the warmest room in the house, is the perfect spot to gather round and unwind.
42:49I'm not exactly in rhythm.
42:58I come from England.
42:59I've got the most terrible sense of rhythm.
43:02Everything's in front of the house.
43:03I'm very sorry, I'm very sorry.
43:04I'm so sorry.
43:05No, no.
43:06I'm so sorry.
43:07I am the other one.
43:08I'm so sorry.
43:09Now I'm so sorry.
43:10I'm so sorry.
43:11I've gotten more like a piano.
43:12I'm so sorry.
43:13I'm sorry.
43:14I'm sorry.
43:15I'm sorry.
43:16I'm sorry.
43:17I'm sorry.
43:18I'm sorry.
43:19Okay, what else can we?
43:20Let's play the loads of breath.
43:23When's first time we're seeing that one?
43:25I do have a song that I can sing for you.
43:28Yes.
43:29I is for the island where I find myself now J is for the jelly beans houses in a row
43:41K is for the kindness I found in the fog L is for the Labrador not the dog
43:49Merrily so merrily so merrily for sure I love Newfoundland and Labrador
43:57M is for the moose that I never did see
44:01N is for the noon gun that sure frightened me
44:05O is for the outports where the old songs
44:09P is for Petty Harbour where I ate Cod's Tongues
44:19Well done! Well done!
44:25Now somebody else's turn I think
44:35I think I now know what they mean when they say be great in the kitchen
44:41It's about dropping your troubles at the door and finding joy in what you have
44:47And in these small communities it's about camaraderie
44:51Banding together to sing and dance and taking time out from the bigness of the world outside
44:59And in these small communities it's about having fun
45:01It's about having fun
45:03It's about having fun
45:05It's about having fun
45:07It's about having fun
45:09It's about having fun
45:11Now look what you've done
45:13You know what's gonna happen next?
45:15I'll be invited to be on Strictly Come Dancing
45:19Bye bye bye, thank you very much
45:21Thank you
45:23Bye bye
45:25On my way now
45:31Sorry to go
45:33But we did the challenge didn't we?
45:35And I have to admit that about Newfoundland
45:39Or perhaps the biggest thing about the people here
45:43And this may sound a bit corny isn't it?
45:45It's their hearts
45:47Just what a fantastic welcome
45:49What an amazingly friendly kind of community here
45:54And for the rest of Canada
45:57It's a big act to follow
45:59Next time I'll continue my journey
46:01Forging onwards through the country's largest province
46:05Zut alors
46:06This is the only way to arrive in Quebec
46:09Where intravenous now
46:14Astonishing what indignities people had to go through
46:16Before they even got to the battlefield
46:18Apprêtez vos armes
46:19A clown
46:20No
46:24I'm really glad that I never have to get out on that ice
46:27Help me mummy
46:49As you can see
46:50To be fair
46:51To be honest
46:52And this is not something you are going to see
46:53That is the only way to arrive
46:54To be clear
46:58And for the entire world
46:59So
47:00You have to leave
47:01You can see
47:02Sorry
47:03I have to leave
47:04You have to avoid
47:05The so-called
47:06So
47:07You have to leave
47:08You have to leave
47:09At the table
47:10You have to leave
47:12By
47:13You can see
47:14You can see
47:15You can see
47:16You have to leave
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