Eye Witness No. 12, , provided by the National Film Board of Canada

These vignettes from 1949 covered various aspects of life in Canada and were shown in theatres across the country. Here, the camera records the traditional ceremonies of the opening of Canada’s Parliament for the first time in history. Senators, parliamentary leaders, and finally the Governor General and his party arrive on the “Hill,” and the Vice-Regal group is escorted to the Senate Chamber. The film then takes us inside the House of Commons, where members assemble before being summoned by the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod to the Senate to hear the Speech from the Throne. Then, with pomp and historical ceremony over for another session, the representatives of the people get down to the job of doing the people’s business.