The CBC allocated two million dollars and took two years to produce its eight part adaptation of Pierre Berton's two volume history of the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway ("The National Dream" and "The Last Spike" published by Toronto's McClelland and Stewart in l970 and l97l.) Berton had previously published collections of journalism and interviews, stories, books of contemporary non-fiction, and historical works, such as "Klondike", but these two bestsellers both introduced him to audiences who were more accustomed to seeing him on the "Front Page Challenge" television show, or hearing him on the radio as a chronicler of the nation's past. It sealed his reputation as Canada's Popular Historian Laureate. The television series was announced not long after the publication of "The Last Spike" at that same time, "The National Dream" had been on the bestseller list for over eighty weeks. Moreover, through his tireless efforts to promote the books, the author was tightly tied to his projects, and he continued his connection to the story of the CPR as onscreen narrator of the television films.

The television production wove drama and documentary together. It combined reconstructions of the events of the mid-nineteenth century with footage of Berton at the actual locations in the present day and archival still photographs, cartoons, and drawings. Berton originally embarked on the television series with Lister Sinclair as executive producer, with Barry Morse announced to direct the dramatic sequences. The CBC also contracted Timothy Findlay to write the reconstructions and William Whitehead to write commentary. The network originally estimated that two episodes would suffice, but Berton balked. He and Sinclair blocked out the sequence of events, and reckoned that the epic saga would take eight, one-hour episodes to be told in adequate detail and colour.

In its development of major projects, the CBC has devoted itself most tenaciously to period productions, such as "The Whiteoaks Of Jalna" and "Empire, Inc." Conversely, such undertakings demand considerable resources in research, writing, and production. "The National Dream" compounded those demands because of the dual nature of the production as both drama and documentary, and because of the scope of the subject, which called for a large cast of characters and required the crew to travel to more than twenty locations across the country.

Sponsored by Royal Trust, the initial run of the series attracted the biggest ratings for any dramatic program in CBC history to that date, an estimated audience of over three million, and a revised version of the series was sold to the BBC. A Canadian history produced essentially for a Canadian audiences, "The National Dream" met a cultural need and proved a success. Nevertheless, it also demonstrated the typical CBC ambivalence over entertainment and education. Although the story of the politics and machinations behind the construction of the CPR in themselves comprised a drama of value, the series was also made with subsequent classroom use in mind.

     

In the first episode, "The Great Lone Land", Prime Minister John A. Macdonald introduced the promise of a railway to the Pacific through the l87l Speech from the Throne, and the second episode took the story of the CPR up to l873. Titled "The Pacific Scandal", it centered on charges that the Conservatives had compromised the government for political advantage in its alliance with financier Sir Hugh Allan. The drama climaxed with Macdonald's defence in the House of Commons, but ended with his resignation and the assumption of power by Liberal Alexander Mackenzie. "The Horrid B.C. Business", the third episode, traced the staggering progress of the railway, with conflicts between B.C. and the Canadian government and among the surveyors planning the route, through the years of the Mackenzie government. Returned to power in l878, Macdonald continued to argue the railway in the House, and in "The Great Debate", episode four, pushed the required legislation through Parliament. "The Railway General", the fifth segment, concentrated on the rapid progress of construction on the prairies in l882 and l883 and the development of western Canada under the influence of the CPR's general manager, William Cornelius Van Horne. In the sixth episode, "The Sea Of Mountains", however, the construction crews' progress was slowed by the Rockies. The drama concentrated on contractor Andrew Onderdonk, who imported thousands of workers from China to make a path through the mountains, and the engineer Major A.B. Rogers, who located the pass through the Selkirks that now bears his name. In the latter days of contruction in the mountains and north of Lake Superior, outlined in episode seven, "The Desperate Days", Macdonald was also faced with bloody rebellion by the farmers, natives, and Metis in the west. Over this segment and the last, titled "The Last Spike", the CPR faced labour unrest and financial ruin until it was saved by a government loan and the railway completed in l885.

     

The production assembled an admirable collection of Canada's male character actors to play the politicians, engineers, financiers, and workers responsible for the railway. The two principals were William Hutt as John A. Macdonald and John Colicos as Van Horne. Others included Gillie Fenwick as Alexander Mackenzie; Joseph Shaw, Chris Wiggins, and Gerard Parkes as, respectively, George Stephen, Donald Smith, and Edward Blake, the members of the financial syndicate behind the C.P.R. Tony Van Bridge as chief surveyor Sandford Fleming, James B. Douglas as Major A.B. Rogers, Robin Gammell as Walter Moberly, Claude Prefontaine as Georges-Etienne Cartier, Sandy Webster as Marcus Smith, Richard Whelan as George McMullen, Kenneth Pogue as James Hill, Paxton Whitehead as Lord Dufferin, Jonathan Welsh as Albert Rogers, Ted Follows as Charles Tupper, David Schurrman as J.H.E. Secretan, Michael J. Reynolds as Andrew Onderdonk, John Horton as Lucius Seth Huntington, and Henry Stamper as Hugh Allan. The only main female role was Agnes Macdonald, played by Pat Galloway. Some of the supporting players included Lloyd Berry as Miller, Vernon Chapman as Richard Cartwright, George Chow as Chen, Joe Crowfoot as the native chief Crowfoot, Neil Dainard as Robert Rylatt, Jim Henshaw as Wilcox, Robert Joy as Carter, Jean Marie Lemieux as Father Lacombe, Don McManus as General Lafayette Rosser, Peter Mews as John Henry Pope, Diana Barrington as Lady Dufferin, Susan Bird as Mary Macdonald, and Tim Crighton as William Topley.

James Murray produced the series and directed the documentary sequences, which were written by William Whitehead. Eric Till directed the dramatic reconstructions, written by Timothy Findlay. A principal credit for such a lush and complex period production went to art director Richard Lambert. The principal photography was by Harry Makin, with additional shooting by Vic Sarin, Rudolph Kovanic, Stan Clinton, Wallace Donaldson, Norman Allin, and Edmond Long. The film was edited by Arla Saare and Don Haig. Louis Applebaum composed and conducted the musical score.