Visit the "CN Images of Canada" Gallery
Ottawa, May 10, 2000
For immediate release
Canadian National Railway Company today formally transferred its vast historical photo collection to the Canadian public, a collection that chronicles 150 years of Canadian history and the stories of thousands of Canadians.
Her Excellency the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson, Governor General of Canada, accepted CN Images of Canada on behalf of Canadians at the Canada Science and Technology Museum, the institution CN has chosen to preserve its collection and to make it available to Canadians for generations to come.
The CN photo collection is one of the largest donations the Museum (formerly the National Museum of Science and Technology) has ever received, containing more than one million photographs dating as far back as the 1850s. The extensive library of photos is a unique record of the economic, social, cultural and technological evolution of Canada, as captured by generations of photographers from CN and its predecessor companies.
The National Archival Appraisal Board calls the collection a "national treasure" that "…not only chronicles the history of rail transportation but also documents the development and growth of Canada from colonial times to the present era." The Canadian Cultural Property Export Review Board recently designated the collection " of outstanding significance and national importance."
Canadian National transferred the collection to the Canada Science and Technology Museum to ensure the collection is preserved for future generations, and to make the photo collection accessible to Canadians everywhere.
Paul Tellier, President and Chief Executive Officer of CN said: "CN hopes generations of Canadians will draw pride and inspiration from this significant collection of photographs. These photographs display Canada in all its immensity and diversity and depict Canadians' determination to forge a stronger, richer nation."
Dr. Virender Handa, Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Canada Science and Technology Museums Corporation, said: "We deeply appreciate that CN has chosen our institution. CN Images of Canada complements and furthers the Museum's core mission, which is to show how achievements in science and technology have transformed Canada and the Canadian people."
Many photos in CN Images of Canada show CN's pioneering role in developing transportation and communications technologies, including the introduction of on-train radio broadcasting that eventually led to the creation of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation; development of state-of-the art diesel-electric locomotives that broke new speed records; creation of Trans-Canada Airlines, later re-named Air Canada, and provision of the first long-distance telephone service to remote regions of the country.
Beyond technology and innovation, the photos capture stories about early immigrants arriving in Canada, the settling of the west, the building of cities and homesteads, famous people and famous landmarks and important moments in Canadian history.
Transport Minister David Collenette stated: "This collection shows how Canadian National, as one of Canada's oldest and most prominent transportation and communications companies, played a decisive role in the growth of our nation. History as seen through the eyes of CN is clearly a comprehensive picture of the history of Canada."
The Museum today inaugurated the CN Images of Canada virtual photo gallery, a section of the Museum's Web site featuring 550 historic photographs, with more to be added over the next five years. http://www.sciencetech.technomuses.ca. A group of school children took part in the photo gallery launch, underlining the desire of CN and the Museum to see young Canadians, in particular, connect to their heritage through modern technology.
Canadian National Railway Company spans Canada and mid-America, from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans to the Gulf of Mexico, serving the ports of Vancouver, Prince Rupert, B.C., Montreal, Halifax, New Orleans, and Mobile, Ala., and the key cities of Toronto, Buffalo, Chicago, Detroit, Memphis, St. Louis, and Jackson, Miss., with connections to all points in North America.
