CBC Archives

As a class, brainstorm a list of industries, products, and services that are considered uniquely Canadian. Record students’ responses on chart paper or on the board. Ask students what they think makes these industries uniquely Canadian.

Have students visit the topic Selling Suds: The Beer Industry in Canada on the CBC Digital Archives website. They will view the clips E.P. Taylor on the future of brewing, A sad farewell to 'stubby', Labatt no longer Canadian-owned and I... AM... CANADIAN!, as well as the additional clip Visser on Beer. As they listen and view, have students record notes on the download sheet A Canadian Industry, Eh?.

Once complete, have students work in pairs to compare responses and edit their worksheet answers. Facilitate a class discussion on the final question on the worksheet. As a class, develop a list of what makes the beer industry so very Canadian. Focus on generating a list of factors and/or characteristics. Compare these to one of the other industries discussed in Before Exploring.

Have students reflect on what they learned by discussing what they learned that they did not already know, how it connects to what they did know, and how they can apply their new learning.

Students can compare the beer industry to one other industry that is known as Canadian (e.g., maple syrup, fur). Using their Internet research skills, students should compare the size of the industry based on annual revenues and export statistics. Students write a paragraph summarizing their comparison.