Rogers Communications Inc. and 7th Floor Media Launch An Online Portrayal of Canada's Prime Ministers
VANCOUVER January 22, 2003
Canadians no longer have an excuse for not knowing who Canada's first prime minister was as they can learn about Sir John A. Macdonald, and all the other prime ministers, in a new web site that was created, designed, and produced by Simon Fraser University's 7th Floor Media, with funding from Rogers Communications Inc. "The Prime Ministers of Canada: Intimate Portraits of the Nation's Leaders," is an informative and lively look at Canada's leaders available online at www.prime-ministers.ca. "We are thrilled to be a part of the creation of this fabulous resource, which will educate and entertain Canadians about the personalities, policies, and politics that have created this Nation," says Jan Innes, Vice President, Communications for Rogers Communications Inc.
"The Prime Ministers of Canada" is the most comprehensive and engaging web site about Canada's leaders currently available. In addition to biographies of all of Canada's prime ministers, the web site offers extensive analysis of the eight most important prime ministers, with glimpses into their personalities. Leading historians, journalists, and political colleagues provide original commentaries and interviews. The site is rich in content and filled with graphics, video, and audio segments that provide the user with many hours of interesting exploration.
"The Prime Ministers of Canada" began as a CDROM project in 1995. With funding from Rogers Communications, Inc., 7th Floor Media (then called ExCITE) began researching, writing, designing, interviewing, and programming "The Lives and Times of the Canadian Prime Ministers." McClelland and Stewart published the CDROM in 1997 to accompany their digital version of the Canadian Encyclopedia. "It is rewarding to have revisited the lives of our prime ministers in order to make this history fresh and relevant for a new online audience," says Noni Maté, Co-Director of 7th Floor Media.
The web site contains many of the features introduced in the CDROM, with significant updates and additions. The design is lively and intuitive allowing users to get a flavour for the themes and personalities before becoming immersed in the biographies. In the Prologue we learn that Mackenzie King was known to attend séances, and we get a sense of the gentlemanly charm of Laurier and Pearson. The Prologue also contains a light-hearted satirical sketch by comedy duo, Double Exposure, which was created especially for the project.
Authoritative biographies, detailed glossary entries, and a comprehensive Search function make the site an ideal research tool. Of special interest to social studies students and teachers is the "Issues" feature. This area provides a larger historical context for the decisions that the major prime ministers have made, explaining how they have dealt with the recurring issues of nation building, national unity, and international relations.
Rogers Communications Inc. is Canada's national communications company, which is engaged in cable television, Internet access and video retailing through Rogers Cable Inc.; digital PCS, cellular, data communications and paging through Rogers Wireless Communications Inc.; and radio, television broadcasting, televised shopping, and publishing businesses through Rogers Media Inc.
7th Floor Media is Canada's leading educational and cultural new media group, with over fifteen years experience developing outstanding interactive multimedia products.