The Battle of Vimy Ridge is seen as one of the most important moments in Canadian history. It is seen as the moment when Canada became a more independent nation. However, the CBC documentary Why the Battle of Vimy Ridge Matters shows that the “memory and meaning have shifted over time”. This proves how the view of Vimy Ridge has progressed over generations (Why the Battle of Vimy Ridge Matters). Both the CBC documentary and the Government of Canada website on the Canadian National Vimy Memorial can be analyzed through Harold Innis’s concept of the bias of Communication. In class, we discussed that Innis’ idea of medium bias is not just about the message communicated, but also about how the form of communication shapes memory and power (Innis, 1951). This term can help explain how the media shapes the way historical events are remembered. It also shows that memory is not neutral and can be formed through how people receive history. These two media styles can influence which parts of the story are emphasized and how they're reinterpreted.
In The Bias of Communication, Innis argues that communication media tend to use either time or space. According to Innis, time-biased media’s main focus is to preserve cultural memory over long periods. This helps societies maintain traditions and remember history. Space-biased media refers to media that can be disseminated over large areas to reach many people quickly. However, Innis suggests that modern communication systems could create a society so obsessed with current information that they forget the importance of our history. This concept helps explain why monuments and historical media continue to play a significant role in shaping global historical memory. It also shows why national identity is tied to communication forms that preserve the past to distribute it widely. In this way, media do not simply reflect memory but change how people understand history. This connects to what we talked about in class about medium theory, where the material form of communication shapes what people think and how.
The CBC documentary shows many of the biases Innis talks about. A documentary like this is made to reach wide audiences and quickly spread information. It takes the well-known story of Vimy Ridge and turns it into something that can circulate globally through online media. The film explains what happened in the battle in April 1917, when the four Canadian divisions fought together to capture the ridge. It does more than just retell the events; it examines how Vimy became part of Canada’s identity. I found it fascinating how the documentary doesn’t just show the battle as a success. It shows how it caused a divide between the French and English Canadians. That matters because it shows how space-biased media doesn’t just spread information but shapes how people understand history. The documentary also gives Vimy a more contemporary meaning by recirculating through modern-day media. This also connects to James Carey's ritual view of communication. He talks about how media does more than transmit information and rather helps maintain shared beliefs and national identity over time. This makes the documentary more of a source of information because it acts as a ritual form that keeps the story of Vimy Ridge alive in Canadian memory. It turns the idea of memory into an ongoing public discussion, allowing it to retain a prominent place in modern Canadian culture. Rather than labelling Vimy as one stable meaning, the documentary keeps it moving across audiences and allows for present reinterpretations.
The Government of Canada Website on the Vimy Memorial shows a stronger time bias. The memorial itself was made to preserve memory, not just communicate it globally. The website explains that the monument includes the names of 11,285 Canadian soldiers who died in France (doesn’t count the bodies not found) (Canadian National Vimy Memorial, 2026). That shows a very different vibe than the documentary. It is less about circulation and more about remembrance. For example, the figure Canada Bereft represents a grieving nation and emphasizes mourning the losses rather than celebrating the victory. This makes it feel so much more time-biased as it attempts to preserve memories over time. At the same time, the website slightly complicates the time-bias because putting the memorial online also introduces a space-bias by allowing its meaning to circulate beyond the physical site itself.
These two artifacts show how time and space can work simultaneously. The memorial preserves memory over time, while the documentary spreads memory across space. Innis’s ideas are important as they show that different media do different work within culture. The documentary helps keep Vimy as a conversation, and the memorial makes that memory permanent. Together, they show how important it is to use both circulation and preservation to withhold historical memories. They show that public memory depends on keeping the memories while making them visible. This balance has allowed Vimy Ridge to remain a powerful symbol in Canadian History.
Overall, the CBC documentary and the Government of Canada website shape how Canadians remember Vimy Ridge in different ways. Looking at both through Innis’s frameworks makes it clearer that the media doesn’t just tell us about history but also shapes its meaning. It also connects to a major class theme, that communication helps arrange relationships among time, space, and national identity. Vimy Ridge is not just remembered in the media, it also reappears as a national memory. Through Innis, it becomes clear that the media is not passive but active by shaping how a nation remembers itself.
References
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. (n.d.). Why the Battle of Vimy Ridge matters [Video]. YouTube.
Carey, J. W. (1989). Communication as culture: Essays on media and society. Unwin Hyman.
Innis, H. A. (1951). The bias of communication. University of Toronto Press.
Veterans Affairs Canada. (2026). Canadian National Vimy Memorial. Government of Canada. https://www.veterans.gc.ca
Hi Sarah, I really liked your point that memory is not neutral and that the way history is communicated shapes how people understand it. Your comparison between the CBC documentary and the Vimy memorial website was strong because it clearly showed how different media forms do different kinds of cultural work. I also thought your point about the website being mainly time biased, while still gaining some space bias once it is placed online, was really interesting because it shows that these categories are not always totally separate. That part made me think about how Vimy continues to matter not just because of the event itself, but because newer media keep reintroducing it to different audiences in different ways. Your connection to Carey’s ritual view also worked really well since it helped explain how the documentary does more than pass along facts and instead helps maintain a shared national story.
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