Canadians have worked in very diverse work-spaces throughout the 20th century. This photographic exhibition gives the viewer a closer look at these spaces and, more importantly, offers a perspective on the ordinary people who work within them. These people were not selected because of their fame or name, but for the ways in which they are representative of Canada and its economy, whether they are at work outdoors, underground, in a factory or in the home.

These photographs were produced for many reasons: as a tool of communication; as a means for the government to promote and administer its programs; as a way for industry to advertise its achievements and thereby demonstrate corporate pride; to enable ordinary citizens to produce an historical and cultural record of a subject of personal importance to them.

The images are organized into six thematic spaces, each of which documents different work environments.