In the spirit of Martin Luther King Day on Monday, this week’s Canadian Heritage Minute takes a look at a Canadian activist who took a non-violent approach to forcing change and encouraging his people to co-exist with those in power.

Etienne Parent was a journalist early in his life and he used the power of the pen to make his case be heard for the French-Canadians in Lower Canada, which eventually became Quebec.

Even though some of his fellow Canadiens at times considered him a traitor, Parent was jailed by the English governor, and he continued to run his newspaper, Le Canadien, from prison.

This week’s Heritage Minute takes a look at the significance of Parent’s work in those years and how it influenced Quebec’s revolution years later.

Heritage Minutes are 60-second short films that are shown in between some TV shows in Canada — and they’re amazing. We’re planning to bring you a “Heritage Minute” every Thursday on COTW.

Enjoy.