In the 1920's, roughly 100 fish canneries operated along the coastline of British Columbia The labour force was radically segregated into groups of natives, Chinese, Japanese and Occidental workers During the first 50 years, cannery workers and union organizers had to contend with interracial rivalry and struggled for their rights against legislated racism.

The Canneries skillfully explores the political currents of an industry, largely mythologised today, through the use of archival footage, and the recollections of generations of cannery workers.