At the Canadian Car and Foundry (nicknamed "Can-Car") in Fort William, Ontario, a large workforce was recruited to build the Hawker Hurricane fighter aircraft, including a preponderance of women.

[5] Just as the factory was re-tooling for production of Curtiss SB2C Helldiver torpedo and dive bomber aircraft for the United States Navy, MacGill and the works manager, E. J.

At the refurbished Can-Car plant, now building rolling stock and buses, 60 years later, the women came back to the factory to remember when they "had the greatest experience of their lives".

For the reunion, a highlight was the arrival of a restored Curtiss Helldiver which did a flypast with one of the original women factory workers, Margaret Cook (née Nixon) on board.

[9] Librarian Joan Payzant, in her review for CM magazine, observed, "Highly recommended viewing, illustrating an important side of life in Canada during the Second World War."

"[10] In a detailed analysis of Rosies of the North, Professor David Frank, noted: "The film treatment cuts back and forth between present and past as the women review the evidence of their experience and share personal observations.

One of the most poignant still photographs shown in the film is a postwar image, as the camera closes up on a sign that the formerly employed female workers hold up.