When one thinks of Canadians who have altered the course of history, names such as Tommy Douglas or Lester B. Pearson tend to come to mind.

For most, the name Louise Arbour does not make the list, but according to Canadian actress, Wendy Crewson, it should.

"She is the first person to bring a head of state under indictment for war crimes and it's a huge, huge deal," she told eTalk Daily.

Crewson, who plays Arbour in the CTV movie, Hunt for Justice: The Louise Arbour Story, believes it's important for Canadians to learn about their homegrown heroes.

"These are stories we don't get to hear enough about. We get to hear all the American stories, which is fine. But I want to know about what the Canadians are doing. I want to know about these women who stand up as individuals against an enormous system."

Abour, who is now the United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights headed the UN-created International Criminal Tribunal.

In 1999 she made headlines when she managed to indict former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic for war crimes and genocide – something that no one thought was possible at the time.

Crewson, who recently won the Gold Prize for best actress at the prestigious Festival International des Programmes Audio-Visuels (FIPA) in France for her portrayal of Arbour, said the role inspired her to believe that one person can make a mark in the world.

"It makes you understand that we all can make a difference if everybody stands up for what they believe." Crewson told CTV Newsnet. "Certainly she should be a huge national hero."

Crewson is not alone in her praise for Arbour's achievements. Time Magazine listed Arbour as one of the 100 most influential people in 2004.

Hunt for Justice was directed by Quebec filmmaker Charles Biname (H2O, Rocket) and stars John Corbett, William Hurt, Leslie Hope and Crewson's husband Michael Murphy.

The film begins in 1996 and follows Arbour's three-year struggle as the Chief War Crimes prosecutor at The Hague to investigate crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia.

In her attempt to bring justice to the 250,000 victims of genocide, Arbour fought against international bureaucracy and endured threats against her life.

"They didn't really want to move against Milosevic but she went ahead with her mandate -- which was to indict someone responsible for the war crimes and the genocide -- and she actually cut to the chase and indicted Milosevic despite NATO's fears that it was going to pull Russia into the Balkans and into further war," Crewson explained

Crewson said Arbour's strengths were her ability to zero in on a complex issue and her courage.

"Nobody honestly thought she would do the things she did," Crewson said.

Witnessing first hand the horrors of genocide was only one of the many challenges Arbour had to face in her quest to set an international precedent for human rights.

With Captain John Tanner (John Corbett) as her only ally, Arbour has to overcome the difficulty of working as a prosecutor without a police force and work around three NATO generals who thwart her every action in order to keep peace with other nations.

"It's unbelievable what she did and who she stood up to and how she had the courage to do this," Crewson explained.

"Her life was threatened. It really was a harrowing time for her. Yet she stood up for what she felt was right and wouldn't take no for an answer and really led that whole tribunal into a successful indictment."

Crewson believes Milosevic's recent death makes Hunt for Justice even more significant.

"It is timely and it is a very important story that needs to be told now while it's still on people's minds," Crewson said.

Although Milosevic's death means he will never be convicted, she said it doesn't take away from the film's impact.

"It brings home the idea that these kinds of crimes do not go unpunished even though he has escaped conviction. The evidence was certainly there for genocide…the world cannot stand by when a dictator perpetrates these kinds of wars."

After learning so much about the genocide in the Balkans, Crewson said she was "heartbroken" by Milosevic's death.

"It is so disappointing not only for the tribunal itself but for the 250,000 victims of Milosevic's war and I think we needed closure on this whole episode and a chance for Serbia to move ahead out of the shadow of Milosevic.

"I guess some sort of rough justice has been done but definitely not what should have been done."

Hunt for Justice: The Louise Arbour Story airs on Saturday March 25, 2006 at 8 p.m. ET on CTV.