Historica Canada is a Canadian

charitable organization A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, Religion, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definitio ...

dedicated to promoting the country's history and

citizenship Citizenship is a membership and allegiance to a sovereign state. Though citizenship is often conflated with nationality in today's English-speaking world, international law does not usually use the term ''citizenship'' to refer to nationalit ...

. All of its programs are offered bilingually and reach more than 28 million Canadians annually. A registered national charitable organization, Historica Canada was originally established as the Historica-Dominion Institute following a 2009 merger of two existing groups—the Historica Foundation of Canada and The Dominion Institute—and changed to its present name in September 2013. Anthony Wilson-Smith has been president and CEO of the organization since September 2012, with the board of directors being chaired () by First National Financial-co-founder Stephen Smith. Some of the organizations best-known programs include its collection of ''

Heritage Minutes ''The Heritage Minutes'' is a series of sixty-second short films, each illustrating an important moment in History of Canada, Canadian history. Published by Historica Canada the ''Minutes'' integrate Canadian history, Canadian folklore, folklore ...

''—60-second vignettes re-enacting important and remarkable incidents in Canada's history—and ''

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; ) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with financial support by the federal Department of Canadian Heritage and Society of Com ...

''. Historica Canada regularly conducts public opinion polls and creates educational videos, podcasts, and learning tools. It also operates the Ottawa-based Encounters with Canada youth program.

Current programs

Canada During COVID-19

To commemorate the era of COVID-19 in Canada for future generations, Historica Canada launched Canada During COVID-19, a "living archive" of the Canadian experience during the coronavirus pandemic beginning in 2020. Historica Canada invites people to add to this grassroots project in any form—be it through photograph, video, GIF, music, art, or writing—using the project's hashtag and tagging the project's page on Instagram (and Historica Canada itself on other social media).

Indigenous Arts & Stories

Indigenous Arts & Stories, on hiatus for the 2019/2020 year, is the largest art and creative-writing competition for

Indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology) In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often populari ...

youth in Canada. Starting in 2005 as exclusively a writing competition, the contest expanded to accept arts submissions in 2010–2011. The program invites

First Nations First nations are indigenous settlers or bands. First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to: Indigenous groups *List of Indigenous peoples *First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...

Métis The Métis ( , , , ) are a mixed-race Indigenous people whose historical homelands include Canada's three Prairie Provinces extending into parts of Ontario, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories and the northwest United States. They ha ...

, and

Inuit Inuit (singular: Inuk) are a group of culturally and historically similar Indigenous peoples traditionally inhabiting the Arctic and Subarctic regions of North America and Russia, including Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwe ...

artists aged 11 to 29 to interpret an aspect of their culture and heritage through literary and visual arts. The winning submissions are reviewed and selected by a jury (one for arts and another for stories) of accomplished Indigenous authors, artists, and community leaders. The contest was born out of a joint project of the Dominion Institute and

Doubleday Canada Doubleday Canada is an imprint of the publishing company Penguin Random House Canada. The company used to be known as Forboys. It was incorporated in 1936, and since 1945 it has been known as Doubleday Canada Limited. In 1986 parent company Doubl ...

: ''Our Story'', a short story compilation that brings together 9 leading Indigenous authors, including Thomas King,

Tomson Highway Tomson Highway (born 6 December 1951) is an Indigenous peoples in Canada, Indigenous Canadian playwright, novelist, children's author and musician. He is best known for his plays ''The Rez Sisters'' and ''Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing'', ...

, and

Tantoo Cardinal Tantoo Cardinal CM (born July 20, 1950) is a Canadian actress. Of Cree and Métis heritage, in 2009 she was made a member of the Order of Canada "for her contributions to the growth and development of Aboriginal performing arts in Canada, as a s ...

. In its 15-year run, more than 5,500 youth have participated in the Indigenous Arts & Stories program. Jury members include

Bonnie Devine Bonnie Devine (born April 12, 1952) is a Serpent River Ojibwa installation artist, performance artist, sculptor, curator, and writer from Serpent River First Nation, who lives and works in Toronto, Ontario.Brian Maracle,

Drew Hayden Taylor Drew Hayden Taylor (born 1 July 1962) is an Indigenous Canadian playwright, author and journalist. Life and career Born in Curve Lake, Ontario, Taylor is of both Ojibwe and white ancestry. About his background Taylor says: "I plan to start my ...

John Kim Bell John Kim Bell (born October 8, 1952) is Canada’s first Indigenous symphony-orchestra conductor, the founder of the country’s precedent-setting National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation (today known as Indspire) and the National Aboriginal Ach ...

Kent Monkman Kent Monkman (born 13 November 1965) is a First Nations in Canada, First Nations artist of Cree ancestry. He is a member of the Fisher River Cree Nation, Fisher River nation situated in Manitoba's Interlake Region. Monkman lives and works betwe ...

Lee Maracle Bobbi Lee Maracle (born Marguerite Aline Carter; July 2, 1950November 11, 2021) was an Indigenous Canadian writer and academic of the Stó꞉lō nation. Born in North Vancouver, British Columbia, she left formal education after grade 8 to tra ...

Maxine Noel Maxine Noel (born 1946) is a Canadian First Nations artist from the Santee and Oglala heritage. She was given the Sioux name Ioyan Mani ("walk beyond"). Biography She was born on the Birdtail Reserve in southwestern Manitoba. A self-taught ar ...

, and

Rachel Qitsualik-Tinsley Rachel Attituq Qitsualik-Tinsley is a Canadian writer. She was a winner of the Burt Award for First Nations, Métis and Inuit Literature in 2015 for ''Skraelings'', which she cowrote with her husband Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley. The book was also a ...

, among others. Honorary Patrons of the program have included

Assembly of First Nations The Assembly of First Nations (, AFN) is an assembly of Canadian First Nations ( Indian bands) represented by their chiefs. Established in 1982 and modelled on the United Nations General Assembly, it emerged from the National Indian Brotherhood ...

National Chief

Perry Bellegarde Perry Bellegarde (born August 29, 1962; Little Black Bear First Nation) is a Canadian First Nations advocate and politician who served as National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations from December 10, 2014, to July 8, 2021.

Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (Inuktitut syllabics: , meaning "Inuit are united in Canada"), previously known as the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada (Eskimo Brotherhood of Canada), is a nonprofit organization in Canada that represents over 65,000 Inuit acro ...

President Terry Audla, and

Métis National Council The Métis National Council () is a representative body of the Métis people of northwestern Canada. The MNC represented the Métis Nation both nationally and internationally, receiving direction from the elected leadership of the Métis Nation's ...

President

Clément Chartier Clément Chartier (born 1946) is a Métis Canadian leader. Chartier served as President of the World Council of Indigenous Peoples between 1984–87 and vice-president between 1993 and 1997. Born in Île-à-la-Crosse, Saskatchewan, Chartier gr ...

Citizenship Challenge

The Citizenship Challenge allows participants to test their Canadian knowledge by studying for and writing a mock citizenship exam in English or French. Presented by Historica Canada and funded by

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC; )Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program since 2015; the legal title is Department of Citizenship and Immigration (). is the Ministry ...

, the Citizenship Challenge has tested of over 1.05 million people . As a studying resource for both the challenge and for actual citizenship tests themselves, Historica Canada offers a "Citizenship Collection" through the ''Canadian Encyclopedia''.

''The Canadian Encyclopedia''

''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' is a free bilingual online resource that offers the largest collection of authored and continuously-updated articles focused on Canada and

Canadiana Canadiana is a term used to describe things (e.g., books, historical documents, works of art, music and artifacts), ideas, or activities that concern or are distinctive of Canada, its peoples, and/or its culture, especially works of literature ...

. It is the only established national

encyclopedia An encyclopedia is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge, either general or special, in a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into article (publishing), articles or entries that are arranged Alp ...

of its kind in the world, in that it is a bilingual national edition of an encyclopedia produced by, for, and about the people of a single country, charting its events, culture, history, and landscape. Established in 1985, the Encyclopedia began in print form before transitioning to

CD-ROM A CD-ROM (, compact disc read-only memory) is a type of read-only memory consisting of a pre-pressed optical compact disc that contains computer data storage, data computers can read, but not write or erase. Some CDs, called enhanced CDs, hold b ...

, then moving to a digital format in 2001. In 2003, the Encyclopedia incorporated the content of the ''

Encyclopedia of Music in Canada ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; ) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with financial support by the federal Department of Canadian Heritage and Society of Com ...

'', which included around 3,000 articles and 500 illustrations. In October 2013, the Encyclopedia released its present "enhanced digital interactive" version online, with multimedia augmented through acquisition and partnerships with ''Maclean’s'' magazine and

The Canadian Press The Canadian Press (CP; , ) is a Canadian national news agency headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Established in 1917 as a vehicle for Canadian newspapers to exchange news and information, The Canadian Press has been a privately-held company, pr ...

. These interactive features include "curated content exhibits, interactive timelines,…and a user-generated content map" that allows users to "share their stories," as well as classroom resources, quizzes, and themed study guides for teachers and parents to use. With its online format, the Encyclopedia is now able to be updated on a daily basis—also allowing for immediate updates to important events—as well as having a staff of six full-time editors regularly write and commission new articles. As of 2021, the Encyclopedia's collection consists of more than 20,700 bilingual articles by more than 5,000 authors including

David Suzuki David Takayoshi Suzuki (born March 24, 1936) is a Canadian academic, science broadcaster, and environmental activist. Suzuki earned a PhD in zoology from the University of Chicago in 1961, and was a professor in the genetics department at the ...

Margaret Atwood Margaret Eleanor Atwood (born November 18, 1939) is a Canadian novelist, poet, literary critic, and an inventor. Since 1961, she has published 18 books of poetry, 18 novels, 11 books of nonfiction, nine collections of short fiction, eight chi ...

, , Natasha Henry,

Pierre Berton Pierre Francis de Marigny Berton, CC, O.Ont. (July 12, 1920 – November 30, 2004) was a Canadian historian, writer, journalist and broadcaster. Berton wrote 50 best-selling books, mainly about Canadiana, Canadian history and popular cultur ...

, and

Tim Cook Timothy Donald Cook (born November 1, 1960) is an American business executive who is the current chief executive officer of Apple Inc. Cook had previously been the company's chief operating officer under its co-founder Steve Jobs. Cook joined ...

Learning resources

Historica Canada produces numerous learning tools for educators and students through the ''Canadian Encyclopedia''. Some examples include: Women in Canadian History; Residential Schools in Canada; Indigenous Perspectives Education Guide; Official Languages Act; and Black History in Canada Education Guide. Historica Canada also provides some of its content through iTunes University, where users can browse materials organized in course collections along such themes as Women in Canadian History and Asian-Canadian History.

Encounters With Canada (Closed August 2020 due to COVID-19 Pandemic)

Encounters with Canada was a bilingual program for teenage students (14 to 17 years old) in which participants spend a themed week in Ottawa to meet other young people from across Canada, and explore future career pathways. With over 113,000 youth having participated in the program, EWC was Canada's largest youth forum. EWC was established in 1982, originally as a program of the Canadian Unity Council. Its first year was held at the Terry Fox Canadian Youth Centre, offering 11 weeks, from September to early December, with six themes: Arts & Culture, Science & Technology, Canadian Studies, Natural Resources & Environment, Law, and the Economy. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the program closed in August 2020.

Heritage Minutes

The ''Heritage Minutes'' is a collection of 60-second short films, each recreating or depicting a significant person, event, or story—those of great importance, accomplishment, tragedy, and bravery—in

Canadian history The history of Canada covers the period from the arrival of the Paleo-Indians to North America thousands of years ago to the present day. The lands encompassing present-day Canada have been inhabited for millennia by Indigenous peoples, with di ...

. Shown on television, in cinemas, and online, some topics covered by the ''Heritage Minutes'' include

Terry Fox Terrance Stanley Fox (July 28, 1958June 28, 1981) was a Canadian athlete, humanitarian, and cancer research activist. In 1980, having had one leg amputated due to cancer, he embarked on a cross-Canada run to raise money and awareness for can ...

; the Asahi Baseball team;

Lucy Maud Montgomery Lucy Maud Montgomery (November 30, 1874 – April 24, 1942), published as L. M. Montgomery, was a Canadian author best known for a collection of novels, essays, short stories, and poetry beginning in 1908 with '' Anne of Green Gables''. Sh ...

; the

Acadian Deportation The Expulsion of the Acadians was the forced removal of inhabitants of the North American region historically known as Acadia between 1755 and 1764 by Great Britain. It included the modern Canadian Maritime provinces of Nova Scotia, New Br ...

; the invention of

Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

; residential schools;

Viola Desmond Viola Irene Desmond (July 6, 1914 – February 7, 1965) was a Canadian civil and women's rights activist and businesswoman of Black Nova Scotian descent. In 1946, she challenged racial segregation at a cinema in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, by r ...

; Jennie Trout; and

Winnie the Pooh Winnie-the-Pooh (also known as Edward Bear, Pooh Bear or simply Pooh) is a fictional Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic teddy bear created by English author A. A. Milne and English illustrator E. H. Shepard. Winnie-the-Pooh first appeared by ...

.Reid, Emily. July 14, 2013.
Heritage Minutes
" ''The Canadian Encyclopedia''. Toronto, ON: Historica Canada (last updated November 14, 2018). The ''Minutes'' were first released in 1991 by The CRB Foundation and re-launched by Historica Canada in 2012. With the

tagline In entertainment, a tagline (alternatively spelled tag line) is a short text which serves to clarify a thought for, or is designed with a form of, dramatic effect. Many tagline slogans are reiterated phrases associated with an individual, so ...

"A part of our heritage", the ''Minutes'' themselves have since become a piece of

Canadian culture The culture of Canada embodies the artistic, culinary, literary, humour, musical, political and social elements that are representative of Canadians. Throughout Canada's history, its culture has been influenced firstly by its indigenous cultu ...

and have featured appearances over the years by some of Canada's best-known actors, including

Jared Keeso Jared Keeso ( ; born July 1, 1984) is a Canadian actor, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for creating and starring in the comedy series ''Letterkenny (TV series), Letterkenny'' (2016–2023), which won a Canadian Screen Awards, Canad ...

Michael Shanks Michael Garrett Shanks (born December 15, 1970) is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his role as Daniel Jackson in the long-running military science fiction television series ''Stargate SG-1'' and as Dr Charles Harris in the Canadian medi ...

Calum Worthy Calum Worthy (born January 28, 1991) is a Canadian actor, writer, and producer, and co-founder of AI education company 2wai. As an actor he is known for his roles as Dez Wade on the Disney Channel series ''Austin & Ally'', Alex Trimboli in the N ...

Colm Feore Colm Joseph Feore (; born August 22, 1958) is a Canadian actor. A 15-year veteran of the Stratford Festival, he is known for his Gemini-winning turn as Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau in the CBC miniseries '' Trudeau'' (2002), his portrayal of ...

Dan Aykroyd Daniel Edward Aykroyd ( ; born July 1, 1952) is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. Aykroyd was a writer and an original member of the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" cast on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Nigh ...

, , and

Kate Nelligan Patricia Colleen Nelligan (born March 16, 1950), known professionally as Kate Nelligan, is a Canadian stage, film and television actress. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the 1991 film '' The Prince of Tid ...

. Voice-over end narration for the Heritage Minutes has been provided by such recognizable voices as

Peter Mansbridge Peter Mansbridge (born July 6, 1948) is a British-born Canadian retired news anchor. From 1988 to 2017, he was chief correspondent for CBC News and anchor of '' The National,'' CBC Television's flagship nightly newscast. He was also host of CB ...

k.d. lang Kathryn Dawn Lang (born November 2, 1961), known by her stage name k.d. lang (stylised in all lowercase), is a Canadian pop and country singer-songwriter and occasional actress. Lang has won Juno Awards and Grammy Awards for her musical pe ...

Adrienne Clarkson Adrienne Louise Clarkson ( zh, c=伍冰枝; ; born February 10, 1939) is a Canadian journalist and stateswoman who served as the 26th governor general of Canada from 1999 to 2005. Clarkson arrived in Canada with her family in 1941, as a refuge ...

, and

Lloyd Robertson Lloyd Robertson (born January 19, 1934) is a Canadian journalist and former news anchor who is special correspondent on CTV's weekly magazine series, '' W5''. Robertson served as the chief anchor and senior editor of CTV's national evening ne ...

The Memory Project

The Memory Project is a volunteer

speakers bureau A speakers bureau is a collection of speakers who talk about a particular subject, or a company, which operates to facilitate speakers for clients requiring motivational speakers, celebrity appearances, conference facilitators, or keynote speakers ...

that arranges for

Canadian Forces The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; , FAC) are the unified Military, military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air commands referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force. Under the ''National Defenc ...

members and Canadian veterans (including those of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

WWII World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

, and

peacekeeping Peacekeeping comprises activities, especially military ones, intended to create conditions that favor lasting peace. Research generally finds that peacekeeping reduces civilian and battlefield deaths, as well as reduces the risk of renewed w ...

missions) to share their stories of military service at school and community events across Canada. The Memory Project Digital Archive is an extensive online collection of the oral histories and digitized artefacts & memorabilia of veterans and Armed Forces members, providing over 3,000 firsthand accounts, 10,000 photos, and 1,500 other original artifacts (letters, memorabilia) that chronicle Canada's military heritage. Reaching over 3 million Canadians since 2001, the Project is an initiative of Historica Canada made possible with the federal government's Departments of

Veterans Affairs Veterans' affairs is an area of public policy concerned with relations between a government and its communities of military veterans. Some jurisdictions have a designated government agency or department, a Department of Veterans' Affairs, Minist ...

and of

Canadian Heritage The Department of Canadian Heritage, or simply Canadian Heritage (), is the department of the Government of Canada that has roles and responsibilities related to initiatives that promote and support "Canadian identity and values, cultural develo ...

. The Project also partners with the

Royal Canadian Legion The Royal Canadian Legion is a non-profit Canadian veterans' organization founded in 1925. Members include people who served in the military, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, provincial or municipal police, Royal Canadian Air, Army and Sea Cade ...

, Korean Veterans Association of Canada,

Canadian War Museum The Canadian War Museum (CWM) () is a National museums of Canada, national museum on the military history of Canada, country's military history in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The museum serves as both an educational facility on Canadian military hist ...

Library and Archives Canada Library and Archives Canada (LAC; ) is the federal institution tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is the 16th largest library in the world. T ...

Concordia University Concordia University () is a Public university, public English-language research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College (Montreal), Loyola College and Sir George Williams Universit ...

Centre for Oral History and Digital Storytelling, and

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (SHSC), commonly known as Sunnybrook Hospital or simply Sunnybrook, is an academic health science centre located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The hospital is the largest trauma centre in Canada. It is accredite ...

Past and commemorative programs

Beyond its core programs, Historica Canada also offers commemorative programs tied to specific events. Past, including commemorative, programs of Historica Canada include: * 101 Things was a ranked list of 101 people, places, symbols, events, and innovations that survey respondents believed to define Canada. The project was initiated in spring 2008, when Historica Canada (then the Dominion Institute) commissioned

Ipsos Reid Ipsos Reid was the name of a Canada-based research company, still existing under the name Ipsos as the Canadian arm of the global Ipsos Group. Founded in Winnipeg in 1979 as the Angus Reid Group, the company expanded across the country and was pu ...

to undertake a large national survey asking Canadians what they believe to be the country's most defining cultural touchstones. Participants included over 3,000 Canadians, as well as educators and Order-of-Canada recipients from across Canada. * Asia-Canada was a project featuring numerous articles regarding

Asian Canadians Asian Canadians are Canadians who were either born in or can trace their Ancestor, ancestry to the continent of Asia. Canadians with Asian ancestry comprise both the largest and fastest-growing group in Canada, after European Canadians, forming ...

, including a timeline of key events, profiles of various Asian cultures in Canada,

multiculturalism in Canada Multiculturalism in Canada was officially adopted by the Government of Canada, government during the 1970s and 1980s. The Canadian federal government has been described as the instigator of multiculturalism as an ideology because of its public em ...

, and biographies of notable Asian Canadians. The content of the project can now be found on ''

''. * Black History in Canada was an educational guide for students to gain more knowledge and appreciation of the Black-Canadian experience, drawing from Lawrence Hill's historical fiction, '' The Book of Negroes''. The guide is structured around "themes of journey, slavery, human rights, passage to Canada and contemporary culture." * Diamond Jubilee was an educational site that explores Canada's

constitutional monarchy Constitutional monarchy, also known as limited monarchy, parliamentary monarchy or democratic monarchy, is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in making decisions. ...

and the role of the Queen in Canadian

history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

identity Identity may refer to: * Identity document * Identity (philosophy) * Identity (social science) * Identity (mathematics) Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Identity'' (1987 film), an Iranian film * ''Identity'' (2003 film), an ...

, and

culture Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

. It was created in celebration of the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's reign. * ExploreSesqui was a program that allowed educators and students to engage with ''Horizon'', a 360° film (produced by SESQUI Inc) that gave audiences a virtual cross-country trip, viewing Canada's natural environment and various Canadian ways of life. * Here's My Canada was a multilingual, nationwide contest in which Canadian participants were asked to express "what Canada means to them" in a 30-second video. It was a

Canada 150 The 150th anniversary of Canada, also known as the 150th anniversary of Confederation and promoted by the Government of Canada, Canadian government as Canada 150, occurred in 2017 as Canada marked the sesquicentennial of Canadian Confederati ...

initiative of Historica Canada, funded by the Government of Canada and the

Bank of Montreal The Bank of Montreal (, ), abbreviated as BMO (pronounced ), is a Canadian multinational Investment banking, investment bank and financial services company. The bank was founded in Montreal, Quebec, in 1817 as Montreal Bank, making it Canada ...

. * My Parks Pass was a program made to introduce Canadian youths to the country's natural heritage. The program was created in partnership with

Parks Canada Parks Canada ()Parks Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Parks Canada Agency (). is the agency of the Government of Canada which manages the country's 37 National Parks, three National Marine Co ...

, Canadian Geographic Education, and the

Canadian Wildlife Federation The Canadian Wildlife Federation () (CWF) is a Canadian non-profit organization dedicated to wildlife conservation. History and mission The Canadian Wildlife Federation was founded in 1961 and chartered in 1962. The Canadian Wildlife Federatio ...

. * Passages Canada was a national storytelling program that invited newcomers and established Canadians alike to share their personal experiences of identity, heritage, and immigration, in order to foster cross-cultural dialogue and greater appreciation for one another among Canadians. More than 1,000 volunteers participated in this initiative. * Stories of Sir John A. was a project created to raise awareness about the life and legacy of Sir John. A Macdonald, a

Father of Confederation The Fathers of Confederation are the 36 people who attended at least one of the Charlottetown Conference of 1864 (23 attendees), the Quebec Conference of 1864 (33 attendees), and the London Conference of 1866 (16 attendees), preceding Canadian ...

and the first prime minister of Canada. The project was launched in celebration of Macdonald's 200th birthday in 2015. * Toronto in Time was a free iOS and Android app that highlighted the

history of Toronto Toronto was founded as the York, Upper Canada, Town of York and capital of Upper Canada in 1793 after the Mississaugas sold the land to the British in the Toronto Purchase. For over 12,000 years, Indigenous peoples in Canada, Indigenous Peopl ...

through "then and now" photos, slideshows, trails, and historical stories for over 150 sites in the city. The app was a joint initiative of Historica Canada, Museum Services of the

City of Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, and

Heritage Toronto Heritage Toronto is an agency of the Municipal Government of Toronto that works to builds a better city by bringing people together to explore Toronto’s shared past and peoples’ lived experiences. It is located in St. Lawrence Hall in the city. ...

; and with funding from the

Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Gaming and Ministry of Sport, were created on June 6, 2024 by dividing the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport into 2 new Ministries. It is responsible for the development of policies and programs and the o ...

, and the

Department of Canadian Heritage The Department of Canadian Heritage, or simply Canadian Heritage (), is the department of the Government of Canada that has roles and responsibilities related to initiatives that promote and support "Canadian identity and values, cultural develo ...

. * War of 1812 was an initiative created to inform students of the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

, in commemoration of the bicentennial of the War. The program included four free education guides (War of 1812 Education Guide, Borders and Boundaries, Aboriginal Peoples, War of 1812: Inquiry Guide) and two ''

Heritage Minute ''The Heritage Minutes'' is a series of sixty-second short films, each illustrating an important moment in Canadian history. Published by Historica Canada the ''Minutes'' integrate Canadian history, folklore and myths into dramatic storylines. ...

'' learning tools (

Richard Pierpoint Richard Pierpoint ( – ) was a Senegalese-born farmer and soldier. Brought as a slave to British North America via the Atlantic slave trade, he fought as a Black Loyalist in the American Revolutionary War. After the war, he settled in a Black com ...

, and the

Battle of Queenston Heights The Battle of Queenston Heights was the first major engagement of the War of 1812. The battle took place on 13 October 1812 at Queenston in Upper Canada (now Ontario) and was a decisive British victory. United States regulars and New York (state ...

). During the bicentennial, the program also hosted two national, bilingual competitions: "Make Your own ''Heritage Minute''" and the "War of 1812 Writing and Arts Challenge."

Other multimedia

Along with its core programs, Historica Canada also produces various educational media projects, all of which are created as free content to help promote learning and historical knowledge. Historica Canada's video collection, in addition to its over-90 ''

'' shorts, includes more than 150 online educational videos. ''Inspiring Innovators'' (2020) is a four-part animated video series exploring "Canadian innovations that have made the world a better and safer place." Created in partnership with the Rideau Hall Foundation, the series features stories from a book by Tom Jenkins and former

Canadian Governor General The governor general of Canada () is the federal representative of the . The monarch of Canada is also sovereign and head of state of 14 other Commonwealth realms and resides in the United Kingdom. The monarch, on the advice of his or her Can ...

David Johnston David Johnston or Dave Johnston may refer to: Politics *David Johnston (governor general) David Lloyd Johnston (born June 28, 1941) is a Canadian academic, author, and statesman who served as the 28th governor general of Canada from 2010 to ...

titled ''Ingenious: How Canadians Made the World Smarter, Smaller, Kinder, Safer, Healthier, Wealthier and Happier''. Between 2019 and 2020, the organization has produced two brief podcast series: * ''Record of Service'': a six-part podcast series presented by Historica Canada's Memory Project that presents interviews with Canada's veterans, ranging from

codebreakers Cryptanalysis (from the Greek ''kryptós'', "hidden", and ''analýein'', "to analyze") refers to the process of analyzing information systems in order to understand hidden aspects of the systems. Cryptanalysis is used to breach cryptographic secu ...

and

code talker A code talker was a person employed by the military during wartime to use a little-known language as a means of secret communication. The term is most often used for United States service members during the World Wars who used their knowledge ...

s to medical personnel to

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

. * ''Residential Schools'': a three-part podcast series hosted by Shaneen Robinson-Desjarlais, created by Historica Canada as part of a broader awareness campaign commemorating the history and legacy of residential schools, as well as honouring the stories of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit survivors, their families, and communities. The audio from the podcast was also used by Historica Canada for a complimentary collection of animated videos. In 2020, Historica Canada announced plans for a "Black History Podcast and Video Series," seeking a production company or team to develop a six-episode conversation-style podcast series (15–20 minutes each) and a three-part animated video series that adapts the podcast into visual form (3–5 minutes each), with a total budget of CA$75,000. The series is meant to explore key moments in Black-Canadian history through notable Black-Canadian scholars, writers, and community leaders in their own words.

Board of directors

Arms

References

External links

The Historica Canada websiteCitizenship ChallengeThe Canadian EncyclopediaEncounters with CanadaThe Memory ProjectBlack History in Canada Education Guide
{{Authority control * Dominion Institute Historical societies of Canada 2009 establishments in Canada

Current programs

Canada During COVID-19

Indigenous Arts & Stories

Citizenship Challenge

''The Canadian Encyclopedia''

Learning resources

Encounters With Canada (Closed August 2020 due to COVID-19 Pandemic)

Heritage Minutes

The Memory Project

Past and commemorative programs

Other multimedia

Board of directors

Arms

See also

References

External links