The Dominion Institute
Encyclopedia
The Historica-Dominion Institute is a national charitable organization in Canada
dedicated to creating active and informed citizens through greater knowledge and appreciation of Canadian history.
The Historia-Dominion Institute was formed on September 1, 2009, as a result of a merger between the Historica Foundation and Dominion Institute.
The Dominion Institute was formed in 1997 by a group of young professionals, led by Rudyard Griffiths
, who were concerned about the erosion of a common memory and civic identity.
The Historica Foundation of Canada was founded in 1999 by Charles Bronfman
in order to popularize Canadian history through projects such as the Heritage Minutes television vignettes and the Canadian Encyclopedia.
The Institute uses public opinion research and television, new media, print and in-school programmes, aiming to help Canadians learn about the country's history, shared citizenship and democratic institutions and values.
The organization's head office is in Toronto
, Ontario
, and its founding president was journalist, author and professor Andrew Cohen
. The Institute is now headed by Executive Vice-Chair Michael A. Levine.
, Korean War
and Canadian Forces
veterans visit local schools and community groups to share their stories of service and sacrifice. Its speakers bureau operates in every province and reaches more than 175,000 youth each year.
, Jack Granatstein
and Naomi Klein
to debate six essential questions from Canada's history. Video, print and online resources are provided to encourage critical thinking about how different interpretations of Canadian history
shape debate of contemporary public policy issues. Each May, The Great Questions Essay Contest provides high school and university students the opportunity to participate in this ongoing dialogue and to win a cash prize.
2010-2011 is the first year the Challenge has expanded to accept Arts submissions, after six years of being an exclusively writing competition. There have been over 100 Canadian Aboriginal youth who have won the Challenge to date.
Entries are judged by prominent Aboriginal Canadians, including Giller Prize winner Joseph Boyden
, Drew Hayden Taylor
, Kent Monkman
and Stan Bevan. Patrons of the Challenge include Assembly of First Nations
National Chief Shawn Atleo
, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami
President Mary Simon
, and Métis National Council
President Clément Chartier
.
The Challenge was born out of the book "Our Story," a joint project of the Dominion Institute and Doubleday Canada. Our Story is a short story compilation that brings together nine leading Aboriginal authors including Thomas King, Tomson Highway and Tantoo Cardinal.
is a national forum for exploring the future of Canadian democracy. Each year, in a different Canadian city, a public thinker leads a two-day discussion on the historical antecedents and future trajectory of our democratic institutions and culture. The Symposium is co-hosted by John Ralston Saul
and the Dominion Institute. It is made available to wider audience by the Symposium's media partners.
, Timothy Findley
, Thomas King, J.L. Granatstein, Michael Ignatieff
, Bob Rae
, Andrew Cohen
, Ovide Mercredi
, Andrew Coyne
, Tom Flanagan, Neil Reynolds
and Naomi Klein
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
dedicated to creating active and informed citizens through greater knowledge and appreciation of Canadian history.
The Historia-Dominion Institute was formed on September 1, 2009, as a result of a merger between the Historica Foundation and Dominion Institute.
The Dominion Institute was formed in 1997 by a group of young professionals, led by Rudyard Griffiths
Rudyard Griffiths
Rudyard Griffiths is a TV co-anchor, author, and social entrepreneur. He is the co-host of the daily business and politics television show National Affairs on the CTV News Channel. He has edited eleven collections of essays on Canadian and international political and historical themes and is the...
, who were concerned about the erosion of a common memory and civic identity.
The Historica Foundation of Canada was founded in 1999 by Charles Bronfman
Charles Bronfman
Charles Rosner Bronfman, is a Canadian businessman and philanthropist. With an estimated net worth of $US 2.0 billion , Bronfman was ranked by Forbes as the 15th wealthiest Canadian and 595th in the world....
in order to popularize Canadian history through projects such as the Heritage Minutes television vignettes and the Canadian Encyclopedia.
The Institute uses public opinion research and television, new media, print and in-school programmes, aiming to help Canadians learn about the country's history, shared citizenship and democratic institutions and values.
The organization's head office is in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, and its founding president was journalist, author and professor Andrew Cohen
Andrew Cohen
Andrew Cohen is an American guru, spiritual teacher, magazine editor, author, and musician who has developed what he characterizes as a unique path of spiritual transformation, called Evolutionary Enlightenment. He sees himself as working in conjunction with others to bring about a new stage of...
. The Institute is now headed by Executive Vice-Chair Michael A. Levine.
Encounters With Canada
One of this institute's largest programs, Encounters With Canada is a program which brings over 100 Canadian youth to Ottawa each week during the school year to learn about Canadian history and identity. The program was begun in 1982 by the Canadian Unity Council and purchased by the Historica Foundation in 2006, becoming HDI's flagship program after the 2009 merger. Encounters with Canada is Canada's largest youth forum.The Memory Project
Through the Memory Project, 1500 World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
and Canadian Forces
Canadian Forces
The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...
veterans visit local schools and community groups to share their stories of service and sacrifice. Its speakers bureau operates in every province and reaches more than 175,000 youth each year.
The Memory Project Digital Archive
The Memory Project Digital Archive is an extensive online collection of the oral histories and personal memorabilia of the men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces. The Archive provides more than 1000 firsthand stories and 1,500 original artifacts (photos, letters and memorabilia) that chronicle 85 years of Canada's military heritage.Great Questions of Canada
Great Questions of Canada brings together twelve prominent Canadians including Michael IgnatieffMichael Ignatieff
Michael Grant Ignatieff is a Canadian author, academic and former politician. He was the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and Leader of the Official Opposition from 2008 until 2011...
, Jack Granatstein
Jack Granatstein
Jack Lawrence Granatstein, OC, FRSC is a Canadian historian who specializes in political and military history.-Education:Born in Toronto, Ontario, Granatstein received a graduation diploma from Le College militaire royal de Saint-Jean in 1959, his BA from the Royal Military College of Canada in...
and Naomi Klein
Naomi Klein
Naomi Klein is a Canadian author and social activist known for her political analyses and criticism of corporate globalization.-Family:...
to debate six essential questions from Canada's history. Video, print and online resources are provided to encourage critical thinking about how different interpretations of Canadian history
History of Canada
The history of Canada covers the period from the arrival of Paleo-Indians thousands of years ago to the present day. Canada has been inhabited for millennia by distinctive groups of Aboriginal peoples, among whom evolved trade networks, spiritual beliefs, and social hierarchies...
shape debate of contemporary public policy issues. Each May, The Great Questions Essay Contest provides high school and university students the opportunity to participate in this ongoing dialogue and to win a cash prize.
The Canadian Aboriginal Writing and Arts Challenge
The Canadian Aboriginal Writing and Arts Challenge is a writing and arts competition for Aboriginal Canadians ages 14-29. Participants are invited to create a short story or short creative piece that reflects a moment or theme in Aboriginal history.2010-2011 is the first year the Challenge has expanded to accept Arts submissions, after six years of being an exclusively writing competition. There have been over 100 Canadian Aboriginal youth who have won the Challenge to date.
Entries are judged by prominent Aboriginal Canadians, including Giller Prize winner Joseph Boyden
Joseph Boyden
Joseph Boyden is a Canadian novelist and short story writer. His first novel, Three Day Road won the Amazon/Books in Canada First Novel Award and the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize...
, Drew Hayden Taylor
Drew Hayden Taylor
Drew Hayden Taylor is a Canadian playwright, author and journalist.Born in Curve Lake, Ontario, Taylor is part Ojibwa and part Caucasian. About his background Taylor says: "I plan to start my own nation. Because I am half Ojibway half Caucasian, we will be called the occasions...
, Kent Monkman
Kent Monkman
Kent Monkman is a Canadian First Nations artist of Cree and Irish ancestry. His works examine the way indigenous American and Canadian history has been presented in art by 19th and 20th Century artists such as George Catlin and Paul Kane, and "constructs new stories through images that take into...
and Stan Bevan. Patrons of the Challenge include Assembly of First Nations
Assembly of First Nations
The Assembly of First Nations , formerly known as the National Indian Brotherhood, is a body of First Nations leaders in Canada...
National Chief Shawn Atleo
Shawn Atleo
Shawn A-in-chut Atleo is a Canadian First Nations activist and the current national chief of the Assembly of First Nations. Formerly the AFN's regional chief in British Columbia, he was selected as the new national chief of the AFN at its leadership convention on July 23, 2009, defeating Perry...
, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami
Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami
The Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami is a nonprofit organization in Canada that represents over 50,400 Inuit. It was founded in 1971 by Tagak Curley as the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada...
President Mary Simon
Mary Simon
Mary J. May Simon, is a former Canadian diplomat and current fellow with the Arctic Institute of North America. Early in her career, she was a producer and announcer for CBC North, and later entered public service as secretary of the board for the Northern Quebec Inuit Association...
, and Métis National Council
Métis National Council
The Métis National Council is the representative of the Northwest Métis people within Canada.-History:The National Council was formed in 1983, following the recognition of the Métis as an aboriginal people in Canada, in Section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982...
President Clément Chartier
Clément Chartier
Clément Chartier LL.B, QC is a Métis Canadian leader. He grew up in Buffalo Narrows, Saskatchewan. He officially became a lawyer in 1980...
.
The Challenge was born out of the book "Our Story," a joint project of the Dominion Institute and Doubleday Canada. Our Story is a short story compilation that brings together nine leading Aboriginal authors including Thomas King, Tomson Highway and Tantoo Cardinal.
Passages to Canada Speakers' Bureau
Passages to Canada is a national storytelling initiative that provides Canadians with a greater understanding and appreciation of the contributions that immigrants and refugees make to Canada. The Passages to Canada Speakers' Bureau is composed of over 600 immigrants and refugees. These speakers visit schools and community groups across the country to share their stories of coming to Canada.Passages to Canada Digital Archive
The Passages to Canada Digital Archive presents a portrait of the life experience of the members of the Passages to Canada Speakers' Bureau through multilingual interviews and original artifacts (photos, letters and memorabilia) that recount their personal journeys to Canada. The Digital Archive is a collaboration between the Dominion Institute and the Canadian Museum of Civilization.LaFontaine-Baldwin
The LaFontaine-Baldwin SymposiumLaFontaine-Baldwin Symposium
The LaFontaine-Baldwin Symposium is a Canadian forum created through the joint effort of John Ralston Saul and the Dominion Institute. Founded in 2000, the Symposium's purpose is to stimulate debate about the historical antecedents and future shape of the Canadian democracy...
is a national forum for exploring the future of Canadian democracy. Each year, in a different Canadian city, a public thinker leads a two-day discussion on the historical antecedents and future trajectory of our democratic institutions and culture. The Symposium is co-hosted by John Ralston Saul
John Ralston Saul
John Ralston Saul, CC is a Canadian author, essayist, and President of International PEN.As an essayist, Saul is particularly known for his commentaries on the nature of individualism, citizenship and the public good; the failures of manager-, or more precisely technocrat-, led societies; the...
and the Dominion Institute. It is made available to wider audience by the Symposium's media partners.
TV programming
Before merging with the Historica Foundation, the Dominion Institute had an alliance with National Dream Productions, a documentary film production company, to produce television documentaries about Canadian history, including:- American Myths (Canadian Learning Television, 2005)
- Foreign Fields (Global Television, 2003)
- The Memory Project (Discovery Civilization, 2003)
- The Retrial of Louis Riel (CBC NewsworldCBC NewsworldCBC News Network is a Canadian English language Category C specialty news channel owned and operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation . It broadcasts into over 10 million homes in Canada. It is the world's third-oldest television service of this nature, after CNN in the United States and...
, 2002) - Facing the Century (Global Television, 2002)
Books
The Historica-Dominion Institute has co-ordinated the publication of a series of essay and short-story collections of Canada's leading authors, public thinkers and historians, such as Margaret AtwoodMargaret Atwood
Margaret Eleanor Atwood, is a Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, and environmental activist. She is among the most-honoured authors of fiction in recent history; she is a winner of the Arthur C...
, Timothy Findley
Timothy Findley
Timothy Irving Frederick Findley, OC, O.Ont was a Canadian novelist and playwright. He was also informally known by the nickname Tiff or Tiffy, an acronym of his initials.-Biography:...
, Thomas King, J.L. Granatstein, Michael Ignatieff
Michael Ignatieff
Michael Grant Ignatieff is a Canadian author, academic and former politician. He was the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and Leader of the Official Opposition from 2008 until 2011...
, Bob Rae
Bob Rae
Robert Keith "Bob" Rae, PC, OC, OOnt, QC, MP is a Canadian politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Toronto Centre and interim leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
, Andrew Cohen
Andrew Cohen
Andrew Cohen is an American guru, spiritual teacher, magazine editor, author, and musician who has developed what he characterizes as a unique path of spiritual transformation, called Evolutionary Enlightenment. He sees himself as working in conjunction with others to bring about a new stage of...
, Ovide Mercredi
Ovide Mercredi
Ovide William Mercredi, OM is an Aboriginal Canadian politician. He is Cree and a former National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations....
, Andrew Coyne
Andrew Coyne
James Andrew Coyne is the national editor for Maclean's, a weekly national newsmagazine in Canada. Previously, he was a columnist with the National Post and an editor-in-chief of the University of Manitoba's newspaper, The Manitoban.-Background:Coyne was born in Ottawa, Ontario, the son of Hope...
, Tom Flanagan, Neil Reynolds
Neil Reynolds
-Career in Journalism:After working as a journalist at the Sarnia Observer, London Free Press and Toronto Star, Reynolds became editor-in-chief of the Kingston Whig-Standard in 1977....
and Naomi Klein
Naomi Klein
Naomi Klein is a Canadian author and social activist known for her political analyses and criticism of corporate globalization.-Family:...
.
- American Myths - What Canadians Think They Know About the United States (Key Porter Books, 2008)
- Great Questions of Canada (Key Porter Books, 2007)
- Radical Tories (Anansi, 2006)
- Nouveau dialogue sur la démocratie au Canada (Boréal, 2006)
- LaFontaine-Baldwin Lectures, Vol. II (Penguin, 2006)
- Rare Courage (McClelland and Stewart, 2005)
- Our Story (Doubleday, 2004)
- Story of a Nation (Doubleday, 2002)
- The LaFontaine-Baldwin Lectures (Penguin, 2002)
- Passages to Canada (Doubleday, 2001)
- Great Questions of Canada (Stoddart, 2000)
- "We Were Freedom: Canadian Stories of the Second World War" (Key Porter Books, 2010)