Mandate

The Historica-Dominion Institute's mandate is to build active and informed citizens through a greater knowledge and appreciation of the history, heritage and stories of Canada.

This is a continuation of the important work done by both Historica and The Dominion Institute.

History

The Historica-Dominion Institute is a national charitable organization that was launched in September 2009 through the amalgamation of two existing organizations: The Historica Foundation of Canada and The Dominion Institute.

The Historica Foundation of Canada was launched in October 1999 with a mission to help all Canadians come to know the fascinating stories that make our country unique. Over the years Historica nurtured and expanded its well-known programs such as the Historica Minutes, the Historica Fairs and The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica also added new initiatives such as Encounters with Canada and The Encyclopedia of Music in Canada to capture imagination of students and adults alike. Several of the programs continue at the Historica-Dominion Institute.

The Dominion Institute was formed in 1997 by a group of young professionals, concerned about the erosion of a common memory and civic identity in Canada. Using groundbreaking public opinion research and innovative TV, new media and in-school programs, the Dominion Institute helped hundreds of thousands of Canadians connect in meaningful ways with the country’s history, shared citizenship and democratic institutions and values. The Dominion Institute’s developed programs under three themes - memory, democracy and identity -, many of these programs continue at The Historica-Dominion Institute.

Message from the President of the Historica-Dominion Institute

Welcome to The Historica-Dominion Institute, the largest, independent organization dedicated to Canadian history, identity and citizenship.

Canada needs a strong, non-partisan advocate of civic engagement. To this end, The Historica Foundation of Canada, established in 1999, and The Dominion Institute, founded in 1997, came together on September 1, 2009.

Why us? Because too many Canadians do not know their past, and it weakens our democracy. Nor do we know enough about the nature of our citizenship. The Historica-Dominion Institute’s mission, then, is to promote our memory and celebrate our identity. To become—in an imaginative, relevant way—the future of the past in Canada.

We will do this through the programs and projects described on this website. We will continue to stimulate public debate on great national questions in books, film, the media and on the Internet; to encourage higher standards of the teaching of history; to conduct public surveys and sponsor public forums; to compile an ambitious oral history of veterans of the Second World War. As well, we will continue to update The Canadian Encyclopedia; to bring thousands of high school students to the Terry Fox Canadian Youth Centre in Ottawa each year to immerse them in our national institutions; to share our country’s story, in particular, with new Canadians; and to engage aboriginal Canadians.

Why now? In a country with more geography than history, long defined by region, race, religion and language, understanding our past is fundamental to understanding ourselves. Today, more than 140 years after Confederation, Canadians wonder who we are. A commitment to the story of Canada is not only a commitment to remember our ancestors and the country they built; it represents the soul of our citizenship.

We hope you will join us on our journey.

Andrew Cohen
President - The Historica-Dominion Institute

Staff 

The Historica-Dominion Institute operates three offices across Canada: a national office in Toronto, the Terry Fox Canadian Youth Centre in Ottawa and the operations of The Canadian Encyclopedia and The Encyclopedia of Music in Canada.

The senior management team includes

Andrew Cohen, President
Marc Chalifoux, Executive Vice President
Linda Brunet, Director General – Encounters With Canada
Jeremy Diamond, Managing Director – National Office
Michael Joshua, Director of Finance and Human Resources
James Marsh, Editor-in-Chief – The Canadian Encyclopedia and The Encyclopedia of Music in Canada

Click below to view full staff directory

National Office (Toronto)

Encounters with Canada (Ottawa)

The Canadian Encyclopedia and The Encyclopedia of Music in Canada

Board of Directors

Chairman

Avie J. Bennett, C.C., O. Ont.
Chairman, McClelland & Stewart Inc.; Chancellor Emeritus, York University

Board Members

The Honourable Charles R. Bronfman, P.C., C.C.
Chairman, The Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies; and former Co-Chairman of The Seagram Company Ltd.

The Honourable Michael Chong
Member of Parliament (Wellington- Halton Hills)

Ann Dadson
Former Director, Historica Foundation of Canada

Alison Faulknor
Director of Programs, Canadian Federation for the Social Sciences and the Humanities

L. Yves Fortier, C.C., Q.C.
Chairman Emeritus, Ogilvy Renault; Former Governor, Hudson’s Bay Company; Director, Rio Tinto

Rudyard Griffiths
Director, Salon Speakers Series; Former Executive Director, The Dominion Institute

The Honourable Myra A. Freeman, C.M., O.N.S.
President, Historica Council

Duncan Jackman
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, E-L Financial Corp.

Malcolm Jolley
Writer/Editor/Owner, Good Food Revelation

Donna Soble Kaufman
Lawyer and Corporate Director

Brandt C. Louie, F.C.A., LL.D
President & CEO, H.Y. Louie Co. Limited; Chairman, London Drugs Limited; Chancellor, Simon Fraser University

Trina McQueen, O.C.
President, Hutton-Belleville Inc.

Rick Mercer
Host, The Rick Mercer Report

Erik Penz
Partner, Macleod-Dixon LLP; Former Chair, The Dominion Institute

Deon Ramgoolam
Principal, EOCI Pharmacomm Ltd.

Richard Rooney, CA, CFA
President and Chief Investment Officer, Burgundy Asset Management

Stephen Smith
President and Co-founder, First National Financial

Arni C. Thorsteinson
President, Shelter Canadian Properties Ltd.

Manon Vennat, C.M.
President, Manon Vennat & Associates

Lynton R. (Red) Wilson, O.C.
Chairman of CAE Inc. and Chancellor of McMaster University

Advisory Council

The Historica-Dominion Institute benefits from the advice of a distinguished and diverse group of volunteer advisors. The group is comprised of members of the Historica Council and The Dominion Institute Advisory Board.