Past Programs

Here’s My Canada was a multilingual, nation-wide contest inviting Canadians to express what Canada means to them in a 30-second video. Here’s My Canada was a project of Historica Canada and was a Canada 150 Signature Initiative. Here’s My Canada was made possible through funding from the Government of Canada and the Bank of Montreal.

Passages Canada was a program that invited newcomers and established Canadians to share their personal experiences of identity, heritage, and immigration with groups of all ages. More than 1,000 volunteers participated in this storytelling program that nurtured cross-cultural dialogue and strengthened our appreciation for one another in an open spirit that is genuinely Canadian.

ExploreSesqui was a program that invited educators and students to engage with Horizon, a 360° film produced by SESQUI Inc. The film takes viewers on a cross-country adventure, exploring Canada’s stunning natural environment and highlighting Canadians from all walks of life.

Encounters with Canada was our country’s largest youth forum, providing students aged 14 to 17 years the opportunity to visit Ottawa to participate in themed weeks, to discover Canada and to explore various career pathways. More than 113,000 youth lived the “EWC Experience.”

Indigenous Arts & Stories invited talented young First Nations, Métis, and Inuit artists to interpret an aspect of their culture and heritage through literary and visual arts. A jury of accomplished Indigenous authors, artists, and community leaders selected the winning submissions. More than 2,000 youth participated during the project's lifespan.

This collection gathers together primary source testimonies of veterans from The Memory Project archive. Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada. 

These stories are now available as primary resources on The Canadian Encyclopedia.

Through the Sir John A. Day project, Historica Canada strove to raise awareness about the life and legacy of Sir John. A Macdonald, a Father of Confederation and Canada’s first prime minister. In 2001, the Canadian Government officially declared January 11 to be Sir John A. Macdonald Day.

With the arrival of the Bicentennial of the War of 1812, Canada commemorates a conflict that set it on the slow path toward nationhood, and that represents its last direct invasion by a foreign military. To bring this essential era in pre-Confederation history alive for students, Historica Canada created a suite of four free education guides, War of 1812 Education Guide, Borders and Boundaries, Aboriginal Peoples, War of 1812: Inquiry Guide, and two Heritage Minute learning tools, Richard Pierpoint, and the Battle of Queenston Heights. During the bicentennial, the program also was the host of two national, bilingual competitions: Make Your own Heritage Minute and the War of 1812 Writing and Arts Challenge.

 Learn more on the War of 1812 on The Canadian Encyclopedia

Historica Canada developed an educational guide to enhance students' knowledge and appreciation of the Black Canadian experience, drawing from Lawrence Hill's award-winning historical fiction, The Book of Negroes, the remarkable journey of Aminata Diallo and the historic British document known as the "Book of Negroes." Structured around themes of journey, slavery, human rights, passage to Canada and contemporary culture, this Guide asks students to examine issues of identity, equality, community, and nation-building in both a historical and contemporary context.

Historica Canada’s Asia/Canada project features a number of articles including profiles of many Asian cultures in Canada, changing attitudes toward multiculturalism in Canada and biographies of notable Asian Canadians, as well as a timeline of key events and a classroom quiz. The content can now be found on The Canadian Encyclopedia.