Support for “public” history in Canada

Support for “public” history in Canada is one of the most remarkable features of the past two decades. It is manifested in such capital-intensive projects as CBC’s Canada: A People’s History, The History Channel, and Historia; the founding of Canada’s National History Society, the Dominion Institute, and Historica; and federal support for a new Canadian War Museum. Polling data suggests that ordinary Canadians embrace these initiatives, visit museums, historic sites, and commemorative celebrations in growing numbers, and are themselves engaged in family and community history projects. While Canadians are polled on a regular basis about their knowledge and consumption of history, they are less likely to be asked to reflect on the presence of their past in their lives.