Biweekly newsletter – October 16 edition
on Oct 16 in Latest Publications by admin
A message from the Executive Director
Dear friends of the Societe Macdonald-Cartier Society,
There’s a lot going on at SMCS these days. The team and I have been working to complete the first draft of our strategic plan, and I am confident that we’ll be done in the next few weeks. On October 26th, I will be speaking on the “2030 Leaders” panel during the Roadmap 2030 conference in Toronto, stay tuned for that. We also have some very exciting news coming up this week, including new volunteers and some great advisers joining our team. Stay tuned for that as well.
For now, you will find a round-up below of the news that we have recently been following, which we decided to bundle for this newsletter instead of posting about individually. This includes our statements on the re-appointment of Dr. Chad Gaffield as President of the SSHRC, two statements about the War of 1812 (one on a study about awareness of the war and the other on Heritage Canada’s plans for commemorating the Bicentennial), and the upcoming celebration of Citizenship Week.
In closing, we are always on the look-out for young Canadians who are passionate about history and civics, and who want to make a contribution to the growth of our organization. So please, consider joining our volunteer team. You will find details about our call for volunteers at the end of this newsletter.
Best Regards,
Immanuel Giulea
Founder and Executive Director / Fondateur et Directeur Général
http://www.macdonaldcartier.org
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Re-appointment of Dr. Chad Gaffield’s as President of SSHRC
The Société Macdonald-Cartier Society is pleased to hear that Dr. Chad Gaffield has been re-appointed as the President of the Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). His re-appointment was announced on October 5 by Minister Christian Paradis [1].
The Social Science and Humanities Research Council is an independent federal body which provides funding for post-secondary research and graduate training through national peer-review competitions. It also works with public, private, and non-profit organizations to research and develop cultural, economic, and social policies and practices in Canada.
Dr. Gaffield was initially appointed as the President of SSHRC in 2006, and he is a former president of both the Canadian Historical Association and the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences. His work to both preserve and promote Canadian history and culture is admirable, and we sincerely hope that he works toward those goals for many years to come.
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Awareness and commemoration of the War of 1812
- Study on awareness about War of 1812
As reported by the Globe and Mail [2], a study prepared for the Department of Canadian Heritage this summer found that “[n]early seven out of 10 respondents said they had heard of the War of 1812, but that rate dropped to six in 10 for those between 25 and 34 years of age.”
The study goes on to note that, “Awareness, interest in, and knowledge of the war is largely regional and age-dependent. It is highest in Ontario and dissipates as one ventures further away, both west and east.” The report adds that, “Interest … is much lower in Quebec, among francophones and younger Canadians.”
While we are worried about the lack of awareness about the War of 1812 among young Canadians, the Société Macdonald-Cariter Society sees potential in that more than half of Canadian youth have heard of the war. A key element of our “History and Heritage” program, due later this year, will be the history of the War of 1812, and our objective will be to increase awareness of this milestone event in Canadian history.
- Commemoration of the War of 1812
On October 11, the Government of Canada announced the commemoration of the 200th Anniversary of the War of 1812 [3]. This War helped establish our path toward becoming an independent and free country, united under the Crown with a respect for linguistic and ethnic diversity. In the words of Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore, “The heroic efforts of those who fought for our country in the War of 1812 tell the story of the Canada we know today: an independent and free country with a constitutional monarchy and its own distinct parliamentary system”. Minister Moore added, “The 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 is an opportunity for all of us to take pride in our history, and we look forward to taking part in the events and activities that will mark this important anniversary for Canada.”
The government has announced that, as a part of this commemoration, it will support:
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a pan-Canadian educational campaign focused on the importance of the War of 1812 to Canada’s history;
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up to 100 historical re-enactments, commemorations, and local events;
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a permanent 1812 memorial located in the National Capital Region;
The Société Macdonald-Cartier Society welcomes this news, particularly the educational focus on the War of 1812′s importance in our national history.
Please make sure to visit the website dedicated to the Bicentennial of the War of 1812 (http://www.1812.gc.ca)
as well as the government’s educational resource on the War of 1812 (http://www.eighteentwelve.ca).
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Citizenship Week
During the week of October 17 – 23, 2011, all Canadians from coast to coast will celebrate Citizenship Week. This initiative of Citizenship and Immigration Canada has the full support of the Société Macdonald-Cartier Society. It will be an occasion to reflect on the value of citizenship, what it means to be Canadian, and the rights, privileges and responsibilities of citizenship. “Citizenship Week is an opportunity for Canadians across the country to celebrate their citizenship and to learn more about Canada’s history and the pioneers who helped build this great country,” in the words of Minister Jason Kenney [4].
Our “Civics and Government” program, due later this year, will revolve around these same themes: sharing the meaning of being active and responsible citizens, and explaining the workings of our federal institutions.
Citizenship Week’s celebrations will be kicked off with a special ceremony ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, at which citizenship judges will be awarded heraldic badges in honour of their contribution. Later that morning, a game show-style event with high school civics students will be held at the Canadian Museum of Civilization.
Recipients of Canada’s Citizenship Award will be announced during Citizenship Week. This award recognizes Canadians who have dedicated themselves tirelessly to active citizenship in their communities.
October 18 will also mark the release of former Governor-General Adrienne Clarkson’s new book, “Room for All of Us: Surprising Stories of Loss and Transformation.” According to Clarkson, the meaning of being Canadian is “to share a set of citizenship values — values that mean we believe in democracy and we don’t throw that around lightly.” She continued, saying, “We are basically happy with our system of democracy, law and justice, our social ideals, which are egalitarian. To me they are embodied in our public education system and health system.” [5]
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For more information:
[1] http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/ic1.nsf/eng/06807.html
[3] http://pch.gc.ca/pc-ch/infoCntr/cdm-mc/index-eng.cfm?action=doc&DocIDCd=CM110166
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Call out for volunteers
We’re on the look-out for volunteers to help us with:
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Volunteer and membership recruitment;
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Our partnership program;
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Our regular programs (history/heritage, civics/government and “The National Conversation”)
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Fund-raising/grant-writing;
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Our biweekly newsletter;
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Ah hoc research and writing of policy briefs and position papers.
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Regional coordinators in cities across Canada (Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Halifax, etc.)
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Stay in touch!
We’d love to hear your feedback about anything at all at SMCS. You can reach Immanuel, the Executive Director at immanuel@macdonaldcartier.org
Warm regards,
James, Walker, Immanuel and Jermyn at SMCS
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