CanHist relaunches Moments déterminants Canada with new national digital heritage project

Canadian Historical Education Services Ltd. is relaunching Moments déterminants Canada as a bilingual national digital heritage initiative, with Devenir canadien set to launch in 2027. The project will examine 160 defining moments from Confederation to 2027 and aims to broaden public, classroom and community participation in how Canada’s history is told.

Why it matters: - Moments déterminants Canada is returning as a national bilingual digital heritage project, expanding how Canadians explore the country’s history. - Devenir canadien will cover 160 defining moments from 1867 to 2027, giving educators, students and the public a structured way to examine Canada’s evolution. - The project is designed to surface local stories, underrepresented voices and multiple perspectives, not just national milestones.

What happened: - Canadian Historical Education Services Ltd. (CanHist) announced a new chapter for Moments déterminants Canada / Defining Moments Canada on October 1, 2026. - CanHist said the relaunch includes a major bilingual digital heritage project now in development. - Devenir canadien is scheduled to launch in 2027. - The project will explore 160 defining moments across 16 major themes.

The details: - The 160 moments will span Canada’s history from Confederation in 1867 through 2027. - CanHist said the project will look at people, ideas, achievements, challenges and turning points that shaped Canada and continue to shape the country. - The selection of moments will come from a multidisciplinary consultation process. - That process will include perspectives from Indigenous peoples, youth, women, educators, researchers and professionals from across Canada. - Free educational resources will be available for teachers and students. - Those resources are intended to support research, questioning and sharing about Canadian history. - The project will place particular emphasis on student voices and local stories. - New French and English pages for Moments déterminants Canada and Devenir canadien are available on CanHist.ca. - The public can follow the project’s progress through 2027 on MDC160.ca.

Between the lines: - The relaunch suggests CanHist is repositioning MDC as a broader public history platform, not just a commemorative archive. - The focus on bilingual storytelling, classroom use and public participation points to a strategy built around reach as much as preservation. - Neil Orford said history is more than a list of dates and events, and that the project asks why a moment matters, which stories are told, which are missing and what the past can teach about Canada today. - Carrie Boyce, CEO of RCIScience, said the project helps show how Canada was built and where it is going, and linked that outlook to civic engagement in science. - Alex Fitzgerald-Black, managing director of the Juno Beach Centre Association, said Moments déterminants Canada has an impressive track record of commemorative educational projects and resources. - CanHist said the relaunch builds on Out of This World 25, its national education initiative connecting Chris Hadfield’s 2001 spaceflight to Canada’s ongoing role in space exploration.

What's next: - CanHist will continue developing Devenir canadien ahead of the 2027 launch. - The final list of 160 moments will be shaped through the consultation process. - CanHist plans to keep expanding the project’s bilingual digital storytelling, classroom learning tools and public engagement.

The bottom line: - CanHist is turning Moments déterminants Canada into a larger national conversation about how Canada’s past, present and future connect.