New HSMBC Chair and Appointed Representatives

On May 2, 2024, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, announced the appointment of a new Chair and four representatives to the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC). 

Biographies
Mr. Bernard Thériault
Board Chair and Representative for New Brunswick

Bernard Thériault is a historian, researcher, writer, and columnist. He has been the mayor of Caraquet, New Brunswick, since May 2021. His community involvement spans a broad range of interests in Acadian identity, relations with Canada’s First Nations and, more generally, Canadian heritage.

Mr. Thériault has held various positions in the public sector, including Chief of Staff to the Premier’s office and Director of Aboriginal Fisheries in the Gulf Region for Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Mr. Thériault served as a member of the New Brunswick Legislative Assembly for the Caraquet riding. During that time, he was also the Minister of Aquaculture and Fisheries, Minister of Intergovernmental and Aboriginal Affairs, and Acting Minister of Education. He began his career as a historian, head curator and program director at the Village historique acadien in Caraquet. Mr. Thériault holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of Moncton.

“With its rich heritage and history, our country has a duty to recognize the people, events and places that have made us a prosperous and inclusive nation. As New Brunswick's representative, I am pleased to participate in this commemoration committee.”

Bernard Thériault
Chair, Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, and Member for New Brunswick

Dr. Stephen Azzi
Representative for Ontario

Dr.  Stephen Azzi is a professor of Political Management, History, and Political Science at Carleton University in Ottawa, where he is a founding faculty member of the Clayton H. Riddell Graduate Program in Political Management. He is a senior fellow at the Bill Graham Centre for Contemporary International History at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Azzi has published extensively on Canadian history, with a focus on politics, ideas, and international relations. His most recent book is the third edition of the Historical Dictionary of Canada. He has chaired university committees at Carleton and Laurentian University, sat on both the Senate and the Board of Governors at Laurentian, and led the Clayton H. Riddell Graduate Program for six years. Dr. Azzi holds a Ph.D. from the University of Waterloo.

“I am delighted to have the opportunity to serve on the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada. The Board has a long and distinguished record of making history live for Canadians. I look forward to contributing to that work and that mission.”

Stephen Azzi
Member, Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Ontario

Mr. Harry Holman
Representative for Prince Edward Island

Mr. Harry Holman is a researcher and independent scholar with research interests in Canada’s marine and nautical history. He has been involved in heritage advocacy, management of historic resources, and historic research for more than fifty years, most recently as Director of Culture and Heritage for Prince Edward Island. He is a life member and former board member of the Prince Edward Island Museum and Heritage Foundation.

He is actively involved in several heritage organizations and is particularly proud of his involvement in the Federal, Provincial and Territorial Historic Places Initiative. He has served as member of professional organizations and national advisory boards for institutions including the Osgoode Society, the Confederation Centre of the Arts, the Vancouver Olympics Cultural Program, and the Confederation Birthplace Pavilion. His training and education include degrees in history and law from the University of Alberta and Queens University in Kingston. He has also served as the provincial archivist for Prince Edward Island.

“Canada’s history is made up of both collective and diverse aspects and the Historic Sites and Monuments Board has the important task of helping Canadians learn from their past and move toward their shared future. As Board members we face the challenge of making our many stories understood by all as an important component of our strength as a nation.”

Harry Holman
Member, Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Prince Edward Island

Dr. Valerie Korinek
Representative for Saskatchewan

Dr. Valerie J. Korinek is the A.S. Morton Professor of History at the University of Saskatchewan. She is an award-winning teacher and scholar, the recipient of the Provost’s Award for Outstanding Teacher College of Arts and Science. Her scholarly contributions have been recognized with a fellowship in the Royal Society of Canada.

Dr. Korinek has published widely in contemporary prairie gendered histories. Her most recent book, Prairie Fairies: A History of Queer Communities and People in Western Canada 1930-1985 (2018) won the Clio Award from the Canadian Historical Association for Best Book in Prairie History and the Best Book Prize from the Canadian Committee on Women’s and Gender History. She is a frequent contributor to local, regional, and provincial community organizations. She has extensive board and committee experience, having served as Head of the History Department, and most recently completed a three-year term as the Vice Dean of Faculty Relations in the College of Arts and Science. She holds a doctorate in Canadian history from the University of Toronto specializing in Canadian cultural and gender histories. She has called Saskatoon home since 1996.

“It is an honour to be the Saskatchewan representative on the History Sites and Monuments Board of Canada. Programs like the HSMBC, which seek to educate and engage Canadians about our collective histories, are vitally important. I look forward to working with my colleagues on the board to work towards reconciliation and increase awareness of under-recognized people, places, and events in Canadian history.”

Valerie Korinek
Member, Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Saskatchewan

Ms. Jessica Kotierk
Representative for Nunavut

Jessica Kotierk has worked as the Manager and Curator of the Nunatta Sunakkutaangit Museum in Iqaluit since 2019. She previously worked as the project manager for the Nunavut Film Development Corporation. Ms. Kotierk is Inuk with family ties to Igloolik and has devoted her museum career to the preservation and curation of Inuit artifacts. Her diverse experience has led her to various locations in Canada and abroad, including Bern, Switzerland, and Copenhagen, Denmark.

Ms. Kotierk is currently a member of various boards such as the Alianait Entertainment Group Board, the Archives Council of Nunavut Board, the Indigenous Heritage Circle Board, the Inuit Leadership Group for the Inuit Futures in Arts Leadership Grant, the Travel Nunavut Board, the Inuit Art Foundation Archives Advisory Committee and is a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. She holds a bachelor’s degree in film studies from York University and a diploma in Collection Management and Conservation from Fleming College.

“I'm happy to join the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada as representative from Nunavut. I'm motivated by the impact and positive influence that history has in creating and encouraging community.”

Jessica Kotierk
Member, Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Nunavut

Associated Links
Link to Backgrounder: Inuktitut

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