Nathan Tidridge, M.S.M.
Nathan Tidridge with Governor General Julie Payette. September 12th, 2019.
Nathan has been a teacher of history at Waterdown District High School since 2004. He has loved his career teaching Civics, Indigenous Studies, Canadian and World History.
Nathan is a recipient of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal and was one of six Ontarians presented with a Diamond Jubilee Medal by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales. Nathan has also been awarded the Premier’s Award for Teaching Excellence (Teacher of the Year), Charles Baillie Award for Excellence in Secondary School Teaching , the Sharon Enkin Award for Excellence in Holocaust Education, the national 2013 Canadian Royal Heritage Award, and the 2017 Flamborough-Glanbrook Nation Builder's Award. In 2015, the Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper presented Nathan with one of fifty specially created flags in recognition of his “tremendous contributions to our great country.” In 2017 Nathan was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal by Governor General Julie Payette highlighting his work in understanding the complex relationships between Indigenous Peoples and the Crown. The United Empire Loyalist Association of Canada highlighted his work by making Nathan their first Honorary Fellow in 2018.
Nathan is a recipient of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal and was one of six Ontarians presented with a Diamond Jubilee Medal by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales. Nathan has also been awarded the Premier’s Award for Teaching Excellence (Teacher of the Year), Charles Baillie Award for Excellence in Secondary School Teaching , the Sharon Enkin Award for Excellence in Holocaust Education, the national 2013 Canadian Royal Heritage Award, and the 2017 Flamborough-Glanbrook Nation Builder's Award. In 2015, the Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper presented Nathan with one of fifty specially created flags in recognition of his “tremendous contributions to our great country.” In 2017 Nathan was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal by Governor General Julie Payette highlighting his work in understanding the complex relationships between Indigenous Peoples and the Crown. The United Empire Loyalist Association of Canada highlighted his work by making Nathan their first Honorary Fellow in 2018.
Nathan Tidridge has dedicated himself to promoting the role of the Crown in our country’s history.
Through his work, he has taught a new generation of students about Canadian politics, our constitutional monarchy and civics.
He has also deepened our understanding of the complex relationship between Indigenous peoples and the Crown,
thereby bringing attention to the important issue of reconciliation.
Meritorious Service Decorations (Civil Division) Citation
Nathan has authored six books exploring the Crown in Canada, including its relationships with Indigenous Peoples, as well as Canadian identity and local history. His book, Canada's Constitutional Monarchy, was celebrated by His Honour The Honourable David C. Onley, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, at Queen's Park's vice-regal suite on November 28th, 2011. Nathan's next book, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent: Father of the Canadian Crown, was launched by the Honourable H. Frank Lewis, Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island, Professor Thomas H.B. Symons, Catherine Hennessey, Islanders and those from away. Nathan's fourth book, The Queen at the Council Fire: The Treaty of Niagara, Reconciliation and the Dignified Crown in Canada, was launched by the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in 2015. Speaking for the museum, Curator Armando Perla commented that the book was "a must read for all Canadians, Indigenous and non-Indigenous." The event was attended by members of the Indigenous community, including the Treaty Commissioner of Manitoba. In 2018 Nathan authored a chapter ("Decolonizing the Crown in Canada: Restoring the Queen at the Council Fire") in The Canadian Kingdom which was launched by the Lieutenant Governors of Saskatchewan, Ontario and British Columbia.
From 2010-2013 Nathan lobbied the Ontario Ministry of Education to correct serious errors in the curricula surrounding the province's approach to Civics. His article, entitled Why Ontario shouldn’t ditch high school civics classes, published in Maclean's Magazine, contributed to the government's decision to retain the course.
Nathan has been involved with a number of committees including the Magna Carta Canada Education Committee (2015), the Flamborough Grant of Arms Committee (2009-2011), and the Chapel Royal Committee at Massey College (2015 - present) . Nathan currently serves on the Board of the Ontario Heritage Trust (2015-present - chair of the Heritage Programs Committee since 2017), the National Advisory Council of the Princes Charities Canada, and the Board of the Institute for the Study of the Crown in Canada at Massey College.
Nathan lives in Waterdown, Ontario, with his wife Christine and daughters Sophie, Elyse and Maya.
Nathan has been involved with a number of committees including the Magna Carta Canada Education Committee (2015), the Flamborough Grant of Arms Committee (2009-2011), and the Chapel Royal Committee at Massey College (2015 - present) . Nathan currently serves on the Board of the Ontario Heritage Trust (2015-present - chair of the Heritage Programs Committee since 2017), the National Advisory Council of the Princes Charities Canada, and the Board of the Institute for the Study of the Crown in Canada at Massey College.
Nathan lives in Waterdown, Ontario, with his wife Christine and daughters Sophie, Elyse and Maya.
Previous Speaking Engagements, Media Appearances, and published articles :
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Conferences
- 7th Annual Historical Gathering and Cultural Series Showcasing the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation (Lecture: The Crown and Reconciliation), Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation (February 15th, 2017)
- 8th Annual Historical Gathering and Cultural Series Showcasing the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation (Lecture: The Souharissen Natural Area: Restoring Indigenous Voice in Suburbia), Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation (February 14th, 2018)
- ALOC/Government of Ontario Educational 2016 Conference (Lecture: "The Crown as a Conduit of Reconciliation"), Association of Law Officers of the Crown (November 9th, 2016)
- Canadian Association of School System Administrators 2016 Conference (Lecture: "Creating a Culture of Caring Around Reconciliation as a Non-Indigenous Teacher"), Canadian Association of System Administrators (July 9th, 2016)
- Celebrating Resilience - Moving Forward (Speaker), Champions for Change Indigenous Education Conference, Six Nations Polytechnic (November 3rd, 2016)
- Community Lecture Series - What is Reconciliation? (Opening Lecture: "The Crown as a Conduit of Reconciliation"), Friends and Neighbours of the Woodland Cultural Centre & Wilfrid Laurier University (October 19th, 2016)
- The Crown in Canada: A Diamond Jubilee Assessment Conference (Discussant), Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, University of Regina (October 28th, 2012)
- The Crown in the 21st Century: Deference or Drift? (Panelist with "Aboriginal Peoples and the Honour of the Crown: The Implications for Canada Today"), Institute for the Study of the Crown in Canada (January 16th, 2016)
- Sask LEADS Annual Conference (Presentation: Teaching as Treaty: What a school board should know about teaching Indigenous Studies as a non-Indigenous Instructor), League of Educational Administrators, Directors and Superintendents (March 6th, 2017)
- 2017 Sources of Knowledge Forum: Accounting for the Past, Envisioning the Future: a Seven Generations–Based Framework for the Bruce Peninsula (Presentation: Decolonizing the Crown in Canada), Sources of Knowledge Forum (May 6th, 2017)
- Welcome Reception of The Canadian History of Education Association's 19th Biennial Conference: Teaching Nation?: Histories of Education and the Politics of Commemoration (Member of feature panel "The Politics of Commemoration"), Canadian History of Education Association (October 27th, 2016)
Writing about the Crown and Indigenous Issues
Letter to the Editor "It's a Canadian Monarchy, not UK" - Hamilton Spectator, 2009
Op Ed piece on the role of the Crown in Canada - Hamilton Spectator, July 2010
This Jubilee day is also a sad anniversary: George VI was a good king and important to Canada - Hamilton Spectator, Feb 6th, 2012
Prince Edward Augustus: Father of the Canadian Crown - Prince Arthur Herald, June 29th, 2013
Guest Blog: Honourable Effort at Queen's Park - The Agenda with Steve Paikin, September 16th, 2013
The Royal and Viceregal Fort at York - Fife and Drum (The Newsletter of The Friends of Fort York and Garrison Common), Oct 2013
Once a weapon, education is now key to reconciliation - Op-Ed for CBC Aboriginal, June 7th, 2015
Magna Carta: A Guide for Educators - LawNow Magazine, November 4th, 2015
The key role of The Queen and her representatives in Reconciliation - The Public Policy & Governance Review, University of Toronto - March 19th, 2016
Why It's Time to Define the Crown's Role With First Nations - Maclean's Magazine, June 21st, 2016
Ontario may ditch high school civics classes. That's a mistake - Maclean's Magazine, November 1st, 2016
It’s time to embrace the ‘Mother of Confederation’ - Maclean's Magazine, March 28th, 2017
Abolishing monarchy in Canada will complete colonization of Indigenous people - Toronto Star, February 11th, 2020
Indigenous people teach the importance of ceremony - Toronto Star, August 23rd, 2020