CCA Bulletin 04/08

February 14, 2008

Minister of Canadian Heritage Introduces Legislation to Create New National Museum

Just the Facts

On February 11, 2008, the Minister of Canadian Heritage, the Hon. Josée Verner, tabled Bill C-42, an Act to amend the Museums Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts. The subject of this legislation is the creation of a new national museum, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, located in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

The Museum for Human Rights is a private/public partnership spearheaded by the late Izzy Asper and carried forward by his family. The Minister has opted to amend the Museums Act rather than develop completely new legislation to create the museum. This ensures that the Museum for Human Rights will operate in roughly the same manner as Canada’s other national museums.

Public and private partnerships in this field are not a complete novelty. The Canadian War Museum was built using funds provided by the federal government and from the Friends of the Canadian War Museum, an organization which raised a considerable amount towards the construction of this institution. The Friends continue to raise funds for the operation of the institution, an activity to be found in most national cultural institutions.

The federal government has pledged  to match $100 million for the capital costs of the project and will provide an additional $ 22 million per year for operating costs. The Director and the Board of the Museum will be Order in Council appointees, replicating the governance model of its sister museums.

The tabling of the legislation is also seen as a spur to the fund-raising efforts which to date are still $ 20 million short of the goal. Bill C-42 sends a strong message that the government is serious about the creation of this new national institution and that it is prepared to operate it in a manner wholly consistent with other national institutions. This is intended to reassure Canadians that while this specific private/public partnership in the creation of a new national museum is novel, the manner in which it will operate is not.

In fact, the main element of novelty in this instance lies in the fact that the new museum will not be located in the nation’s capital, a precedent which may well be replicated in the decision concerning the location of the National Portrait Gallery for which nine Canadian cities, including Ottawa, have recently been invited to compete.

This approach to the creation of the Museum for Human Rights sidesteps the issue of the introduction of a long-awaited federal museums policy, which had been the object of a broad consensus amongst all political parties before the last federal election.

Tell Me More

With the approach it has developed for the creation and operation of the Museum for Human Rights, the government confirms a long-standing trend in the world of federal museums.

The first was the National Gallery of Canada which was borne from the first exhibition of the Royal Canadian Academy in 1880. The works from that exhibition were the first holdings of the National Gallery and the two organizations maintained close links for some time,

As mentioned, the Canadian War Museum was also built from a partnership with organizations like the Friends of the Canadian War Museum which counted the Royal Canadian Legion as one of its most important contributors.

The National Portrait Gallery would appear to be modeled on a similar approach with various Canadian cities bidding to host the new institution in cooperation with the private sector. These bids come with financial and promotion commitments to strengthen the position of each competing community.

One must also note that all federal museums (and most national cultural institutions) have developed fundraising expertise to help to defray operating costs and to finance special exhibitions or projects. The National Arts Centre, for example, has a strong development team and has used the Scene rubric to both showcase talent from a region or a province and as an effective lever for fundraising.

The decision to amend the Museums Act ensures that despite whatever financing innovations are developed, each institution operates within the same terms of reference. This is important to ensure a level playing field in the manner in which each institution conforms to curatorial and professional standards and is accountable for the use of public funds.

Canada is not unique in developing new strategies to ensure the survival and growth of its national museums. France has recently amended the terms of reference for both the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay to allow them to market their “brand” internationally for funds. The Louvre is planning to open a branch in Abu Dhabi paid for by the Emirate itself. Private museums, such as the Guggenheim, have pioneered this approach with great success.

The CCA will be following the evolution of federal museums policies and will continue to encourage the Minister and her officials to complete their work on a national museums policy and the programs necessary to support it.