CCA Bulletin 18/07

Ottawa, Tuesday, May 1, 2007

First new national museum created outside of National Capital Region

Just the Facts

The Prime Minister of Canada, the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, was recently in Winnipeg, Manitoba, to announce the designation of Canada’s newest national museum, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

This project was championed by the late Israel Asper and his family has continued to work for the creation of this institution, which will be situated at The Forks in Winnipeg.  The commitment of the federal government has been reported to be $100 million in capital costs, which must be matched by over $210 M private and corporate contributions, as well as up to $22 million per year for operating costs.

The creation of Canada’s newest national museum is worth scrutinizing from a number of perspectives.  It will be the first national museum located outside of the National Capital Area and the first to result from a private/public partnership.  The federal government is also entering into a long-term funding and ownership partnership in bringing this new institution into creation.

There is no further information about another rumoured private/public partnership that had been discussed in the media earlier this year, which is the reported relocation of the planned National Portrait Gallery to Calgary, Alberta. The fate of this national institution remains uncertain at this time.

The museums sector has been awaiting the release of a new federal museums policy for many months.  However, the Prime Minister’s recent announcement in Winnipeg would seem to indicate that the absence of a new federal museums policy does not preclude the development of additional national museums under new types of financing.

Tell Me More…

The Prime Minister used the occasion to reaffirm the commitment of Canada and Canadians to human rights.  He referred to the work of a former Prime Minister, the Right Honourable John Diefenbaker, in advancing the concept and reality of human rights for all Canadians.

Interestingly enough, the Prime Minister also noted that, “The founders of our Confederation adopted a constitution that enshrined linguistic, cultural, and religious rights in our federalist system, along with the democratic rights which are part and parcel of responsible government.” (our emphasis)

The full speech of the Prime Minister is well worth a read given that it articulates a continued commitment on the part of the current Government to protect and promote Canadians’ human and cultural rights, as enshrined in our Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Museums, arms’ length and freedom of expression

Speaking of human rights and the freedom of expression, one of our national museums was also recently on the mind of the Senate of Canada.

Discussions have been held around the text used by the Canadian War Museum to describe the Allies’ Strategic Bombing Offensive in World War II in an exhibition currently on display.

At the heart of the debate is the sense of outrage expressed by veterans and Senator Romeo Dallaire regarding the overview text of the exhibition, which reads as follows: “The value and morality of the strategic bomber offensive against Germany remains bitterly contested.  Bomber Command’s aim was to crush civilian morale and force Germany to surrender by destroying its cities and industrial installations.  Although Bomber Command and American attacks left 600,000 Germans dead and more than five million homeless, the raids resulted in only small reductions in German war production until late in the war.”

The text also includes this sobering passage, “The RCAF contributed to a massive and costly air offensive against Germany’s ability to wage war. …Nearly 10,000 Canadian airmen died in the bomber offensive, almost three quarters of the RCAF’s total combat losses during the war.”

The Canadian War Museum is an adjunct of the Canadian Museum of Civilization.  Its intent is to provide a balanced historical perspective on Canadian involvement in wars throughout our national history, a point made clearly in an op-ed written by Dr. Dean Oliver.

There is still a lot of raw emotion around this issue; however, the ability of curators to present a balanced viewpoint cannot be compromised in the interests of any particular group, no matter the indisputable importance and bravery of their contribution to Canadian life and values. The Canadian Conference of the Arts (CCA) fully supports the position of the Canadian Museums Association (CMA), as expressed in an April 26 press release:

Established as one of the current national museums, the Canadian War Museum is an independent federal institution operating at arms length from the federal government.  We (the CMA) support this independent role; it is important these national publicly funded institutions be able to serve the public and carry out their mandate free of political interference.

The CCA is resolute in its defence of the CMA’s principle of curatorial freedom in this and any other instance of public or political pressure on museological and cultural institutions.