Letter to the Honourable Minister of Canadian Heritage, Steven Guilbeault regarding the supplementary mandate letter
The Hon. Steven Guilbeault
Minister of Canadian Heritage
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6
January 18, 2021
Dear Minister Guilbeault,
I am writing to wish you a very happy and healthy new year. I would also like to express our delight that the national museum policy renewal will move forward and that there will be additional sector-specific pandemic relief for the culture and heritage sectors, as outlined in the supplementary mandate letter you received from the Prime Minister on Friday.
We — and our museums — appreciate the support to date and the many challenges faced by the government in these times.
That being said, as you know, we have been consistent in our calls for renewal of the incredibly outdated national museum policy, for additional pandemic relief, for more federal funding to museums and for a greater recognition of the tremendous benefits of museums to the economy and society.
It is heartening to see that museums remain on your radar and that we can expect to see movement in these areas.
I am sharing with you my recent column in Muse magazine, where I outline the many reasons a new national museum policy is advantageous to all and why there is no better time than now to advance it. A new policy would, among other things, enable museums to enhance their contributions to key societal issues such as environmental sustainability, reconciliation and social cohesion. Last year we submitted to you a proposal for your consideration. We offered to advance the policy renewal with — or on behalf of — the Department of Canadian Heritage and museums across Canada and in collaboration with our provincial and territorial partners. We remain ready to take on this challenge.
Until there is a more modern policy and a more sustainable funding model, however, continued and sufficient emergency support for museums and for the associations like us that must support them is critical to survival.
The CMA very much looks forward to learning more about the government’s specific plans to address the commitments in the mandate letters and to working collaboratively with you and the Department of Canadian Heritage on these key issues as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
Dr. Vanda Vitali, Ph.D.
Executive Director and CEO, Canadian Museums Association