Evidence of meeting #20 for Canadian Heritage in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was report.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:05 p.m.
Manager, Indian and Inuit Art Centres, Corporate Services Sector, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
I divided the budget in two: part of it is earmarked for the Inuit Art Centre; the other is for the Indian Art Centre.
4:05 p.m.
Liberal
4:05 p.m.
Manager, Indian and Inuit Art Centres, Corporate Services Sector, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
For the acquisition of works of art?
4:05 p.m.
Liberal
4:05 p.m.
Manager, Indian and Inuit Art Centres, Corporate Services Sector, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
We have six employees.
4:05 p.m.
Manager, Indian and Inuit Art Centres, Corporate Services Sector, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
These are full-time employees. We also have part-time employees, students and contract workers.
4:05 p.m.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
Okay.
I have two questions: one regarding your consultations with the aboriginal community, and the other, on the collection's nature and methods of preservation. I have received comments on this matter, which is why I am asking you these questions.
What standards are you using to control the ambient temperature of the rooms where the works of art are conserved? Are these norms used in other federal institutions?
4:05 p.m.
Manager, Indian and Inuit Art Centres, Corporate Services Sector, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Our standards are comparable to those of the Department of Foreign Affairs, because we have the same types of collections.
Last week, we saw these collections in Gatineau, in a new building built and managed by Public Works and Government Services Canada. There was no adequate temperature control there either.
4:05 p.m.
Liberal
4:05 p.m.
Manager, Indian and Inuit Art Centres, Corporate Services Sector, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
There is no adequate ambient temperature control.
4:05 p.m.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
... the collection is not being protected the way it should.
4:05 p.m.
Manager, Indian and Inuit Art Centres, Corporate Services Sector, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
No, the collection is not protected in the same way as the collections at the National Gallery of Canada and in Canadian museums. However, our standards are comparable to those of other government collections.
This is always a real concern for the artists, and we are trying to come up with a solution to this problem.
4:05 p.m.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
You mentioned Norval Morrisseau, who, by the way, had a very beautiful exposition at the National Gallery of Canada. Your collection includes some of his hand-written letters; apparently, the ink is starting to fade.
4:10 p.m.
Manager, Indian and Inuit Art Centres, Corporate Services Sector, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Not really. Two years ago, we hired some students to protect these artifacts.
4:10 p.m.
Manager, Indian and Inuit Art Centres, Corporate Services Sector, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
They were photographed and are now in digital format.
4:10 p.m.
Manager, Indian and Inuit Art Centres, Corporate Services Sector, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
The originals are in archive boxes, which are preserved according to archive methods.
4:10 p.m.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
Are these boxes at the National Archives or are they still with you?
4:10 p.m.
Manager, Indian and Inuit Art Centres, Corporate Services Sector, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
With us. Some people from the National Library come over to see how these artifacts are being preserved.
4:10 p.m.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
Have you ever asked other agencies, such as the National Archives, to preserve these artifacts for you?
4:10 p.m.
Manager, Indian and Inuit Art Centres, Corporate Services Sector, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Yes, but they don't want to. They say that these artifacts are well preserved with us.
4:10 p.m.
Liberal
4:10 p.m.
Manager, Indian and Inuit Art Centres, Corporate Services Sector, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
We have a computerized system called IO. This American system was specifically designed for museum collections and is also used in other art institutes. We have been using this computer system for ten years, and it is the best computerized inventory control we've ever had. We know where each artifact is located. All the artifacts are photographed and entered into a computer. Simply by clicking, we can see where the artifact is located and under what conditions it is preserved.