I first want to thank the committee for hosting us.
I'm Pierre Landry, president of the Société des musées québécois. I'm also general director of the Musée du Bas-Saint-Laurent à Rivière-du-Loup, a small institution. So my way of seeing things comes from both being president of the SMQ, and from being the head of a small museum in Rivière-du-loup, Quebec. I'd like to say that the positions of the SMQ are quite consistent with those of the CMA, as we work in the same area.
Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to begin by sincerely thanking the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage for inviting me here today as president of the SMQ to participate in the committee’s study of Canada’s 150th anniversary in 2017.
The Société des musées québécois is made up of 300 museums from all over Quebec. It goes without saying that the representative of this huge network is an important stakeholder in matters concerning the many facets of our culture and heritage.
Celebrations of the 100th anniversary of Confederation in 1967 involved major infrastructure investments in Quebec and Canada, including in the cultural sector. Countless cultural centres, libraries, theatres, museums and concert halls were built to mark the centennial in a lasting and meaningful way.
However, because this is a 150th anniversary, not a centennial, and given the precarious state of public finances, I feel that the celebrations we are discussing today should be more modest. That being said, we still believe that the event should be celebrated with flair and that we should come together to express our attachment to our values and history. We think that it would be wise to ensure that a significant portion of the moneys allocated to this celebration have a lasting and significant impact on our institutions, as was the case in 1967.
Canada as a whole and Quebec in particular have hundreds and hundreds of museums whose mission is to promote culture and heritage. Whether these institutions enjoy significant funding and professional management or whether they survive thanks to the hard work of volunteers, passion and diligence are both key to their success. These museums, interpretive centres, historic sites and heritage sites are the foundation of our collective memory. They protect and promote it. People who work in these institutions protect the most precious and delicate parts of our culture while sharing knowledge and information. With deep roots in our communities, these institutions play a major role in creating a sense of belonging and promoting social integration. Moreover, each of these institutions boasts impressive expertise in heritage interpretation, exhibit creation and activities that combine play and learning.
Yet many of these institutions are having a hard time making ends meet. Either funding from various levels of government has not risen with inflation over the past few years—it was not necessarily decreased—or a number of programs have been changed or eliminated, or the private sector is not involved enough. Museums in Quebec and Canada are desperately short of funds. As a result, people are being laid off, and those who still have jobs are working longer, tougher hours. Collections and heritage buildings are deteriorating, exciting programs will never see the light of day, museum professionals are getting discouraged, and there are no new professionals coming on stream.
Canada's 150th anniversary could provide a unique opportunity to change that. Commemorative events could be combined with major investments to strengthen Canada’s museum network, the flagship of our culture and heritage and guardian of our memories and communities. Combined with a sense of celebration, new funding could support research, provide financial support for exhibits or special activities related to various elements of Canada’s history and culture, or pay for renovations and updates. Moneys allocated to museums would benefit the network and strengthen it. As was the case following Canada’s centennial celebrations, the 150th anniversary celebrations could give people a better sense of our country, put them in a festive mood and place an entire segment of the knowledge, research and conservation industry on firmer footing so that it can contemplate a better future.
We also have to keep in mind the fact that there are many perspectives on Canada’s history, which is what makes it so rich. First nations people interpret our history in a much different way than newcomers, explorers and adventurers told it. Acadians, Quebeckers and the people of Newfoundland and Labrador did not experience history in the same way as the Loyalists who populated Ontario or the Metis in Canada’s West.
To reflect certain elements of that history, we think it is important to emphasize that the content should be up to the institutions that are authorized to submit proposals should there be a call for proposals and that funds should be awarded based on merit as determined by peer committees without political interference. We think that this is essential to ensuring the integrity of our institutions, the plurality of voices, free will and a critical eye, which are all values that we believe underpin any democracy.
Mr. Minister, ladies and gentlemen of the House of Commons, thank you once again for giving the Société des musées québécois an opportunity to speak here today.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.