Mr. Chair, ladies and gentlemen of the Standing Committee on Finance, fellow colleagues and presenters, I am Robin Etherington and I have the honour of serving as president and CEO of the RCMP Heritage Centre, Canada's cultural flagship for heritage. The RCMP Heritage Centre was designed by Arthur Erickson, a renowned Canadian architect, who infused his respect and admiration for the RCMP into a unique and innovative design that represents the Royal Canadian Mounted Police's rich history and proactive future.
The RCMP Heritage Centre was opened in May 2007, so it's three years old. The federal government contributed $25 million in capital funding, the Province of Saskatchewan contributed $3 million, and there was a $2 million community fundraising campaign. However, no operating funding model was developed, and the RCMP Heritage Centre is singular in Canada as a museum that does not receive operational funding from any level of government. Museums of this stature in Canada receive 65% to 67% of their operating budgets from a combination of three levels of government.
The RCMP Heritage Centre is not owned or operated by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Rather, it is a cultural organization completely separate from the RCMP. It is a registered charity, a not-for-profit organization that I repeat does not receive any funding from the federal, provincial, or municipal governments.
The turndown in tourism over the last two years has had a dramatic and negative effect on admissions and retail revenues. The Heritage Centre responded by tightening operations, including staff reductions and reductions in hours. This is not sustainable or beneficial for a world-class museum and its mandate to promote Canada's national police force across Canada and around the world.
The RCMP Heritage Centre is in critical need of operational funding to maintain the Heritage Centre to the standard befitting a national cultural centre and cultural flagship for Canada. Without the appropriate level of government operating funding, the Heritage Centre is not going to be able to do justice to the story of the Mounties or the community of Regina forever. All energies will have to go toward fundraising rather than to program and exhibition and visitor services development. Without this assistance the Heritage Centre will be restricted to offering only minimal availability to the public, and its programming and exhibition renewal will be inconsistent with the standards befitting the representation of Canada's iconic police force.
Between 1996 and 2007 the federal government funding to not-for-profit museums and art galleries in Canada increased by 27%. The RCMP Heritage Centre is asking for $600,000, or approximately 25% of operating revenue per year below the comparative national level. Federal funding will leverage the Heritage Centre's ability to receive provincial and municipal operating funding as well as leveraging the ability to put in place sponsorships and other funding opportunities. It will stabilize the operations. It will provide necessary resources to strengthen operations to be consistent with national museum standards, and it will be able to increase its marketing and communications activities to broaden its national and international reach and in turn bolster admission, retail, and other revenue streams.
In addition, it will allow us to renovate or renew our exhibitions and our programming at a level consistent with museum standards. That includes web-based education and using technology such as the SMART Board. We have innovative programming in treaty, aboriginal, and Métis that is curriculum-based.
Thank you very much.