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Canadian Heritage committee Yes. We fully believe museums should not depend on the federal government or the provinces, on any one source. They're much better off when they have a broad, diversified sense of support and they start developing endowments and long-term supports. You can help us a great deal there.
June 20th, 2006Committee meeting
John McAvity
Canadian Heritage committee No and yes.
June 20th, 2006Committee meeting
John McAvity
Canadian Heritage committee I think the profession should run it. Some of the provinces have accreditation programs, such as Quebec and...oh, Ontario has standards, but--
June 20th, 2006Committee meeting
John McAvity
Canadian Heritage committee No, there wouldn't be a shrinkage in the number, but not all of them would be accredited, because many museums are at various standards. Many of them need to be updated very badly. We know that. They don't have the right facilities and so on. Our interest, as a professional organization, is to see them advance, to look and be better, be better in their public presentation but also be better with their professional standards behind the scenes.
June 20th, 2006Committee meeting
John McAvity
Canadian Heritage committee Yes, we've alerted them to it in our brief. We put bulletins out; we did one within hours of the federal budget's announcement.
June 20th, 2006Committee meeting
John McAvity
Canadian Heritage committee It's actually very straightforward. It's very simple, it's a wonderful thing, and we're very pleased with that initiative. In fact, there are some excellent tax incentives already in place. The challenge for the museum community, as somebody mentioned earlier, is that most of the small museums do not have the ability, do not have the expertise, in terms of fundraising.
June 20th, 2006Committee meeting
John McAvity
Canadian Heritage committee From the perspective of the museum community, I think the chances are the same. Our needs have not changed from one government to another. Our needs are constant, and we've stated what they are to you. I do also want to say, though, that we've had very close relationships with the minister, both in her life in opposition and now as minister.
June 20th, 2006Committee meeting
John McAvity
Canadian Heritage committee We have met with her. She is very committed. She is very interested in it. She has encouraged us. She has asked us some questions, and we've responded to those questions. I think she is very much on side, but she needs a little time to study the file, to be comfortable with it.
June 20th, 2006Committee meeting
John McAvity
Canadian Heritage committee Let me respond in a non-hypothetical way. That is, if we don't see an increased investment and a new policy orientation and we're appearing before you in another year or two, we're probably going to tell you about more museums that have closed. We've had about half a dozen or more that have closed--le Musée d'art INUIT Brousseau, in Quebec; a museum in Nova Scotia; museums in British Columbia and in Parry Sound, Ontario.
June 20th, 2006Committee meeting
John McAvity
Canadian Heritage committee That's what we've requested.
June 20th, 2006Committee meeting
John McAvity
Canadian Heritage committee We're a very modest organization.
June 20th, 2006Committee meeting
John McAvity
June 20th, 2006Committee meeting
John McAvity
June 20th, 2006Committee meeting
John McAvity
Canadian Heritage committee Of course, the federal government does fund the very excellent national museums—
June 20th, 2006Committee meeting
John McAvity
Canadian Heritage committee —here in Ottawa, and the provincial governments generally have their provincial institutions. Culture, as you know, is not an area that is defined in the BNA Act. It's an area of jurisdiction for both. The provinces were consulted on this museum policy and unanimously approved it last September.
June 20th, 2006Committee meeting
John McAvity