Finance committee  We would endorse sustaining operating funding over project funding.

Finance committee  Very much so. The Canadian Museums Association worked with its 2,500 members and with all parties to come up with alternative proposals. We certainly welcome investments from the federal level.

Finance committee  Any federal investment in museums is welcome. The MAP program has been a key component of sustaining all of Canada's museums since 1972. We are not seeking the disappearance of the MAP program. We would like to see the funding that has been cut reinstated. At the federal level, at least as an interim measure, and until a national museums policy is brought together, we're open to alternatives to the MAP program.

Finance committee  I'm very surprised to hear that, because the word from Canadian Heritage is that the program is consistently oversubscribed.

Finance committee  As I indicated earlier, information from the government is coming out, but we're not getting a lot of information. Yes, there has been an announcement of some $245 million, but we do not have details concerning what that will look like.

Finance committee  There is no doubt that the cuts to the museum assistance program will have an impact on museums all across Canada, because that $9 million envelope--which was the amount until the current cuts--serves a wide range of small and medium-sized museums across Canada, but at this point we're still in the dark.

Finance committee  We know that the cuts, regardless of size, will have an impact on museums. We just don't know at this point how the government plans to deploy these cuts. We can certainly send you examples of how these cuts can impact museums across Canada.

Finance committee  Good day. The Ontario Museum Association, or OMA, represents some 600 museums, art galleries, and historic sites, both large and small, in every corner of Ontario. We appreciate this opportunity to present the views of Ontario museums to the direction of the federal 2007 budget.