Canadian Heritage committee  Could I just speak on Korea as well? In Asia—

Canadian Heritage committee  They are putting a lot of money into museums and culture in Asian countries generally. They're seen as being very significant. The Seoul Museum of History invited me over there a few years ago. They have a special international conference every year, and they bring in the world's greatest experts from a different region.

Canadian Heritage committee  Museums certainly are a part of civil society. We have a strange structure, in that some of them are public institutions that are lined up as part of government-run museums, and then some of them are part of the voluntary sector. However, all museums are part of the voluntary sector because we depend so heavily on volunteers for everything that we do.

Canadian Heritage committee  The situation in Britain is pretty dire right now in terms of public funding for museums. I would say they're in an even worse state than we are, not necessarily at the national perspective but in local fundraising. Local funding has been totally cut, so a lot of local museums' councils are just shutting their doors.

Canadian Heritage committee  Yes. We follow the British model of establishing museums, so people think these are educational institutions and they should be provided for free. That's not the American situation.

Canadian Heritage committee  We are all making the same argument.

Canadian Heritage committee  Yes, but I think what we are trying to do is diversify what we say our benefit to society is. We're really emphasizing that aspect to people so that people understand that what museums are today isn't what they were 20 or 50 years ago and that we are doing so many things in so many sectors across the country.

Canadian Heritage committee  I think it's up to you to set the bar here. There isn't a best practice out there.

Canadian Heritage committee  In fact, it has increased due to the pressures mentioned above. The proportion of public funding has decreased, while the proportion of earned revenue, corporate sponsorships, and foundation and private donations has increased. Museum workers spend an increasing proportion of their time identifying potential sources of funding and applying for project funds.

Canadian Heritage committee  CAM has also initiated a project in Africa on how to develop policy and legislation on human remains management, an issue of concern to Canadian museums as well. Our international internships, supported by the Young Canada Works program, are invaluable for the interns and host museums, but they're underfunded.

Canadian Heritage committee  Madam Chair, vice-chairs and committee members, thank you for the opportunity to speak about the current state of museums in Canada. I began working in museums when I was 15 years old as a volunteer in a volunteer-run county museum in Ontario. I've worked in heritage interpretation and curatorial positions in large and small museums, and as a consultant on cultural planning and policy development, strategic research, and innovative community-based arts and heritage initiatives throughout Canada, particularly in the north, for more than 30 years.