Ottawa, June 30, 2021
Department of Heritage announces national museums policy consultations for the fall, details of allocation strategy for $41 million recovery MAP funding
At a virtual meeting facilitated by Isha Khan, CEO of the Canadian Museum of Human Rights, the Honourable Minister Steven Guilbeault announced details relating to Monday’s funding announcement and provided an update on national museum policy.
The meeting, attended virtually by over 400 people, also saw a cultural introduction carried out by Elder Fred Kelly (Anishinaabe), who spoke to the importance of museums fostering reflection by not only presenting stories of great human achievement, but also of human atrocities.
National museum policy
The minister announced that the Department of Canadian Heritage would be starting the consultation process for a new national museum policy this fall. This is very good news, as the CMA has been advocating for action on this since the Fall of 2019.
The development of a new national museum policy has been at the forefront of the CMA’s advocacy work for some time, intensifying under the direction of outgoing CEO Dr. Vanda Vitali. The CMA applauds the minister’s commitment and looks forward to advancing this important agenda forward.
Recovery MAP funding
As announced on Monday, the Department of Canadian heritage has dedicated $41 million dollars in recovery funding for the museum sector. Further details announced today confirmed that the funding would be allocated in a similar manner to last year’s emergency MAP funding, in a way that was universally accepted to be easy to use and access. The minister indicated that the Department is committed to the application flexibility that has been introduced during the pandemic. The criteria -- which the CMA helped to adapt to suit the needs of the smallest museums — will be very similar to that used last year.
Program deadlines and the full criteria will be available on the Museums Assistance Program webpage soon.
Other funding details
The minister also reaffirmed previous budget allocations of $23 million for digital development in museums, as well as $12 million in supplemental funding for the Young Canada Works program, of which CMA is a delivery organization, to create an additional 1,200 opportunities for young, emerging professionals to build their skills. This is a total of $76 million in federal funding for the museum and cultural heritage sector, excluding funding for national museums, which amounted to $34 million.
Ongoing discussion
If you have questions or concerns about these latest federal program announcements, or any other matter related to federal museums and heritage policy, please send them to the CMA Executive Director’s office at executivedirector@museums.ca.
Related announcements:
Minister of Canadian Heritage announces details concerning Budget 2021, MAP program to receive $41 million (June 28, 2021)
CMA Applauds New Federal Investments in Heritage, Arts, and Museums Sectors (April 19, 2021)
Statement by Canadian Museums Association regarding supplementary mandate letter to Heritage Minister (National museum policy update — January 18, 2021)
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