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POLITICAL PARTIES AND MUSEUMS

October 17, 2019 

Last week, your national, provincial and territorial museums associations joined forces and issued open letters to federal political party leaders asking them to share their election commitments for the museum sector. We emphasized the need for and therefore recommended: a review and modernization of the National Museum Policy; a review of funding streams and simplification of the funding application process; and an expansion of the Museums Assistance Program.

Museum issues are important — and museum professionals’ votes count. Be sure to get out and vote!

While we urge you to read the party platforms in full, we have sourced some examples of commitments that have been made in party platforms regarding museums and cultural heritage:

  • The  Liberal Party of Canada committed to reviewing the National Museum Policy and to creating the Culture Pass, a $200 credit for Canadian children to access theatres, museums, galleries, workshops, and other cultural venues. They have also committed to providing clearer direction on the designation and preservation of national heritage places and to introducing a Cultural Diplomacy strategy;
  • The  Liberal Party of Canada and the  Conservative Party of Canada have both committed to making the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Heritage Centre in Regina, SK into a national museum;

  • The  Conservative Party of Canada committed to removing admission fees from Canada’s national museums while increasing the government funding to these museums to compensate for reduced revenue from this policy. They would also extend the Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage Program for an additional three years and designate the grave sites of former Prime Ministers and Governor Generals as national heritage sites;

  • The  New Democratic Party of Canada pledged that arts and cultural institutions would receive stable, long-term funding to grow and promote Canada’s diverse cultures and histories. They would also put in place income tax averaging for artists and cultural workers;
  • The  Bloc Québécois would require that consent be obtained from Quebec in matters relating to UNESCO. They would also demand that the Canada Council for the arts provide better support for Quebecois creators and maintain an indexed budget of 300 million dollars, including aide for international promotion;
  • The  Green Party of Canada committed to increase funding to all of Canada’s arts and culture organizations, including the Canada Council for Arts. They would also implement federal income tax credits for restoration expenditures to encourage private involvement in preserving Canada’s built heritage including the private donation of easements on heritage properties;
  • The CMA was unable to find any commitments from the  People’s Party of Canada to the museum/cultural heritage sector.

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