According to Blacklock’s Reporter, the department of Canadian Heritage report found that museums are too “colonial” and need to educate Canadians on “climate change, equity, diversity, and inclusion.”. Museum .“Museums are colonial institutions,” said the report Renewal of the Canadian Museum Policy..“Museums are part of the colonial legacy.”.Cabinet ordered revisions to a 1990 museum policy used as a guide by some 2,700 exhibitors, art galleries, and heritage groups that rely on federal funding..“Canada’s museums are at a crossroads,” said the report..“The 1990 policy does not take into consideration important societal shifts such as reconciliation with indigenous peoples, addressing issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion or the ongoing digital transformation,” wrote the department..“As a trusted source of information, museums can help educate the public and encourage debate on issues such as climate change, equity, diversity, and inclusion. Museums must also consider these issues in their behind-the-scenes operations.”.According to the report, white women are most of the archivists, curators, librarians, and other museum employees in Canada..“Museum narratives traditionally excluded the many other stories and perspectives that make our history rich and meaningful,” said the report..“For many years, museums have decided what to acquire, what to exhibit, and whose stories to tell,” wrote staff..“Through these actions, museums contributed to the exclusion of voices that mainstream society of the day did not wish to acknowledge.”. Royal Sask Museum .“People of colour, people with disabilities, immigrants, LGBTQ communities, religious minorities, official language communities, and even people of different economic status were often marginalized or excluded from museum collections and exhibits,” said the report..The Canadian Heritage department sent grant recipients questionnaires about the new museum policy. However, it did not release the findings..In a January 11 notice, the same department said it was hiring indigenous elders and “knowledge keepers” as $100-per-hour consultants on its new policy..“Given Canada’s colonial past, the department recognizes First Nations, Inuit, and Metis see themselves as distinct from Canadians and that colonial history and assimilation efforts by Canada, including museums, has affected indigenous culture, language, and heritage,” said the notice Engaging Indigenous Partners Towards the Renewal of Canada’s Museum Policy..The policy rewrite follows a 2021 audit that concluded most Canadian museums faced a disastrous decline in visitors and revenue. Ticket sales, in-house research, sponsorships, and private fundraising accounted for just a third of museum revenues nationwide prior to the pandemic, said the Evaluation of the Museums Assistance Program..“Museums have lost a significant amount of earned revenue,” wrote auditors.
