[BCMA] Government of Canada Continues to Support Heritage Organizations and Access to Canada’s Heritage Collections

[Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv]

From: Canadian Heritage <https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage.html>
News release

OTTAWA, June 30, 2021

The Government of Canada remains committed to supporting heritage
institutions—like museums, art galleries, archives, Indigenous heritage
organizations and historic sites—that have felt the impact of the COVID-19
pandemic.

In the last year, due to health measures and ongoing travel restrictions,
heritage institutions have had to shift to offering virtual experiences.
The government will continue to support this shift to increase access to
Canada’s heritage and digital collections for Canadians across the country.

Supporting heritage organizations and museums as they reopen to visitors

As part of Budget 2021 funding for the arts, culture, heritage and sport
sectors and Canadians working in them, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault,
Minister of Canadian Heritage, announced today $41 million to support
heritage organizations across Canada in 2021–22 as they reopen and safely
welcome back visitors. This funding will be delivered through the Museums
Assistance Program (MAP) and will be accessible to a broad range of
organizations through a streamlined online application process. It builds
on the $53 million provided by the government as part of the COVID-19
Emergency Fund for Heritage Organizations in support to organizations with
heritage collections.

Budget 2021 also committed a total of $34 million for 2021–22 to help
Canada’s six national museums and the National Battlefields Commission, as
they also experienced significant financial losses during the COVID-19
pandemic.

Increased access to digital collections and Canadian history

In addition, the Government of Canada is also investing $23 million over
three years to help museums across the country digitize information and
collections. This funding will be delivered through a new component of the
MAP to support the development of original content such as educational
materials, apps or other virtual activities aimed at enhancing the
visitor’s experience in person and online.

More details on the call for applications and eligibility criteria will be
made available in the coming months.

Building careers in the heritage sector

Finally, the heritage sector could not survive without students and
graduates who are acquiring skills, experiences and competencies through
summer/short-term jobs and internships within heritage and cultural
organizations. That is why the government continues to support the Young
Canada Works (YCW) Heritage program. To address the impacts of the COVID-19
pandemic, $12 million in supplementary recovery funds will be made
available in 2021–22 to help create 1,240 additional jobs and internships.

Many young people have faced challenges finding work in the last year
because of the COVID-19 pandemic. These investments will provide them with
job opportunities, in addition to helping heritage and cultural
organizations create the workforce they need to operate and ensure
succession.
Quotes

“History, heritage and culture are at the heart of who we are and what we
pass on from one generation to the next. We recognize the importance of
education and the richness of this sector, which has suffered greatly from
the pandemic restrictions in recent months. We are happy that our
government's investment will allow many museums to gradually reopen to the
public, provide access to more Canadian heritage collections online and
allow many young Canadians to find jobs and build their careers in the
heritage sector.”

—The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Heritage

Quick facts

<http://www.museum.bc.ca>

   -

   In Budget 2021, the Government of Canada committed $1.9 billion to help
   support the recovery and reopening of the arts, culture, heritage and sport
   sectors. This funding will help ensure recovery and growth, and help create
   good, middle-class jobs in these sectors.
   -

   To assess requests and distribute funds to organizations that need it
   most, two initiatives have been developed: the Recovery Fund for Arts,
   Culture, Heritage and Sport Sectors, which will provide $300 million over
   two years to these sectors; and the Reopening Fund, which will provide $200
   million over two years to help Canada’s festivals, cultural events, outdoor
   theatre performances, heritage celebrations, local museums, amateur sport
   events and more.
   -

   The Museums Assistance Program supports heritage institutions and
   workers in the preservation and presentation of heritage collections. The
   program encourages the preservation of Indigenous cultures and facilitates
   access to heritage collections for all Canadians. It also promotes
   professional knowledge, skills and practices related to key museum
   functions.
   -

   Canada’s national museums are independent Crown corporations responsible
   for their day-to-day operations, including making decisions related to
   their programming and exhibition content as well as managing their human
   and financial resources. The funding for the national museums and the
   National Battlefields Commission will be distributed in 2021-22 as follows:

   Canadian Museum for Human Rights: $3.9 million

   Canadian Museum of History: $4.9 million

   Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21: $1.4 million

   Canadian Museum of Nature: $8 million

   National Museum of Science and Technology: $7.6 million

   National Gallery of Canada: $6.2 million

   National Battlefields Commission: $2 million
   -

   Young Canada Works funds employers to help them create jobs for students
   and internships for graduates. These programs help youth acquire skills in
   the cultural and heritage sector, (Young Canada Works Heritage component),
   and official language environments (Young Canada Works Official Languages
   component).
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