Liberal Senator Jerry Grafstein, shown in 2006, will introduce a bill calling for the ceation of a portrait gallery in the former U.S. embassy in Ottawa. (Chuck Stoody/Canadian Press)

Senator Jerry Grafstein wants to get plans for a national portrait gallery back on track by resurrecting an old proposal to put the gallery in the former U.S. embassy in Ottawa.

Grafstein plans to introduce a private member's bill in the Senate on Thursday to re-establish the former embassy, just steps away from the Parliament Buildings, as the site of a national portrait gallery.

"Essentially, it says that the [Library and Archives] Act should be amended to set up a national portrait gallery at 199 Wellington St., which is the American embassy site, right across from the Parliament buildings," Grafstein told CBC cultural affairs show Q on Wednesday.

That was the original plan, under the Chrétien government. It was slowed down during Martin's term, then cancelled by Harper in favour of a competition for the gallery from cities across the country.

Two weeks ago new Heritage Minister James Moore abruptly scrapped plans for the gallery, saying none of the submitted bids was acceptable.

"Now that that process, which I think was a flawed process, is dead, this allows us to now re-establish it and pinpoint it to the site that [originally] … was designated as the national portrait gallery," Grafstein said.

Grafstein, who has been involved in planning the gallery for eight years, said the Ottawa proposal would be the least expensive for the country.

Much work already done

"We've spent millions of dollars already on that site. It's ready to go, a plan has been developed, architectural contest was held and I would say in excess of $15 million … and hundreds of manhours have been spent on the site. With very little money to add to this we could build the national portrait gallery in the next couple of years," he said.

Grafstein said he is introducing a private member's bill with the idea that there should be a national debate on the issue of the portrait gallery. It should not be left up to the Tory government to decide, said the senator, who introduced a similar bill earlier this year in an attempt to block plans to move the gallery out of Ottawa.

The National Archive, which is currently custodian of Canada's portraits, has tens of thousands of paintings and photographs of everyone from Sir John A. Macdonald to Douglas Coupland. It owns a full collection of works by world-renowned photographer Yousuf Karsh, as well as thousands of historic and famous photos.

"If you don't have it in Ottawa, that will never been seen," Grafstein said. "Here it is, Canada's largest treasure trove of history, living visual history, and nobody will see it or very little of it."

Even parliamentarians have not seen the vast collection, as it is stored in the National Archives and rarely exhibited.

Up to a million visit nearby Parliament

It is disingenuous for the Harper government, which cancelled the funds that supported museum touring exhibitions, to say Canadians can see the collection when it tours, Grafstein said.

A national portrait gallery in downtown Ottawa would draw visitors from among the 750,000 to one million people annually who tour the Houses of Parliament.

He proposes a virtual gallery be created out of the collection, both to generate revenue and to allow museums in other cities to participate.

He estimates renovating the former U.S. embassy, with a design already chosen in an international competition, would cost $30 million to $40 million.

"One of problems in Canada, in my view, is we have huge lobbies for oil, we have huge lobbies for the auto pact, we have no lobby for the cultural life of this country, except when it comes to something like television where money can be made," Grafstein said.

"Here is visual history with no lobby except for some hardworking, fairly poor artists who put their life and soul into the visual history of this country. Why don't we support them?"