67. A national review of museum policies and best practices

We call upon the federal government to provide funding to the Canadian Museums Association to undertake, in collaboration with Aboriginal peoples, a national review of museum policies and best practices to determine the level of compliance with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and to make recommendations.

In April 2019, Canadian Heritage announced more than $680,000 in funding for the Canadian Museums Association to undertake a national review of museum policies — in collaboration with Indigenous communities — to ensure they line up with the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP) and to make recommendations for best practices going forward.

A report with recommendations for the inclusion and representation of Indigenous communities within museums and cultural centres is expected in the fall of 2022.

Background:

The Canadian Museums Association had announced plans for a review in February 2017 but while it received federal seed money to start it, it had to wait for federal funding to launch it.

The CMA’s proposed Museums and Indigenous Peoples project “will take place in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) recommendations, to address the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and to consider other relevant issues,” the 2017 news release stated.

The CMA established a council made up of Indigenous, Métis and Inuit stakeholders and conducted draft literature reviews, surveys and proposals.

Sarah Pash, a CMA board member, told CBC News in April 2019 that the Canadian Heritage funding will allow the Canadian Museums Association to support museums to be part of the reconciliation process by helping them with best practices, providing a toolkit, and helping them find ways of collaborating with Indigenous communities.

Over the next two years, the group was to conduct in-person and online consultations with museums and Indigenous communities and organizations across the country. Organizers would then draft a statement of best practices for Canadian institutions.