Question Period Note: Climate change programming at National Museums

The mandate letter to the Minister of Canadian Heritage included a directive to work with the National Museums to increase Canadian’s awareness of climate change.

• Increased public awareness of climate change is key to achieving a cleaner environment and sustainable economy.
• We will continue to work with our National Museums, who are already doing important work in this area, on how they can contribute to increasing public awareness with respect to climate change.
• As the economy continues to recover from COVID-19, National Museums will play a vital role in further educating Canadians on the importance of being part of the solution to climate change.

• In the December 13, 2019 mandate letter to the Minister of Canadian Heritage, the Prime Minister directed that Canadian Heritage work with the national museums to increase Canadian’s awareness of climate change. This is a new initiative for the department.
• National Museums are governed by the Museums Act. As such, they are autonomous Crown corporations that operate at arm’s length from the government in their day-to-day operations, activities and programming.
• The Canadian Museum of Nature’s updated Water Gallery provides educational content on climate change and how it impacts the health of marine and fresh waters. The stories are told through interactive games, colourful and thought-provoking graphics, real specimens and informative videos.
• The National Museum of Science and Technology is educating the public on climate change issues through a global perspective with Climate Change is Here, a visual display based on the striking imagery of the award-winning National Geographic Magazine. This photographic display also takes a special look at Canadian technologies developed to help fight climate change. In addition, the Museum has a captivating canopy video on Climate Change which covers a range of issues from CO2 emissions to technological solutions.
• The Canadian Museum of History has been implementing its COASTAL project which studies the impact of coastal erosion of Indigenous sites in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick towards salvaging threatened archaeological sites. In addition, there is an ongoing study of Wally’s Beach in Alberta, which is the earliest known butchering site of Late Pleistocene species of horse and camel.

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