Canadian Museum for Human Rights
Encyclopedia
The Canadian Museum for Human Rights is a national museum currently under construction in Winnipeg
, Manitoba
, Canada
at the historic Forks where the Assiniboine
and Red Rivers
meet. The purpose of the museum is to increase understanding and awareness about human rights, human rights
issues and challenges, promote respect for others, and encourage reflection, dialogue, and action.
Established in 2008, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) was the first national museum created in Canada since 1967, and it is the first national museum ever to be located outside the National Capital Region
.
as a place where students from across Canada
could come to learn about human rights. He also saw the CMHR as an opportunity to revitalize downtown Winnipeg and increase tourism to the city. Asper launched the CMHR as a private initiative on April 17, 2003, the 21st anniversary of signing of Charter of Rights and Freedoms. After Izzy’s death in 2003, his daughter Gail Asper
became the main proponent of the project.
On April 20, 2007, Prime Minister
Stephen Harper
announced the Government of Canada’s
intention to make the CMHR into a national museum, the first national museum created in over 40 years. Then on March 13, 2008, Bill C-42, An Act amending the Museums Act and making consequential amendments to other Acts, received Royal Assent
in Parliament
, with support from all political parties, creating the Canadian Museum for Human Rights as a national museum. By the middle of 2008, a government-funded opinion research project had been completed by the TNS/The Antima Group. The ensuing report—based primarily on focus group participants—listed the following: which topics (not in order of preference) might be covered by the CMHR; key milestones in human rights achievements, both in Canada and throughout the world; current debates about human rights; and events where Canada showed a betrayal or a commitment towards human rights.
December 19, 2008 marked the Groundbreaking ceremony at the site of the CMHR, and official construction on the site began in April, 2009. Construction is expected to be completed in 2012.
, and the City of Winnipeg as well as private donations. The total budget for the building of the exterior of the CMHR and its contents is $310 million.
To date, the Government of Canada has allocated $100 million, the Government of Manitoba has donated $40 million, and the City of Winnipeg has donated $20 million. The Friends of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, led by Gail Asper
, have succeeded in raising $125 million in private donations from across Canada
so far. An additional $25 million is still needed to reach the fundraising goal. The Canadian Museum for Human Rights has requested an additional $35 million in Capital funding from the federal government to cover shortfalls. In April 2011 the CMHR also received an additional $3.6 million from the City of Winnipeg, which was actually taken from a federal grant to the city in lieu of taxes for the museum.
Once the CMHR is open, the operating budget will be provided by the government of Canada, as the CMHR is a national museum. The estimated operating costs to the federal government are $22 million annually.
, a world renowned architect based out of Albuquerque, New Mexico
.
His vision for the CMHR is a journey, beginning with a descent into the earth where visitors enter the CMHR through the ‘roots’ of the museum. Visitors are led through the Great Hall, then a series of vast spaces and ramps, before culminating in the Tower of Hope, a tall spire protruding from the CMHR that provides visitors with an amazing view of downtown Winnipeg.
Antoine Predock’s inspiration for the CMHR comes from the natural scenery and open spaces in Canada
like trees, ice, and northern lights, First Nations
peoples in Canada, and the rootedness of human rights action. He describes the CMHR in the following way:
“The Canadian Museum for Human Rights is rooted in humanity, making visible in the architecture the fundamental commonality of humankind-a symbolic apparition of ice, clouds and stone set in a field of sweet grass. Carved into the earth and dissolving into the sky on the Winnipeg horizon, the abstract ephemeral wings of a white dove embrace a mythic stone mountain of 450 million year old Tyndall limestone in the creation of a unifying and timeless landmark for all nations and cultures of the world.”
Construction of the building is currently underway. Throughout the foundation work of the CMHR, medicine bags created by Elders at Thunderbird House ,in Winnipeg
, were inserted into the holes made for piles and caissons to show respect for mother earth. Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, unveiled on 3 July 2010 the building's cornerstone
, which bears the Queen's royal cypher
and has embedded in it a piece of stone from the ruins of St. Mary's Priory, at Runnymede
, England
where it is believed the Magna Carta
was approved in 1215 by King John
. The CMHR website has two webcams available for people to watch the construction as it progresses.
to develop the inaugural exhibits of the museum. RAA has indicated that the galleries throughout the CMHR will deal with various themes including the Canadian human rights journey, Aboriginal
concepts of human rights, the Holocaust
, and current human rights issues. The CMHR has a team of researchers working with RAA to develop the inaugural exhibits.
As part of the content development process, the CMHR did a cross-country story gathering tour called ‘Help Write the Story of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.’ From May 2009 to February 2010, the CMHR visited 19 cities and talked to thousands of people about their human rights experiences and what they want to see in the museum. This consultation process was led by Lord Cultural Resources based out of Toronto. The stories heard will help inform the content of the CMHR.
artifacts. Retired Manitoba
archeologist, Leigh Syms stated that the excavation done prior to construction did not go far enough. A spokesperson for the museum pointed out that the museum had consulted with native leaders prior to excavation. In addition, the museum is continuning to evaluate the site through construction. The area where the museum is being built has been an area of increased development over the past few years, including a skate park, a hotel, and a parkade. All of which are south of what is believed to be a part of the Aboriginal Graveyard.
The CMHR has responded to the criticisms put forward by Leigh Syms, arguing that they have followed all necessary guidelines prior to and during the archaeological digs and excavations and have consulted and continue to consult Aboriginal Elders and others within the Aboriginal community about the project as it moves forward.
There have been suggestions that the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, and much of the Forks in general, is located on an Aboriginal burial ground. An impact assessment and management plan prepared for the Forks Renewal Corporation prior to the beginning of construction of the Forks Market in 1988 outlines the concerns about burial grounds expressed by the archaeologists. Several archaeological digs in the area done between 1989-1991 as well as the archaeological digs completed by the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in 2008 and 2009 did not find any human remains. These digs show that while the site was used for a variety of land uses, it has never been a burial ground.
The Forks is located in the flood plain of the Red and Assiniboine rivers. Before the flood way was built in 1968, the location of the Forks was prone to flooding when accumulated winter snow rapidly melted in the spring. One of the largest of these floods, in 1826, destroyed the original Fort Garry. The Red River rose three metres (nine feet) in one day. It created a lake that remained for months and washed away nearly every building in the settlement. Due to recurring flooding, the Forks site was used as a transitional camp.
Over 50 separate projects involving excavation have been undertaken at the Forks since 1950, enabling researchers to provide an accurate reflection of the various uses of the Forks over the past 6000 years. Despite the above stated concerns, none of these projects indicate that the Forks site was ever used as a burial ground.
suffering during the Holocaust and for the injustices experienced by the Aboriginal peoples in Canada
. Organizations like the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC), Canadians for Genocide Education, the German-Canadian Congress, the Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Association (UCCLA) and thousands of other Canadians have been protesting this elevation of the suffering of one or two communities above all others (while any other experiences and issues will be addressed thematically in the remaining galleries). Other advocacy groups have also chimed in to protest about the over-emphasis on the Holocaust, with regard to atrocities.
Angela Cassie, the museum’s director of communications, responded to recent criticism by pointing out that there was a misconception about there being only two permanent zones. “There will in fact be 12 permanent zones and the Holodomor will have a permanent display in the ‘Mass Atrocity’ zone, immediately adjacent to the Holocaust zone," Cassie said. "This zone will feature detailed information on the Holodomor
and many other mass atrocities that have taken place worldwide and will provide educational opportunities for visitors to learn more about these events.” According to the Canadian Jewish Congress CEO Bernie Farber, the events of the Holocaust require a special focus, because they redefined the limits of "human depravity" and challenged the foundation of our civilization. The victims of this Holocaust have still not recovered from the slaughter they endured. “The Holocaust was also the foundation for our modern human rights legislation, and it makes perfect sense that the Holocaust should have a permanent place in the museum. It also makes sense that the plight of Canada’s First Nations should also have a prominent place in the museum. What makes no sense is pitting one group of Canadians against another,” said Farber. As for the Holocaust zone, Cassie has stated that this gallery is anticipated to include the sufferings of “the Roma, persons with physical and mental disabilities, gay men, lesbians … among other communities." In a "reply to the editor" of the National Post, Stuart Murray
, president and CEO of the museum, gave his statement on the inclusivity of the museum's planned galleries, following the various protests appearing in the media since December 2010. A month later, Murray's travel expenses at the cost of taxpayers, purportedly for meetings related to museum business, have also been under scutiny.
s, could be treated as a whole, whether the atrocities occurred in Europe, Africa or Asia, and could include the politically motivated crimes of communism as well as fascism. In December 2010, the UCCLA even started a postcard campaign to try to persuade Heritage Minister James Moore to convene a new advisory committee, with the objective of reevaluating the proposed content of the CMHR. Luciuk also stated that "as a publicly funded institution, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights should not elevate the suffering of any community above all others." Member of Parliament James Bezan released a statement that implored the CMHR Board of Trustees to apportion to the "Holodomor genocide...a unique, autonomous and prominent place in the CMHR" and requested that the "CMHR Board [of Trustees] contain respected members of the Ukrainian community with knowledge of the Holodomor and other human rights violations."
A petition outlining the grievances of the UCC has been prepared for submission to parliament, entitled "Petition for equity and fairness at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights."
The UCC also revealed that the tendering process undertaken by the Canadian Museum for Human Rights has no intention of including permanent or prominent displays of the Holodomor or of Canada’s First National Internment Operations, providing further evidence that the Museum will proceed on the basis of the discredited Content Advisory Committee Report. It should be noted here that many historians and authors have considered the possibiliity that the Holodomor was not a selective genocide against the Ukrainian populace specifically—it was a consequence of collectivization rather than of ethnic prejudices (see Holodomor genocide question
). Even Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
made a point of addressing this issue. He admitted that the famine was caused by the corrupt ideals of the Communist regime, under which all suffered equally. It was not an assault by the Russian people against the people of Ukraine, and that the wish to view it as such is only a recent development. The current Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych
has also weighed in on the issue. He has stated that the tragedy that struck Ukrainians and other Soviet peoples between 1930-1933 should not be viewed as an act of genocide against one nation, although he has described it as a "targeted crime" by the Stalinist regime against its own people. Agreeing with other historians, he said that "the Holodomor was in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. It was the result of Stalin's totalitarian regime. But it would be wrong and unfair to recognize the Holodomor as an act of genocide against one nation." Raphael Lemkin
, who coined the term "genocide" and was instrumental in bringing about the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide
in 1948, did view the Holodomor as an act of genocide.
To address the concerns by Canadian citizens, about how various human rights issues would be covered in the museum, Cassie further provided a more detailed explanation of the actual process for public consultation and corrected any misconceptions that may have been perpetrated by the media, particularly in relation to gallery content. From this statement, it is clear that the Holocaust will be in its own gallery, the Holodomor will be given a permanent place in the 'Mass Atrocity' zone, the Canadian internment operations will be featured, and the human rights abuses towards aboriginals will have a place in the 'Indigenous Rights' gallery. Cassie also explained that the Content Advisory Committee's mandate had expired in March 2010, and that its submitted recommendations only constituted part of the consultation process. The first round of public consultations that had begun in May 2009, was completed in February 2010.
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
at the historic Forks where the Assiniboine
Assiniboine River
The Assiniboine River is a river that runs through the prairies of Western Canada in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. It is a tributary of the Red River. The Assiniboine is a typical meandering river with a single main channel embanked within a flat, shallow valley in some places and a steep valley in...
and Red Rivers
Red River of the North
The Red River is a North American river. Originating at the confluence of the Bois de Sioux and Otter Tail rivers in the United States, it flows northward through the Red River Valley and forms the border between the U.S. states of Minnesota and North Dakota before continuing into Manitoba, Canada...
meet. The purpose of the museum is to increase understanding and awareness about human rights, human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
issues and challenges, promote respect for others, and encourage reflection, dialogue, and action.
Established in 2008, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) was the first national museum created in Canada since 1967, and it is the first national museum ever to be located outside the National Capital Region
National Capital Region (Canada)
The National Capital Region, also referred to as Canada's Capital Region, is an official federal designation for the Canadian capital of Ottawa, Ontario, the neighbouring city of Gatineau, Quebec, and surrounding urban and rural communities....
.
History
The CMHR was the dream of CanWest founder Izzy AsperIzzy Asper
Israel Harold "Izzy" Asper, , Canadian tax lawyer and media magnate, was the founder of the now defunct CanWest Global Communications Corp and father to its former CEO and President Leonard Asper, former director and corporate secretary Gail Asper, as well as Executive Vice President David Asper...
as a place where students from across Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
could come to learn about human rights. He also saw the CMHR as an opportunity to revitalize downtown Winnipeg and increase tourism to the city. Asper launched the CMHR as a private initiative on April 17, 2003, the 21st anniversary of signing of Charter of Rights and Freedoms. After Izzy’s death in 2003, his daughter Gail Asper
Gail Asper
Gail Sheryl Asper, OC, OM is a director and corporate secretary of CanWest Global Communications Corp, president of the CanWest Global Foundation, and managing director and secretary of The Asper Foundation, the private charitable foundation spearheading the establishment of the $310 million...
became the main proponent of the project.
On April 20, 2007, Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
Stephen Harper
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election...
announced the Government of Canada’s
Government of Canada
The Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...
intention to make the CMHR into a national museum, the first national museum created in over 40 years. Then on March 13, 2008, Bill C-42, An Act amending the Museums Act and making consequential amendments to other Acts, received Royal Assent
Royal Assent
The granting of royal assent refers to the method by which any constitutional monarch formally approves and promulgates an act of his or her nation's parliament, thus making it a law...
in Parliament
Parliament of Canada
The Parliament of Canada is the federal legislative branch of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in the national capital, Ottawa. Formally, the body consists of the Canadian monarch—represented by her governor general—the Senate, and the House of Commons, each element having its own officers and...
, with support from all political parties, creating the Canadian Museum for Human Rights as a national museum. By the middle of 2008, a government-funded opinion research project had been completed by the TNS/The Antima Group. The ensuing report—based primarily on focus group participants—listed the following: which topics (not in order of preference) might be covered by the CMHR; key milestones in human rights achievements, both in Canada and throughout the world; current debates about human rights; and events where Canada showed a betrayal or a commitment towards human rights.
December 19, 2008 marked the Groundbreaking ceremony at the site of the CMHR, and official construction on the site began in April, 2009. Construction is expected to be completed in 2012.
Funding
Funding for the capital costs of the CMHR is coming from three jurisdictions of government the federal Crown, the provincial CrownMonarchy in Manitoba
By the arrangements of the Canadian federation, Canada's monarchy operates in Manitoba as the core of the province's Westminster-style parliamentary democracy. As such, the Crown within Manitoba's jurisdiction is referred to as the Crown in Right of Manitoba, Her Majesty in Right of Manitoba, or...
, and the City of Winnipeg as well as private donations. The total budget for the building of the exterior of the CMHR and its contents is $310 million.
To date, the Government of Canada has allocated $100 million, the Government of Manitoba has donated $40 million, and the City of Winnipeg has donated $20 million. The Friends of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, led by Gail Asper
Gail Asper
Gail Sheryl Asper, OC, OM is a director and corporate secretary of CanWest Global Communications Corp, president of the CanWest Global Foundation, and managing director and secretary of The Asper Foundation, the private charitable foundation spearheading the establishment of the $310 million...
, have succeeded in raising $125 million in private donations from across Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
so far. An additional $25 million is still needed to reach the fundraising goal. The Canadian Museum for Human Rights has requested an additional $35 million in Capital funding from the federal government to cover shortfalls. In April 2011 the CMHR also received an additional $3.6 million from the City of Winnipeg, which was actually taken from a federal grant to the city in lieu of taxes for the museum.
Once the CMHR is open, the operating budget will be provided by the government of Canada, as the CMHR is a national museum. The estimated operating costs to the federal government are $22 million annually.
Building
In 2003, the Friends of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights launched an international architectural competition for the design of the CMHR. 62 submissions from 21 countries worldwide were submitted. The judging panel chose the design submitted by Antoine PredockAntoine Predock
Antoine Predock is an American architect based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Antoine Predock is the Principal of Antoine Predock Architect PC. The studio was established in 1967...
, a world renowned architect based out of Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
.
His vision for the CMHR is a journey, beginning with a descent into the earth where visitors enter the CMHR through the ‘roots’ of the museum. Visitors are led through the Great Hall, then a series of vast spaces and ramps, before culminating in the Tower of Hope, a tall spire protruding from the CMHR that provides visitors with an amazing view of downtown Winnipeg.
Antoine Predock’s inspiration for the CMHR comes from the natural scenery and open spaces in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
like trees, ice, and northern lights, First Nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
peoples in Canada, and the rootedness of human rights action. He describes the CMHR in the following way:
“The Canadian Museum for Human Rights is rooted in humanity, making visible in the architecture the fundamental commonality of humankind-a symbolic apparition of ice, clouds and stone set in a field of sweet grass. Carved into the earth and dissolving into the sky on the Winnipeg horizon, the abstract ephemeral wings of a white dove embrace a mythic stone mountain of 450 million year old Tyndall limestone in the creation of a unifying and timeless landmark for all nations and cultures of the world.”
Construction of the building is currently underway. Throughout the foundation work of the CMHR, medicine bags created by Elders at Thunderbird House ,in Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, were inserted into the holes made for piles and caissons to show respect for mother earth. Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, unveiled on 3 July 2010 the building's cornerstone
Cornerstone
The cornerstone concept is derived from the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.Over time a cornerstone became a ceremonial masonry stone, or...
, which bears the Queen's royal cypher
Royal Cypher
In modern heraldry, a royal cypher is a monogram-like device of a country's reigning sovereign, typically consisting of the initials of the monarch's name and title, sometimes interwoven and often surmounted by a crown. In the case where such a cypher is used by an emperor or empress, it is called...
and has embedded in it a piece of stone from the ruins of St. Mary's Priory, at Runnymede
Runnymede
Runnymede is a water-meadow alongside the River Thames in the English county of Berkshire, and just over west of central London. It is notable for its association with the sealing of Magna Carta, and as a consequence is the site of a collection of memorials...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
where it is believed the Magna Carta
Magna Carta
Magna Carta is an English charter, originally issued in the year 1215 and reissued later in the 13th century in modified versions, which included the most direct challenges to the monarch's authority to date. The charter first passed into law in 1225...
was approved in 1215 by King John
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
. The CMHR website has two webcams available for people to watch the construction as it progresses.
Exhibits
The CMHR is working with exhibit designer Ralph Appelbaum Associates (RAA) based out of New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
to develop the inaugural exhibits of the museum. RAA has indicated that the galleries throughout the CMHR will deal with various themes including the Canadian human rights journey, Aboriginal
Aboriginal peoples in Canada
Aboriginal peoples in Canada comprise the First Nations, Inuit and Métis. The descriptors "Indian" and "Eskimo" have fallen into disuse in Canada and are commonly considered pejorative....
concepts of human rights, the Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
, and current human rights issues. The CMHR has a team of researchers working with RAA to develop the inaugural exhibits.
As part of the content development process, the CMHR did a cross-country story gathering tour called ‘Help Write the Story of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.’ From May 2009 to February 2010, the CMHR visited 19 cities and talked to thousands of people about their human rights experiences and what they want to see in the museum. This consultation process was led by Lord Cultural Resources based out of Toronto. The stories heard will help inform the content of the CMHR.
Concerns about an aboriginal sacred site
The proposed museum has come under criticism, including criticism that the site selected is one of the richest sites in Manitoba for aboriginalAboriginal peoples in Canada
Aboriginal peoples in Canada comprise the First Nations, Inuit and Métis. The descriptors "Indian" and "Eskimo" have fallen into disuse in Canada and are commonly considered pejorative....
artifacts. Retired Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
archeologist, Leigh Syms stated that the excavation done prior to construction did not go far enough. A spokesperson for the museum pointed out that the museum had consulted with native leaders prior to excavation. In addition, the museum is continuning to evaluate the site through construction. The area where the museum is being built has been an area of increased development over the past few years, including a skate park, a hotel, and a parkade. All of which are south of what is believed to be a part of the Aboriginal Graveyard.
The CMHR has responded to the criticisms put forward by Leigh Syms, arguing that they have followed all necessary guidelines prior to and during the archaeological digs and excavations and have consulted and continue to consult Aboriginal Elders and others within the Aboriginal community about the project as it moves forward.
There have been suggestions that the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, and much of the Forks in general, is located on an Aboriginal burial ground. An impact assessment and management plan prepared for the Forks Renewal Corporation prior to the beginning of construction of the Forks Market in 1988 outlines the concerns about burial grounds expressed by the archaeologists. Several archaeological digs in the area done between 1989-1991 as well as the archaeological digs completed by the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in 2008 and 2009 did not find any human remains. These digs show that while the site was used for a variety of land uses, it has never been a burial ground.
The Forks is located in the flood plain of the Red and Assiniboine rivers. Before the flood way was built in 1968, the location of the Forks was prone to flooding when accumulated winter snow rapidly melted in the spring. One of the largest of these floods, in 1826, destroyed the original Fort Garry. The Red River rose three metres (nine feet) in one day. It created a lake that remained for months and washed away nearly every building in the settlement. Due to recurring flooding, the Forks site was used as a transitional camp.
Over 50 separate projects involving excavation have been undertaken at the Forks since 1950, enabling researchers to provide an accurate reflection of the various uses of the Forks over the past 6000 years. Despite the above stated concerns, none of these projects indicate that the Forks site was ever used as a burial ground.
Concerns over the proposed museum content
Starting in December 2010, controversy has erupted over the plans for two permanent gallery spaces: for the JewishJews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
suffering during the Holocaust and for the injustices experienced by the Aboriginal peoples in Canada
Aboriginal peoples in Canada
Aboriginal peoples in Canada comprise the First Nations, Inuit and Métis. The descriptors "Indian" and "Eskimo" have fallen into disuse in Canada and are commonly considered pejorative....
. Organizations like the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC), Canadians for Genocide Education, the German-Canadian Congress, the Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Association (UCCLA) and thousands of other Canadians have been protesting this elevation of the suffering of one or two communities above all others (while any other experiences and issues will be addressed thematically in the remaining galleries). Other advocacy groups have also chimed in to protest about the over-emphasis on the Holocaust, with regard to atrocities.
Angela Cassie, the museum’s director of communications, responded to recent criticism by pointing out that there was a misconception about there being only two permanent zones. “There will in fact be 12 permanent zones and the Holodomor will have a permanent display in the ‘Mass Atrocity’ zone, immediately adjacent to the Holocaust zone," Cassie said. "This zone will feature detailed information on the Holodomor
Holodomor
The Holodomor was a man-made famine in the Ukrainian SSR between 1932 and 1933. During the famine, which is also known as the "terror-famine in Ukraine" and "famine-genocide in Ukraine", millions of Ukrainians died of starvation in a peacetime catastrophe unprecedented in the history of...
and many other mass atrocities that have taken place worldwide and will provide educational opportunities for visitors to learn more about these events.” According to the Canadian Jewish Congress CEO Bernie Farber, the events of the Holocaust require a special focus, because they redefined the limits of "human depravity" and challenged the foundation of our civilization. The victims of this Holocaust have still not recovered from the slaughter they endured. “The Holocaust was also the foundation for our modern human rights legislation, and it makes perfect sense that the Holocaust should have a permanent place in the museum. It also makes sense that the plight of Canada’s First Nations should also have a prominent place in the museum. What makes no sense is pitting one group of Canadians against another,” said Farber. As for the Holocaust zone, Cassie has stated that this gallery is anticipated to include the sufferings of “the Roma, persons with physical and mental disabilities, gay men, lesbians … among other communities." In a "reply to the editor" of the National Post, Stuart Murray
Stuart Murray
Stuart Murray is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served as leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba and leader of the opposition in the Manitoba legislature from 2000 to 2006.-Early life and career:...
, president and CEO of the museum, gave his statement on the inclusivity of the museum's planned galleries, following the various protests appearing in the media since December 2010. A month later, Murray's travel expenses at the cost of taxpayers, purportedly for meetings related to museum business, have also been under scutiny.
Inclusion of the Holodomor and other atrocities
Lubomyr Luciuk, speaking for the UCCLA, suggested that the museum's 12 thematic galleries could cover larger issues such as Canadian internment operations, including unwarranted detention of the following: Ukrainians and others during World War I; Germans, Italians and Japanese during World War II; and some Québécois in the 1970 October Crisis. Another topic, genocideGenocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
s, could be treated as a whole, whether the atrocities occurred in Europe, Africa or Asia, and could include the politically motivated crimes of communism as well as fascism. In December 2010, the UCCLA even started a postcard campaign to try to persuade Heritage Minister James Moore to convene a new advisory committee, with the objective of reevaluating the proposed content of the CMHR. Luciuk also stated that "as a publicly funded institution, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights should not elevate the suffering of any community above all others." Member of Parliament James Bezan released a statement that implored the CMHR Board of Trustees to apportion to the "Holodomor genocide...a unique, autonomous and prominent place in the CMHR" and requested that the "CMHR Board [of Trustees] contain respected members of the Ukrainian community with knowledge of the Holodomor and other human rights violations."
A petition outlining the grievances of the UCC has been prepared for submission to parliament, entitled "Petition for equity and fairness at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights."
The UCC also revealed that the tendering process undertaken by the Canadian Museum for Human Rights has no intention of including permanent or prominent displays of the Holodomor or of Canada’s First National Internment Operations, providing further evidence that the Museum will proceed on the basis of the discredited Content Advisory Committee Report. It should be noted here that many historians and authors have considered the possibiliity that the Holodomor was not a selective genocide against the Ukrainian populace specifically—it was a consequence of collectivization rather than of ethnic prejudices (see Holodomor genocide question
Holodomor genocide question
The Holodomor genocide question is the attempts to determine whether the Holodomor, the disastrous famine in 1933 that claimed millions of lives in Ukraine that is recognized as a crime against humanity by the European Parliament, was an ethnic genocide, a natural catastrophe or democide.Currently,...
). Even Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn was aRussian and Soviet novelist, dramatist, and historian. Through his often-suppressed writings, he helped to raise global awareness of the Gulag, the Soviet Union's forced labor camp system – particularly in The Gulag Archipelago and One Day in the Life of...
made a point of addressing this issue. He admitted that the famine was caused by the corrupt ideals of the Communist regime, under which all suffered equally. It was not an assault by the Russian people against the people of Ukraine, and that the wish to view it as such is only a recent development. The current Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych
Viktor Yanukovych
Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych is a Ukrainian politician who has been the President of Ukraine since February 2010.Yanukovych served as the Governor of Donetsk Oblast from 1997 to 2002...
has also weighed in on the issue. He has stated that the tragedy that struck Ukrainians and other Soviet peoples between 1930-1933 should not be viewed as an act of genocide against one nation, although he has described it as a "targeted crime" by the Stalinist regime against its own people. Agreeing with other historians, he said that "the Holodomor was in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. It was the result of Stalin's totalitarian regime. But it would be wrong and unfair to recognize the Holodomor as an act of genocide against one nation." Raphael Lemkin
Raphael Lemkin
Raphael Lemkin was a Polish lawyer of Jewish descent. He is best known for his work against genocide, a word he coined in 1943 from the root words genos and -cide...
, who coined the term "genocide" and was instrumental in bringing about the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide
Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide
The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 9 December 1948 as General Assembly Resolution 260. The Convention entered into force on 12 January 1951. It defines genocide in legal terms, and is the culmination of...
in 1948, did view the Holodomor as an act of genocide.
Response of the CMHR to complaints of favoritism
Several people have expressed dismay at the quarrel over the square footage allotted to any given atrocity or human rights violation. While many Ukrainians believe the aggrandizing of the Holocaust has marginalized the Holodomor and dishonoured its victims, it has been argued that there should be less haggling over which wronged group gets the most space in a museum, and more concern over the prevention of human rights abuses in the future. Also, as the museum's own Cassie explains, the purpose of the museum is not to be a memorial for the suffering of different groups, but to be a learning experience for visitors of all ages. It will be a "museum of ideas,' not just a museum of past events. For example, the zone dedicated to the indigenous experience in Canada is "part of a broader context of introduction to human rights," Cassie said, and will form the basis for a zone exploring the wider Canadian experience of human rights, including internment of Canadians of Ukrainian and other origins during the world wars. The zone earmarked for the Holocaust sets the stage for a key zone exploring the revolutionary 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, that was drafted in direct response to the Nazi atrocities.To address the concerns by Canadian citizens, about how various human rights issues would be covered in the museum, Cassie further provided a more detailed explanation of the actual process for public consultation and corrected any misconceptions that may have been perpetrated by the media, particularly in relation to gallery content. From this statement, it is clear that the Holocaust will be in its own gallery, the Holodomor will be given a permanent place in the 'Mass Atrocity' zone, the Canadian internment operations will be featured, and the human rights abuses towards aboriginals will have a place in the 'Indigenous Rights' gallery. Cassie also explained that the Content Advisory Committee's mandate had expired in March 2010, and that its submitted recommendations only constituted part of the consultation process. The first round of public consultations that had begun in May 2009, was completed in February 2010.