The Continuing Relevance of Museums in Canada

Cara Tremain

This summer, the Government of Canada helped to promote visits to museums through the Canada Strong pass. While initially focused on seven of the country’s nine national museums, other provinces and territories also opted to offer reduced and free admission. Ultimately, 87 museums across the country were part of the initiative, and early data indicates that it helped to boost attendance. While the removal of admission fees increases accessibility, and – in turn – public enjoyment and appreciation of museums, the reality is that museums across the country are suffering from a lack of resources. To be effective stewards of the cultural heritage that they care for, museums need adequate financial support. However, as outlined in the 2023 report concerning renewal of the national museum policy, the majority of the country’s museums (~1500) do not receive funding from the federal government even though there is public support for them to do so.

While it remains to be seen whether a new museum policy will bring improved financial backing, the government are financially stepping up to contribute $50 million to the forthcoming Nunavut Inuit Heritage Center. This support emphasizes the government’s responsibility to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People, which includes several articles outlining rights to cultural heritage and associated cultural expressions. While Canada continues to lack a national repatriation policy, the country’s museums have been facilitating access to – and return of – Indigenous belongings for some time. At the Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology (MAE) at Simon Fraser University, for example, repatriation has been an important element of its practice and teachings for decades.

The MAE is part of my department and was established in part to store the materials excavated by the faculty’s diverse archaeological projects. While a small and modest university museum, for many students on campus it is a gateway into the role that museums have in society. Situating a museum within an archaeology department may seem niche, especially given that many museums are often unrelated to the human past (as illustrated by Montreal’s forthcoming ‘cat museum’), but it reflects the history of collecting and public curiosity about antiquity. Many museums in Canada continue to be repositories for archaeologically-excavated materials, though there are a growing number of Indigenous-managed repositories (as well as an increase in Indigenous-led archaeological research). Canada’s largest museum, the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), has a long history of sponsoring international archaeological excavations in countries such as Belize and Jerusalem (see this artifact and this artifact for example, both excavated with support of the ROM in the 1960s).

Though largely frequented by archaeology classes, the MAE is also utilized by disciplines such as Fine Art, Education, History, and Indigenous Studies. Relevant to all students, regardless of discipline, are the conversations that the MAE can inspire related to pressing topics currently taking place in Canada such as decolonization and reconciliation. In the museum-related courses I teach, students are given the time and space to learn about these kinds of issues as well as engage directly with tangible heritage through hands-on activities. The opportunity to physically interact with material culture – sometimes hundreds if not thousands of years old – brings an excitement to the class that sets these courses apart from others on offer at the university. A forthcoming class that I will co-teach with a colleague is being designed entirely around a new donation to the MAE, demonstrating the potential for student learning when tangible material culture is available for hands-on study.

Museums are also relevant institutions to observe the way in which modern technologies are being implemented for public outreach. 3D scanning for example has been used successfully to create digital versions of tangible cultural heritage, and various museums in Canada have shared their collections online in this format (such as the Royal Alberta Museum and Musée de la Côte-Nord). Indigenous communities are also exploring these kinds of technologies, with examples such as Mootookakio’ssin – which “aims to virtually reconnect Blackfoot items in museums with Blackfoot people” – and the Gitxaala Nation who have shared 3D models of their cultural belongings repatriated from museums. In the classes I teach, I often provide opportunities for students to learn the process of 3D scanning and 3D printing. The real-life benefits of these kinds of technologies are evident in outreach events, such as MAE’s inaugural International Museum Day where 3D printed artifacts were used in a sandbox excavation. 

The prominent rise in Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is also relevant to museums. Examples such as visitors interacting with – and helping to develop – an AI chatbot at the Canada Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa, to the use of AI to reinterpret artwork at the McCord Steward Museum in Montreal, demonstrate that museums are places where the public can learn about and engage with AI. Since the International Council of Museums definition states that museums are “in the service of society…offering varied experiences for education, enjoyment, reflection, and knowledge sharing”, it is expected that technologies such as AI would enter their realm. Accordingly, students learning about museums can expect to discover a range of interesting and relevant digital applications to societies around the world. The next generation of staff in museums will need to be fully digitally literate, for them to keep up with the ever-changing nature of electronic and virtual resources. This will enable the future of museums in Canada to involve a higher degree of interactivity and accessibility, and to ensure they remain relevant institutions.

Before advancing digitally, however, many museums in Canada still need to work towards changing their policies and perspectives. Dismantling colonial underpinnings, and enabling equitable access to collections (as well as ensuring that the contents of such are ethical and legal), cannot happen without creating meaningful and lasting relationships with Indigenous communities and the wider public. The future looks bright for museums in Canada if they are afforded strong financial support, are backed by fair policies, and respond in positive ways to social needs. Let’s hope the next government initiative akin to the Canada Strong pass extends its benefits beyond a few months, to really strengthen the country’s museums.

Cara Tremain is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Archaeology at Simon Fraser University. In addition to museums, her research interests include the antiquities market and digitization of cultural heritage.