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$300 Million Canadian Museum For Human Rights Has Dramatically Changed New Advisory Board

REAL of Canada relieved Conservative government has replaced Liberal dominated Board

By Gwen Landolt
REAL Women of Canada

March 5, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - REAL Women was immensely relieved to learn that the controversial Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg, the inspiration of former business and media mogul Izzy Asper, has a new Advisory Board. The former Advisory Board, selected by the former Liberal government, consisted mainly of feminist, homosexual and also old Liberal stand-bys, such as a former Liberal Prime Minister John Turner, former Liberal MPs, Cabinet Ministers and some Senators. The museum was intended to be a monument to former Liberal Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and his Charter of Rights.

In April, 2007, the Conservative government designated the museum as a “national museum” and agreed to provide the museum with $1 million to assist the start-up costs and approximately $22 million annually to cover its operating costs. REAL Women was deeply concerned that the museum with its left-wing Advisory Board would be used as a powerful tool to champion the Liberal government’s interpretation of human rights, such as abortion rights, feminism, homosexuality, etc. with only some legitimate exhibits sprinkled here and there to give the museum the appearance of legitimacy.

The Conservative government replaced the Liberal dominated Advisory Board in October 2007 and these appointments have modified our concerns somewhat. The new Advisory Board consists mainly of experienced businessmen and women with no known bias on human rights issues. The Board members also include a professor of Canadian history and culture. One of the female appointments is former Chief Justice of the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal, Constance Glube who had the courage to testify before the House of Commons Justice Committee in November 2005 that political appointments to the judiciary under the Liberals were based on political considerations rather than merit.

Another female Advisory Board member is Mary Gusella, a senior public servant and a former chief commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights Commission who was called in to re-organize it in 2002 after the debacle it had become under former Chief Commissioner Michelle Falardeau Ramsay. Ms. Gusella has been Senior Advisor in the Privy Council office since 2002. She has also held many senior appointments in Crown corporations and was federal land claims registrar.

Public Consultation

It is reassuring that the new Advisory Board has now launched public consultations to help determine which human rights issues should be featured in the museum and how they should be presented. We should be aware, however, that the museum also proposes to call in “academic experts” to help determine which human rights should be featured. One such academic expert is Constantine Passaris, a professor at the University of New Brunswick who was a former chairman of the New Brunswick Human Rights Commission. Need we say more?

Therefore, REAL Women is urging Canadians to provide input into the museum as soon as possible in order to offset any bias that may be included in it. The Canadian Museum for Human Rights web site provides different options for the public to provide input into the museum at http://www.pch.gc.ca/pc-ch/consultations/mcdp-cmhr/index_e.cfm

The page incudes an online process for this input or submissions may be mailed to the address provided.

Article originally published in the Jan/Feb edition of REALITY magazine.

See related LifeSiteNews articles:

Winnipeg Museum For Human Rights Ideological Agenda Exposed In Special Report
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/jul/05070101.html

Winnipeg’s Museum For Human Rights: Canada’s $300 Million Temple of Ideology at
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/jul/050701a.html

Canadian Charter of Rights Temple Still $54 Million Short
Another $6.5 Million In Private Funding given to Winnipeg Human Rights Museum
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/dec/05122103.html

Conservatives Agree to Give $100 Million Towards Liberal/Trudeau Charter of Rights Temple
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/jan/06012601.html

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