Provincial Museum in Top Twelve Policy Resolutions

When the Provincial Liberal Party of PEI met for their annual general meeting on Saturday - it was a chance for policy initiatives to come forward and the goal of working to establish the Provincial Museum made it to the list.

According to The Guardian,

The resolutions focused on 12 areas, including agriculture, education, economic development, health care and energy, although it was not the party’s official policy booklet and some may change before the election.

Some of the resolutions included continuing to work on a poverty reduction strategy, working to establish a provincial museum and taking measures to preserve the inshore fishing fleet.

While this topic has been of keen interest across the Island, it is good news that the party policy mechanism that generates policy initiatives from a grass roots level has also recognized that the establishment of a provincial museum is worth of action.

Tourism and Culture: Celebrating Our Cultural Identity Promoting Our Culture

Liberal Party of PEI - tourism and culture highlights from the policy document
http://www.islandersfirst.ca/files/press_release/tourismcultureliberal.pdf
Released May 25, 2007


The Island’s cultural heritage defines who we are and where we come from. Our culture is something to be both protected and enhanced. It requires public policy commitment and a focus that is based upon a shared sense of community. Such a focus on cultural policy has been lacking under the Conservatives. The Conservative’s plan to re-locate the provincial artifactory to Murray River is ill-conceived. Liberals believe that we need a plan based upon meaningful input from Islanders that identifies how we should promote our cultural heritage.

A Liberal Government will put Islanders first by:

• 1. Putting greater emphasis on educating our children about the human and natural history of our province;
• 2. Initiating policies to help preserve and protect our rural landscape;
• 3. Placing a moratorium on the construction of a new artifactory in Murray River;
• 4. Consulting with P.E.I. communities, museums, and our arts and cultural communities to explore options for a Provincial Museum;
• 5. Investing more resources in educating local artists, musicians, and craftspeople and helping them to market to the world;

. . . also from a speech delivered at the same time
http://www.islandersfirst.ca/news/press_releases.cfm?id=61

Placing a moratorium on the construction of a proposed new artifactory, and beginning a comprehensive planning process dedicated to creating a NEW Prince Edward Island Museum worthy of our beautiful province.

Liberals promise provincial museum

As published by CBCnews - on May 25, 2007 http://www.cbc.ca/canada/peivotes2007/story/2007/05/25/liberals-museum.html

P.E.I.'s Liberals say a place to store the province's artifacts isn't enough and if elected Monday, they will begin planning for a provincial museum.

There would be a moratorium on the construction of a new artifactory in the eastern end of the province, the Liberals announced Friday.

A Liberal government would launch "a comprehensive planning process dedicated to creating a new Prince Edward Island Museum worthy of our beautiful province," the party said in news release.

The announcement was part of the Liberals' culture and tourism platform.

In addition to planning for a provincial museum, the Liberals promised a greater emphasis on teaching P.E.I. children about the human and natural history of the province and more investment in educating local artists and craftspeople, in particular about marketing.

In the tourism sector, the Liberals promised to privatize the four government-owned golf courses and invest more in park infrastructure.

Liberal Party Responds: Cultural Policy for PEI Needed

Thank you for providing the Liberal Party the opportunity of sharing our views on the important topic of a Provincial Museum, and the larger issue of protecting our heritage and culture in our province.  We have attached our responses to your questionaire below.

Sincerely,
Liberal Party of PEI

As Islanders will be examining the cultural policies of all parties, it is important that they know what your provincial museum policy is and vision for a provincial museum. To assist in this regard please provide a copy of your museum policy and answers to the following questions, as soon as possible so that Islanders may be better informed prior to election day.

The Legislative Assembly in 1983, created a provincial museum mandate, "to study, collect, preserve, interpret, and protect the human and natural history of Prince Edward Island for the use, benefit and enjoyment of the people of the province." Since then, many aspects of this mandate have not been fulfilled, especially in the natural history area and the development of exhibition space to interpret existing collections. Despite this, the Legislative Assembly adopts annually a report from the PEI Museum & Heritage Foundation, with no mention of many of the activities mandated by the Museum Act.

Question 1
Please indicate what your government would do to ensure that Prince Edward Islanders have the active provincial museum as mandated by the Legislature, that will study, collect, preserve, interpret, and protect the human and natural history of Prince Edward Island, and that sufficient funds and facilities to carry out its mandate will be provided.

The Liberal team believes that our culture and heritage defines who we are and where we come from. As a small Island surrounded by the influences of United States and larger Canadian centers, it is essential that we maintain and strengthen our commitment to our culture and heritage. A Liberal Government will undertake stakeholder consultations into the development of a P.E.I. Cultural Strategy, with an active provincial museum that includes the important area of natural history.

Question 2
Please indicate what your government would do to ensure that Prince Edward Islanders have an opportunity to see both permanent and changing exhibitions of the current artifacts within the existing Provincial Collection.

Liberals believe that the Conservative strategy of storing artifacts away from public viewing is short sighted and short changes Islanders, especially our youth, from learning more about our province’s unique and proud heritage. A Liberal Government will work to improve this situation by combining the need to preserve our artifacts and the need to make them accessible to Islanders.


Question 3
As museum development requires solid planning, please indicate what your government would do to ensure that Prince Edward Islanders have a provincial museum development plan that fulfills the mandate granted by the Legislature.

The Liberal team agrees with your assessment of the importance of solid planning to ensure making sound policy decisions. Certainly, the Conservative scheme to relocate the provincial artifactory in Murray River was ill-conceived and based more on political agendas then sound public policy. A Liberal Government will address the issue of sound planning by consulting with P.E.I. communities, museums, and our arts and cultural communities to explore options for a Provincial Museum, and consult with stakeholders in the development of a P.E.I. Cultural Strategy.


Question 4
Many Islanders since 1880 have called for a centrally-located,
adequately-resourced provincial museum building to tell the Island story (including natural history), exhibit the Island collection, and also to serve the various branches community museums and education system by creating exhibits to tour the province. Do you support this vision of a solid hub that can provide strength to the various spokes of a decentralized museum system?
Liberals support the concept of having a solid hub that can provide strength to our existing network of museums across our province. A Liberal Government will consider placing a moratorium on the construction of a new artifactory in Murray River and begin a consultation process with stakeholders to develop the most appropriate plan for a Provincial Museum.