History
The CMHR was the dream of CanWest founder Izzy Asper 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 17 April 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 20 April 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 13 March 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.
19 December 2008 marked the groundbreaking ceremony at the site of the CMHR, and official construction on the site began in April 2009. Construction was initially expected to be completed in 2012. Due to cost overruns encountered during construction, this opening date may now have to be pushed forward to 2015. Furthermore, the Chairperson of the Board resigned before his term was up, and a new interim chair had to be appointed.
Read more about this topic: Canadian Museum For Human Rights
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