What a thrill it is for me to be back in Vancouver so soon after the wildly successful 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games!

 

  

Seriously, I doubt that we Canadians will ever lose the renewed spirit, intense and unbridled patriotism or uncharacteristic, but intensely refreshing boldness of believing that we Canadians could, indeed, “own the podium”. Vancouver, VANOC and the unsinkable, unbeatable John Furlong I salute you all and thank you for the experience of a lifetime!    

 

My love affair with Vancouver 2010 started long before opening ceremonies.  I attended a YPO breakfast in Winnipeg several months before the Games, which featured guest speaker John Furlong.  He said many inspiring things that morning, but the one thing that impressed me the most was the vision for the torch relay.  He saw the torch as being the right of many rather than the purview of a few.  He saw it as something that could connect us, inspire us as we became united in single purpose - to keep the fire burning.

 

I couldn’t help but equate it to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, which to me, has become a torch relay of another – and very important kind.  It’s a relay that really began thousands of years ago, engaging millions of people along the way – carrying the fire not in their hands, but in their hearts. It’s the torch relay for human rights and it is coming to Winnipeg in 2012 with the official opening of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

 

It was the late Israel Asper who first light the flame for this project. In 1997, the Asper Foundation launched a Human Rights and Holocaust Studies Program, bringing students from across the county to Washington, D.C.. After hours of pre-course work and a trip to Washington, the students returned to their home communities, ready to make a commitment to taking action in the area of human rights. From fundraising for various charities, to school clubs dealing with issues like bullying, parents and teachers alike were amazed by the ongoing interest and engagement with these issues. This year, the now award-winning Human Rights and Holocaust Studies Program broke a significant milestone, with more than 8000 students from across Canada now having participated in the program.

 

As an entrepreneur and proud Canadian, after a few years of seeing the program’s success, Izzy wondered, why are we bringing these students to learn in American institutions when we have so many Canadian stories to tell? Together with his daughter Gail, he explored the possibility of moving this program to a Canadian city. While there was no doubt that we had fantastic Museums and institutions across the county, they found that our Charter was not on display, nor was Canada’s human rights history explored or taught in a comprehensive way. While the Asper Program continued, Izzy began to develop the concept for what we now proudly know as the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. 

 

After Izzy’s untimely death in 2003, this dream could have easily died. Instead, his daughter, Gail, took up the torch. Together with volunteers from across the country, some of whom are in this room today, she mounted a campaign that captured the imaginations of thousands of donors. These donors have contributed an amazing 112 million dollars towards this project to date. This groundswell of financial support, in addition to the growing support of human rights scholars, educators, artists, and parents, inspired Prime Minister Stephen Harper to declare that the Canadian Museum for Human Rights would become the first new national Museum to be established in over 40 years and the first new national Museum to built outside the National Capital Region – in Winnipeg, Manitoba!

 

What a victory! I share this history with you because I feel that the entrepreneurial origins on this project and its unique model of funding from the private sector and municipal, provincial, and federal, governments, distinguishes this project. Also, a national student travel program that will bring students from across Canada to Winnipeg, inspired from the successful Asper Foundation Program, is a foundation for our programming.

 

As you begin to live with the wonderful legacy of the Games in Vancouver with new infrastructure that will better serve the City of Vancouver, all Canadians, and visitors from around the world, I am sure that the important role that the private sector has played in making these Games a success has not been lost.

 

Yet, being named a national museum is not the end of the story – it is really just the beginning. We have a lot to accomplish over the coming years. We are building a world-class facility, developing inspiring and challenging content, bringing together a talented, educated and passionate team, and inviting all Canadians and the world to be a part of this project. 

The Canadian Museum for Human Rights is one of the most important projects being built in Canada, and indeed in the world today. 

An international architectural competition was held in 2004 to develop an architectural icon and the competition’s review committee chose the design of US based Antoine Predock. We were able to bring Antoine to Vancouver during the Games for an event we hosted in CentrePlace Manitoba with B.C. architects, designers, and individuals involved in the field of construction. CentrePlace Manitoba, which won a sustainability award, was part of the Georgia Street Live Site. Antoine spoke about his inspiration in the design.

 

Antoine’s design was selected, in part, because of the strong human rights themes embodied in the building.

 

Envision the journey as an ascending, enlightening process, beginning with a descent into “Mother Earth” – where we were meant to begin life as equal beings; then rising up through a series of alabaster-clad ramps towards the sun – radiating light into the museum through a “cloud” fashioned by 54000 square feet of glass and a 23 storey Tower of Hope. 

 

From the pictures that scrolled on the screen during lunch, you will see that this building will be an icon, an architectural jewel that has already begun to capture people’s imaginations and will draw people to Winnipeg.

 

Construction is well underway and The Museum employs Smith Carter Architects and Engineers, a firm headquartered in Winnipeg to transform Antoine Predock’s architectural design into engineering drawings –and PCL Constructors, another Canadian Firm is the construction manager for this very complex project.

 

The Museum site is located on Treaty One territory, in an area called The Forks, which is where the Red and Assiniboine rivers meet, a national historic site that is a premier location for community events and a hub for tourism.

Much like VANOC’s historic partnership with the Four Host Nations in B.C., we are working closely with Treaty 1 First Nation and Métis leaders to determine how we can best show respect for the peoples and the history of the region. We must acknowledge the importance of the earth, the spot on which the museum is built.

We are building to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) silver standards. This green building rating system examines the design, construction, and operation of buildings and we are looking at it from a whole-building approach, from sustainable site development, water efficiency, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality.

This iconic building with breath-taking spaces helps to reinforce the official mandate of the Museum, which is to explore the subject of human rights, with special but not exclusive reference to Canada, in order to enhance the public’s understanding of human rights, to promote respect for others and to encourage reflection and dialogue. 

Our goal is to present both Canadian and international stories while bringing many people together, challenging all to think differently, and to consider other points of view. We will engage and empower Canadians and visitors for all walks of life to combat prejudice, intolerance, and discrimination while creating a safe and welcoming place for all ages, genders, abilities, cultures, orientations and beliefs.

 

As an ‘idea’ Museum, we will also demonstrate multiple perspectives, based on sound research and scholarship, providing visitors with a comprehensive range of perspectives.

Pause for a moment and picture, in your mind’s eye, your image of a museum. Are you thinking history? Artefacts? Do you see signs that say, “Silence please” or “please don’t touch”? How about the personality of the museum... are you thinking Reserved? Authoritative? 

Now try to picture just the opposite – a place of community and of dialogue. A provocative place that doesn’t shy away from controversy but insists on respect for all people. A touching, doing, role-playing technological, multi-sensory experience that will meet you at the place of your deepest reservations and hesitations then guide you through a journey of learning and experience resulting in a one-word, compelling conclusion – HOPE.

Envision a mission focused on action – challenging and equipping people, especially young people, to, as I paraphrase Ted Kennedy’s tribute to his brother Bobby, “see wrong and try to right it; see suffering and try to heal it, see war and try to stop it.”

We are striving for excellence as we wrestle with sensitive and challenging subject matter. 

In February, we finished a cross-country public engagement tour as part of our content development. The purpose of this tour was to speak to Canadians from every province and territory about their stories, ideas and perspectives. We spoke with over 2000 Canadians across the country on this unprecedented journey

 

I had the opportunity and the honour to participate in the Toronto and Scarborough public engagement sessions and was very moved by what I heard and by the willingness of people to share their experiences

 

During these public engagement sessions, we have heard from people at complete opposite ends of the ideological spectrum. Our team has been struck by the openness, generosity and frankness of the people who have shared their stories with us.

 

It is incredible to see people from different backgrounds with vastly different points of view not only sitting at the same table and engaging in a respectful dialogue, but also discovering similarities and common ground. These conversations are ones we hope that we can continue to facilitate in the Museum.

 

Our tour included a stop in Vancouver in December 2009 and held our public session in the Vancouver Public Library. Supported by members of our Content Advisory Committee, which includes B.C. based Jennifer Breakspear and formerly B.C. based Derek Evans, we met with approximately 80 people during our 2 days here.

 

We have heard a wide range of human rights issues and if you allow me, I will list a few of the themes to provide you with a better appreciation of the breadth of content we have begun to research: Aboriginal issues, Language, Migration, Immigration, Gender, Race, Religion, Labour, Sexual Orientation, Disability, Health, Economy, Food, Water, Children, Education, Environment, Poverty and Age. This is by no means a complete list; I am open to hearing your suggestions if there are areas that we might have overlooked.

 

Just as the Museum’s physical home will be world-class, so too will the way in which the content is presented. Ralph Appelbaum Associates, the world’s foremost museum exhibit designers, developed a Master Exhibit Plan for the Friends of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

 

The Museum’s Board of Trustees and staff have been working together with Ralph Appelbaum to refine the exhibit plan and ensure that all the necessary elements are included to create a unique and life-changing experience through a NATIONAL cultural institution.

 

People joke about Winnipeg’s climate, the isolation, the lack of NHL team… We are a city with a vision and tenacity to get things done no matter what the odds.

 

I am truly honoured to lead this unique and dynamic organization. I’ve been a long time supporter of the Museum and a passionate believer in its tremendous potential to serve as a catalyst for change, a driver for tourism, and an economic driver.

 

When I began my duties as Chief Executive Officer with the CMHR in November, I thought I knew the project well and had a good idea of what to expect. I am even more excited than ever about the breadth and the depth of this project.

 

What I have learned, and what I firmly believe, is that while one person can contribute in a significant way to this project – we are all here as a result of one man’s dream – it is collective action and teamwork that will carry this project to fruition.

 

My background is not in Museum’s, but in business and marketing. I recognize the value of an exceptional product, and the importance of ensuring that this product reaches as many people as possible. I also recognize the importance of surrounding myself with excellence. Our growing team brings together Museum, human rights, and marketing, financial, and communications expertise. My role is to also ensure that this multi-faceted team does not forget the entrepreneurial origins of this project. We will continue to innovate, challenge ourselves, and look to the business community and others for best practices and models for our operations.

 

This project would not have been possible without Gail Asper and her team and their tireless determination to realize Izzy Asper’s dream.   This dream is now a reality – and an opportunity for all Canadians to become involved. We still have money to raise and I welcome your questions and the opportunity to speak more about how you, your business, and your community can become part of your Museum, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

 

Together, we will build a beacon for human rights in Winnipeg, Manitoba, for Canada and the world. 

 

Thank you. Merci.