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Library and Archives Canada and other Sad News

Someone has placed some nice funeral flowers in front of the Library & Archives Canada building on Wellington Street in Ottawa.  With large layoffs there and in other Canadian cultural institutions the government has started another battle in the warn on culture.

If you’re in Ottawa, maybe we can encourage more flowers as a silent protest leading up to the CLA Conference in Ottawa in a few weeks.

From my son, Zachary: “On May 1, the Canadian Government abolished in its entirety the Understanding Canada grant program. Funding for the Canadian Studies grant program has been terminated. National Canadian Studies associations around the globe have completely lost their funding, including ACSUS which has relied on an annual operating grant of approximately $95,000 for many years. I know people are sick of reading stuff like this on facebook but I can’t help but feel this is a bad move. Consider writing the PM or John Baird if you agree with me.”

www.international.gc.ca

Sharing knowledge about Canada! The program is intended for foreign academics who want to study about or conduct research on Canada. Some components of the program are also available to promote teaching and publications about Canada in various disciplines.”

“At the 40th anniversary of the program, cabinet miniters, John Baird said: “I would like to commend ACSUS members for helping to advance Canada’s advocacy interests in the United States through the academic community’s research and through engagement with the media. Your efforts have made positive and lasting contributions to the understanding of Canada-US relations.”

“A similar letter from Prime Minister Harper stated: “The Canada-US relationship remains one of the strongest in the world and is enriched by the programs and events offered by institutions such as yours…Thanks to the efforts of organizations such as ACSUS, the population in both countries will continue to be informed about, and engaged in, important developments in the context of the Canada-US relationship.”

A disgusting pattern is emerging in Harper’s war on Canadian culture… massive cuts to LACBAC (Libraries and Archives Canada), National Archives, Federal libraries, Canadian studies, CBC, NFB and more.  I guess if you have a government that uses belief systems and dogma instead of facts and research to make policy, this is what you get.  Attacks are libraries and knowledge are pathetic policy.  You would think as a major employer they’d get support instead of kicks. I guess this government just wants auto assembly.

Stephen

 

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Posted on: May 3, 2012, 7:40 pm Category: Uncategorized

7 Responses

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  1. DBassett said

    As an information professional I see loads more work for those of us struggling to ensure that the history and culture of Canada remains accessible to our Children and their children. As a mom, I am even more concerned about losses in Parks Canada, Environment Canada and the Deparment of Fisheries and Oceans – in my darker moments, I wonder if there will be a history worth preserving. But in my brighter moments, I hope that scientists, artists, educators, librarians and archivists will somehow find a way to do what the government isn’t doing at least for the next three years.

  2. LAC librarian said

    I encourage anyone attending CLA 2012 to drop by Daniel Caron’s “Hot Topic” Q&A session (Thursday, May 31, 2012, 1pm)
    to inquire how he, as Librarian and Archivist of Canada, thinks that surplusing 215 employees from his department (not to mention crippling if not outright eliminating the programs these people support) will help:

    (a) to acquire and preserve the documentary heritage;

    (b) to make that heritage known to Canadians and to anyone with an interest in Canada and to facilitate access to it;

    (c) to be the permanent repository of publications of the Government of Canada and of government and ministerial records that are of historical or archival value;

    (d) to facilitate the management of information by government institutions;

    (e) to coordinate the library services of government institutions; and

    (f) to support the development of the library and archival communities.

    I would do it myself but Mr. Caron has (surprisingly) not approved a single LAC librarian’s request to attend CLA this year. Probably just as well as I’ll be too busy putting my CV together so that I compete for my job against my friends and colleagues.

  3. Mélanie Brunet said

    Thank you for posting this. Unfortunately, this silent protest was quickly repressed. Most LAC employees didn’t even get to see these flowers because security took them away almost immediately.

  4. Wondering how i could contact the photographer to get permission to use this wonderful photo.

  5. admin said

    I got it from Kelly Moore, executive director at CLA with a share link in it.
    You could try asking her.
    SA

  6. LBruce said

    Thanks ‘LAC Librarian” for posting the actual objectives of the National Library and Archives from the Act it is supposed to be operating under. Often Minister Moore and the National Librarian spout off about the mandate of LAC from the PREAMBLE of the Act rather than the specifics of what they are doing. Then they offer up bromides about ‘modernizing’ LAC and ‘getting with’ the digital age and ignore the fact that the Act directs LAC to collect publications (broadly defined in all formats) and records (again broadly defined) and to facilitate, coordinate, and support library and archival development. Most of this recycled stuff that we have been hearing about since the mid-1990s but they are trying to pass it off by using new speak.

  7. Alex Moskalewski said

    Place an obituary in the newspaper. Security won’t pick that up and throw it in the garbage.