Merci, Monsieur le President. My questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. In my June 4th, 2021, statement, I noted the old name of the museum here in Yellowknife. I've been raising this issue now for about six years in this House. I don't understand why we just don't change the name to something that embraces reconciliation and our northern reality.
Can the Minister tell us why the name of the museum has not been changed and what the obstacles are to moving forward with a name that reflects our northern realities? Merci, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We can't just change the name, as the Member says. And I think that if I would have started the process of changing the name on my first day in this position, it still wouldn't be changed because there has to be an extensive consultation process. I would not unilaterally change the name to something I thought was appropriate. There would have to be extensive consultation with Indigenous governments and the public.
The process of renaming the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre is definitely on the radar. It is something that we are looking into. And it is being packaged together with some of the other work that's being done. We are looking at some big changes for the museum.
The Member knows very well that the building itself is in need of repair. It's in need of expansion for certain areas. And we are looking at the governing structure of the museum. And so I wouldn't want to go and just change the name outside of all of those as well. I think that we really need to look at this holistically and move forward in a way that makes sense. But it is something that is being worked on. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that. I've seen so many documents calling for renovations or a new facility that it isn't even funny anymore. Some of us have visited the museum and seen the problems firsthand. If our government actually made culture and heritage our higher priority, I think we would have had a new museum by now. And that's exactly what the Yukon did, Mr. Speaker.
Does the Minister have a renovation or upgrade plan to address the museum's practical needs that he's going to bring forward for funding approval or when will such a plan be presented? Merci, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If this government, as the Member said, made culture and heritage a higher priority it doesn't mean that we would have a new museum; it might mean that we have more resources in communities. Making something a higher priority for the territory isn't synonymous with making something a higher priority in Yellowknife. So there are people outside of Yellowknife who we want to be able to access culture and heritage resources as well. So this is not the only culture and heritage resource in the territory.
That being said, it is a very valuable one, and it does more than display artifacts. You know, children go there to learn. It houses the archives. And as the Member said, there have been a number of different documents stating that something needs to be done.
And when I first came into office, there was a building study that was nearing completion, and that was completed in 2020. We went back and said what other options can we look at, because while we would like the Cadillac of museums, we really need to be realistic here. So that work is being done, and we are looking at it in consultation or at the same time as this revenue study and the governance study which is sort of handinhand with that.
So all that to say that the Member will be the first to know when I come across new information. I will call him personally because I know how passionate he is about this. And I expect that to happen early in the new year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that. I look forward to a call on New Year's Day from him, a personal call. But, yes, look, we can do a lot more on heritage.
You know, I've mentioned that there's a revenue review underway, and I'm just not sure that it's actually going to result in any significant new funding. You know, I think the much more likely route for us to get more funding is go to the federal government and build on COVID relief or a tourism product development.
Can the Minister tell us the status of this revenue review and whether there's any likelihood of raising enough money to fix up the museum? Merci, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The revenue review will be completed by the end of this fiscal year.
The Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre is unique. Most museums aren't 100 percent funded by a province or territory. It's generally run by a third party who can then access federal funding. There is not a big pot of money that the GNWT can access to just build a new museum. But that being said, if we look at other ways to operate the museum perhaps we can find some of that funding. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that. And I'm really happy to try to help him get the money but I'm sure that he can work more closely with his Cabinet colleagues. But I'm still just not convinced that culture and heritage gets all the attention it deserves, especially when it comes to federal relations and opportunities.
Can the Minister describe the department's recent attempts to secure federal funding for culture and heritage and how this relates to our efforts to towards reconciliation; and, more specifically, what this means for the museum? Merci, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I've had a number of conversations with Minister Guilbeault when he was in the role of Canadian Heritage but he's no longer there, and so I have to build a new relationship with the new Minister. And that was typically around the COVID-related funding.
As for funding specifically for the museum, there is money through Canadian Heritage through the museum assistance program, I believe it's called, and they have funding for discrete projects, so minor upgrades, exhibits, things like that. And we have been successful in getting some of those funds.
That funding is something that doesn't flow through us. So any organization in the territory, any Indigenous government who would want that, would have to apply directly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
