CCI Newsletter, No. 24, November 1999

Message from the Director General

Working toward the preservation of Canada's heritage is the fundamental raison d'etre not only for those of us at CCI, but also for all conservation professionals across the country.

Unfortunately, many challenges to this objective have emerged in the past decade. Some voices in the heritage and conservation community have come to question Canada's capacity to manage and protect our material cultural heritage, and the future of conservation in our country. CCI has been urged to adopt a stronger leadership role in drawing public attention to these issues, and ensuring that appropriate action is taken.

There is no doubt that great changes have occurred in the field of heritage preservation. Many institutions have experienced major budget reductions, and many are still struggling with the consequences. Activities throughout the museum, library, archival, and gallery world have been affected, some being severely curtailed and others completely eliminated. The practice of conservation has certainly not escaped this process of change. In fact, it could be argued that this is the activity most seriously affected. [The circumstances driving this process of change are not, of course, restricted to Canada. Similar pressures in other countries have affected conservation programs in many parts of the world.]

CCI has not been exempt from these problems. Budget reductions in recent years have forced us to develop and embark on a new strategic direction in order to maintain services to the Canadian heritage community. However, we are well aware that conservation in this country extends far beyond the walls of CCI. The national capacity to protect our material heritage will ultimately depend on the presence of trained staff within all the collecting institutions, supported by a vibrant private sector.

Future governmental, institutional, and private-sector support for conservation will depend very much upon an interested and informed public - one that is aware of the fundamental importance of preserving our cultural heritage. With this in mind, CCI is developing a marketing and communications strategy to raise the profile of conservation throughout the country. But we know that the active contribution of others in the community will be essential if we are to bring the problems, challenges, and opportunities of the conservation world to the public agenda.

At CCI, we are fully prepared to devote resources to this priority and to develop partnered activities with others in the field. We are also prepared to collaborate with others to develop a better understanding of the impact of the changes that are taking place in the conservation community. If it is true (as some have argued) that there has been an overall reduction in Canada's conservation capacity, documenting this change and assessing its consequences are important first steps in developing an overall strategy for change.

I invite your thoughts in this regard.

Bill Peters
Director General and Chief Executive Officer
Canadian Conservation Institute
tel: (613) 993-4266
bill_peters@pch.gc.ca