Charlottetown should be allowed to compete as the location for a new national portrait gallery, says Mayor Clifford Lee.
'The national portrait gallery belongs in Ottawa.'— Jon Tupper, Confederation Centre Art Gallery
The federal government is only allowing cities with populations higher than 350,000 to compete, saying the gallery will need a high number of local and tourist visitors to be viable. Lee believes that leaves too many cities out of the mix.
"If we want all Canadians to understand and celebrate the culture of this country, then the federal government, quite frankly, should be encouraging these institutions throughout Canada and not only in the major cities," Lee told CBC News Tuesday.
Lee suggests Charlottetown's Confederation Centre of the Arts could be home to the gallery, but Jon Tupper, director of the centre's art gallery disagrees.
Tupper said while the Centre would be more than capable of housing the portraits, he doesn't think it would be the best place for them.
"My personal belief is that the national portrait gallery belongs in Ottawa, and really not any place else, because it has a really strong national mandate," he said.
Tupper is worried the decision by the federal government to consider cities around the country for the gallery is more about downloading financial responsibility than sharing the country's cultural wealth. He points to federal guidelines that say a successful bidder will have to show "significant support from the private sector and the community."
Ottawa is still in the running for the gallery. Halifax is the only Maritime contender.
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