by: Christopher Curtis
OTTAWA – On the tail end of a year that saw the Conservatives spend $28 million reenacting the War of 1812, some historians say the federal government is contributing to the erosion of the country’s historical institutions.
York University professor Craig Heron told Postmedia News the Conservatives are “bleeding Canadian history dry” with cuts to Libraries and Archives Canada outlined in the 2012 budget. He is among the growing number of academics denouncing the spending cuts.
Representatives from the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) will be on Parliament Hill Thursday to unveil a campaign aimed at restoring funding to archives across the country.
“It’s absurd the money that went into celebrating a war that essentially touched southern Ontario, that was highly inconclusive, and could hardly be said to have shaped Canada,” said Heron, the former president of the Canadian Historical Association. “But while millions in public funds finance (the reenactment), the actual institutions that preserve Canadian history are being badly slashed.”
About 20 per cent of the 500 workers at Archives and Libraries Canada will lose their jobs under the Tories’ budget cuts. The layoffs will also close libraries at the immigration, transport and public works departments.
“Expertise is being lost, longtime knowledgeable workers are being pushed out the door and it’ll be much harder for Canada to record and write its history,” said Public Service Alliance of Canada president Doug Marshall.
The PSAC represents over 170,000 federal employees, including most of the outgoing archivists and librarians.
Responding to the calls for additional funding, a spokesperson for the heritage minister said Libraries and Archives Canada has enough money to fulfill its mandate.
“Library and Archives Canada is working to digitize its collection,” said Jessica Fletcher. “This means Canadians in all regions of the country will have access to our history, at less cost to taxpayers.”
However, under the 2012 budget, digitization staff will be cut by 50 per cent.
Marshall contends that the cutbacks affect more than just public sector employees. In May the Canadian Council of Archives saw its $1.7 million annual funding slashed. The council awarded grants to hundreds of community-based archiving programs throughout Canada.
“This was a model program, it wasn’t an expensive program and it allowed hundreds of communities to better understand where they came from,” Marshall said. “That’s all over now.”
The library debate comes as the government prepares for two important commemorations: the 100-year anniversary of the First World War in 2014 and Canada’s 150th birthday in 2017. Heron said he worries that the Tories will spare no expense to politicize both occasions.
“We can probably expect another extravaganza in 2014, filled with politically motivated notions of history,” he said. “It’s clear the government wants to make war and the military tradition a rallying point for Canadians.”
The Conservatives have often been accused of playing favourites when it comes to Canadian history. Compared to the fanfare that surrounded the War of 1812 bicentennial, the celebration surrounding the 30th anniversary of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms—a Liberal initiative—was relatively muted.
“The real problem is that this is seen as something that just affects historians but it’s much more far-reaching than that,” Heron said. “This will affect students, teachers, genealogists, artists and anyone with a keen interest in research or history.”
But when it comes to actually recording history for future generations, I don’t expect any serious efforts from (the Conservatives).”
from: Calgary Herald
No comments:
Post a Comment