(OTTAWA) RCMP Heritage Center director general Tara Robinson says plans for a national police museum are now in the hands of the federal government.
The institution has conducted extensive consultation on the subject, particularly with Indigenous and LGBTQ communities, she says.
She said the centre, which features “frozen in time” exhibits, needed to hear from Canadians because the issue of policing has never been more complex.
Emails obtained by The Canadian Press suggest that the scope of the consultation was not unanimous. Mme Robinson points out that criticism was heard early in the process.
The former chairman of the Heritage Center’s board of directors, Steve McLellan, had in particular expressed concerns when the federal government had requested national consultations without promising funding.
Ottawa finally set aside $4.5 million in last spring’s budget. The center was able to complete its consultation report.
A spokeswoman for Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez said the department is still in discussions with the center.