Perth-Wellington NDP pushes for Museum funding

This is from the Stratford City Gazette this week.

Perth-Wellington NDP wants museum funding
Nov 3, 2006

The Perth-Wellington NDP are urging MP Gary Schellenberger to heed last week's vote in the House and reinstate the $4.6 million in cuts the Conservative government made to the Museum Assistance Program, states a press release.
In September the Museum Assistance Program (MAP) was one of the cuts the government made after a review of expenditures. Last week, an opposition motion calling for the reinstatement of the MAP funds that were cut, passed with all Opposition parties voting for it and the Conservative's voting against it.
Schellenberger, who is the Chair of the Heritage committee and has been a vocal supporter of small museums in his riding, voted along with his party against rescinding the cuts.
"We were disappointed to find out that Mr. Schellenberger voted the way he did," said NDP riding president, Emma Dinicol, in the press release. "But perhaps even more worrying, is that apparently, the government has no intention of abiding by the majority vote and plans to go ahead with this cut anyway."
Many museums in Canada operate on a shoestring and have had much difficulty accessing the MAP funds due to bureaucratic roadblocks and red tape. NDP Heritage critic Charlie Angus has launched a national campaign to get every museum in the country to put pressure on their local members of Parliament.
"The Conservatives broke a promise to the museum community. They have taken advantage of the bureaucratic malaise within the Heritage Department and they have attempted to throw the blame for problems on the people who carry out the invaluable work of telling our national story," said Angus, in a statement made last week. "This is an unacceptable situation."