Why Advocacy is More Important Now Than Ever

BCMA members and the cultural sector must make our voices heard at this critical moment. The upcoming 2025 Federal Election is an opportunity to tell the story of the impact of our sector and to urge governments across the province to take action to ensure museums, galleries, and cultural centres can continue to support their communities. This primer is meant to provide our members with facts, tips, and strategies to make arts, culture and heritage a central issue now, and in future elections. 

The upcoming election has the potential to dramatically change Canada’s political landscape. While we’ve seen record government investments in the cultural sector over the past four years, largely as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Without an updated National Museum Policy, this record investment has not increased the resiliency of our sector and, today, cultural organizations across the province find themselves in an extremely vulnerable position. Regardless of the outcome of the election this April, museums, galleries, and cultural institutions must make their voices heard and demonstrate that strategic investment in our sector is critical to the overall health, vibrancy, and economy of Canada.

We ask all BCMA members to engage with their local representatives and help us make sure that support for museums, art galleries and cultural centres is an election issue and an ongoing priority for elected officials. Increasing awareness about the value and impact of museums, culture and heritage among decision-makers and the general public is critical to the growth and development of our sector. We need to be strong advocates for the economic, social, educational, and cultural impacts of our work – from generating economic returns and tourism revenue, to building community participation and connections between generations, to supporting local justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives, and to helping our communities better understand the past, present, and future, to giving children, youth and seniors access to arts and culture.  

We understand that members are under-resourced and overburdened now more than ever, but advocacy to all levels of government is critical. We must ensure that every Council member, MP, senior government official, and voter knows the impact museums, galleries, and cultural centres have on the lives of British Columbians. 

Now is the time to speak together with a unified voice.

Before You Get Started, Make Sure That You Protect Your Organization, Staff, and Volunteers When Engaging in Political Activities:

• Protecting your charitable status: Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has rules and guidelines that charitable organizations must follow. Be sure to read up on the rules and regulations that govern charities, non-profits and individuals under the “Political Activities” section of the CRA website.
• Be Aware of the Lobbyist Registration Act: This provincial act governs communications between people/organizations who are attempting to influence public office holders and/or public policy. For a text overview of this legislation and who it does and does not apply to, review this Guidance Document from the Office of the Registrar of Lobbyists.
• Changes to the Lobbyist Transparency Act and Implications for the Non-profit Sector: Since the 2017 provincial election new regulations have been established to increase transparency with respect to who is lobbying the BC government. Pacific Legal Education & Outreach Society has a free webinar recording that outlines these changes. We encourage members to review these changes before engaging in advocacy work, especially if you are engaging in advocacy as a paid staff person, representing your organization.

The BCMA makes every effort to present accurate and reliable information. The information provided in this document is “as is” without any warranty of accuracy, reliability, or otherwise, either express or implied. Users of this primer should not in any manner rely upon or construe the information or resource materials in this primer as legal, or other.

What Museums Need: Shared Advocacy Messages to Support Your Organization, Museums, and the Broader Arts, Culture, and Heritage Sector

The following key messages are designed to be customized to meet your specific organizational context and needs while also magnifying key messages that are being shared by many voices across the broader arts, culture, and heritage sector. Through the BCMA’s partnership with the BC Coalition of Arts, Culture, and Heritage we are working to ensure that politicians and bureaucrats are hearing consistent shared messages across the province. As we will show, museums, galleries, and heritage organizations are part of a large and impactful sector that plays an essential role in supporting a healthy, cohesive, and financially vibrant province.

• Policy Needs:

• • Renewal of the National Museums Policy: Renewing the National Museums Policy was part of Steven Guilbeault’s mandate when he previously served as Minister of Heritage. We are encouraged that his previous action and commitment to the project will help move this initiative forward, which has been stalled since October 2024.
  • Immediate Support for Trade Dispute Impacts: The Canada-US trade dispute will likely have impacts on museums. Our sector must advocate for measures to mitigate increased costs and potential declines in American tourism, recognizing the interconnectedness of museums with trade, tourism, and hospitality.
  • National Repatriation Policies & Funding: The Government of Canada needs to work with Indigenous cultural professionals and knowledge holders to formalize UNDRIP/DRIPA-aligned policies that support and fund repatriation

• Funding Needs:

• • Increased Investment in MAP and Youth Employment: The Museums Assistance Program (MAP) has not kept pace with inflation and has not received a permanent increase in more than a decade. The Canadian Museums Association currently recommends advocating that the Government of Canada invest $5 million to increase the Museums Assistance Program funding by $1M per year
    • The 1990 national museums policy established a goal of $18M annual funding by 1994-95, yet current funding remains at approximately $6.7M.
      This represents a significant decline in real terms over three decades while operational costs for museums have increased substantially
  • $37.5 million to permanently integrate supplemental funding into Young Canada Works
    Based on the 2023-24 supplemental funding of $7.23M that supported 803 additional youth positions.
    • Without this funding integration, the program would have to reduce placements by approximately 40%.
  • $3 million for comprehensive research on repatriation scope and costs
    • Similar to the preliminary research phase of the U.S. Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, which identified the scope of repatriation.
    • As of 2019, there were an estimated 6.7 million Indigenous belongings and 2,500 ancestral remains held by Canadian institutions.
    • Will inform future implementation costs for a comprehensive national repatriation strategy
  • $20M for Indigenous-led development of a National Framework for Indigenous Cultural Heritage Rights
    • Aligns with past federal investments to preserve, promote and revitalize Indigenous languages and cultures. While language preservation has received structured, long-term funding, Indigenous cultural heritage remains critically underfunded, despite its equal importance in Reconciliation efforts. This investment would address that gap.
    • Fulfills Canada’s commitments under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) Calls to Action 67-70, which emphasize Indigenous leadership in heritage protection, repatriation, and museum policy reform. Currently, Canada lacks a national strategy to implement these commitments in heritage governance.
    • Supports economic growth through cultural tourism and job creation, ensuring Indigenous communities can develop, protect, and manage their own cultural heritage assets while benefiting from increased visitor engagement and employment in conservation, education, and tourism sectors.
    • Funding covers extensive, multi-year consultations with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities across all provinces and territories to co-develop a national framework.
    • This investment is a strategic step toward Reconciliation, providing Indigenous communities with the autonomy and resources to safeguard their cultural heritage for future generations.

• • Stable operational funding is essential to the long-term health of the cultural sector. Advocate for more funding for core operations and programming.

• • More funding for capital projects and/or facility improvements. Cultural organizations are at the vanguard of helping to create greener communities, capital/infrastructure funding can help to make organizations more resilient and more sustainable.

• • Funding to help museums, galleries, and cultural centres upgrade their facilities to better support public health as BC continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, a matching fund for endowment fund investment could  assist organizations in creating a sustained revenue stream.

Data to Demonstrate the Impact of the Arts, Culture, and Heritage Sector 

Economic Impact:

• Increased investment in museums, art galleries and cultural centres will increase the economic and social impact of arts and culture in communities. Every $1 invested in the culture sector provides a $4 return on investment in communities across the province (source). 
• Since 2020, BC’s arts, culture, and heritage sector has outpaced every other province in Canada and is the only provincial cultural sector to show positive GDP growth. Between 2010 and 2021 the average province in Canada saw its arts, culture, and heritage GDP shrink by 12% and BC’s cultural economy broke the trends and grew by 7% (Source: Hill Strategies, 2023). Adding $8.6 billion to BC’s annual GDP, the arts, culture, and heritage sector is 7 times larger than the sports sector ($1.16 billion annually), bigger than the forestry industry ($5.9 billion annually), and even bigger than the creative industries sector ($6.7 billion annually) (Source: Government of BC).
• BC is an arts, culture, and heritage leader. 154,800 British Columbians work in the cultural sector, representing 17% of all the country’s arts, culture, and heritage workers (Source: Hill Strategies, 2023). Arts, culture, and heritage workers are entrepreneurs. While 15% of Canadians are self-employed, 68% of artists are self-employed. 33% of all cultural workers are self-employed (Source: Hill Strategies, 2023).
• A 2021 national survey shows that 77% of Canadians disagree with the statement “museums are a waste of money,” with only 8% of respondents agreeing with the statement (Source: Reconsidering Museums, 2011). This means that if an elected official or candidate suggests that investing in museums is a poor use of government funds, it is likely that less than 10% of their constituents would agree.

Health, Wellness, and Education Impacts:

• 96% of Canadians agree that museums are places to learn and be inspired (Source: Reconsidering Museums, 2021).
• A 2021 Canadian study found that participating in 15 different arts, culture, and heritage activities led to individuals reporting increases in their overall health (Source: Hill Strategies, 2021).
• Canadians trust arts, culture, and heritage organizations. A 2021 national study found that 80% of Canadians trust museums and cultural institutions, whereas only 48% trust newspapers and 33% trust television (Source: Reconsidering Museums, 2021).
• People who attend arts activities have been shown to be significantly healthier, have lower anxiety and be less subject to depression – this is especially important during COVID-19, as Canadians are reporting higher than normal levels of stress and anxiety.

Looking for More Impactful Data, Case Studies, and Policy Ideas? The BC Coalition of Arts, Culture, and Heritage has recently launched its pre-election toolkit that includes a downloadable fact sheet and messaging guide.

How You Can Make a Difference?

Before the Election

• Knowing who your candidates are, what they stand for and their intentions for arts and culture is instrumental when deciding who to vote for. As your direct link in government, the winning candidate in your riding can fight for important issues and increase the importance of arts and culture in government decision-making. 
• Find out who is running for elected office in your community. Contact your local candidates and ask them if they support museums, art galleries and cultural centres. If elected, what would they do to support museums, art galleries, cultural centres and historic sites? Attend all candidates’ meetings and ask questions that relate directly to our sector and the parties’ vision of the arts. Follow candidates in the news and on social media to keep in touch with what they are up to. Connect with candidates and make the case for arts and culture at any opportunity that arises using your quantitative and qualitative data – your facts and your stories! Let them know why they should care about our sector.
• Stay connected with your sector and make sure you take part in letter-writing campaigns, share advocacy information on social media, and share news through your networks.

After the Election

• Write a brief introduction letter to your local elected official, congratulating them on their election victory and inviting them for a tour of your organization and/or an opportunity to chat about issues important to you and your organization. Tip: Try to send this letter as soon as possible as meeting requests are often responded to in order or receipt. 
• Once a new Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, and Sport is appointed alongside the new cabinet, write a brief introduction letter to your local elected official, congratulating them on their election victory and inviting them for a tour of your organization and/or an opportunity to chat about issues important to you and your organization. 
• If you have a relationship with an elected official who was not successful in their election, consider writing a note of support as you don’t know if or when this person might run for office again.

• Connect with local arts, culture, and heritage organizations to advocate with your local representatives to increase funding to museums, galleries and heritage institutions.

• Work with governments on policy and legislative changes to help strengthen the museums, heritage and cultural sector. Watch for opportunities to provide input, respond to surveys or public consultations, or reach out to ask questions about proposed changes. 
• Increase awareness about the value and impact of the museums, gallery, heritage and culture sector among decision-makers like elected officials by inviting officials and decision-makers to key events (i.e. special anniversary celebrations, Family Day events, exhibit openings, etc.). Including elected officials and policy makers in your events brings them into your spaces to get a first-hand look at your impact and your needs while building a relationship.
• Build coalitions with other organizations (e.g. BCMA members, arts, culture and heritage partners) to advocate for shared issues. This can be especially helpful within the region your MLA or MP represents to that they hear the same message repeatedly. Your coalition can share the work of advocating  and share messaging that drives the key points home with your representatives.

Advocacy Resources

Visit the Advocacy portal on the BCMA BRAIN for the latest, up-to-date resources to expand your advocacy toolkit. We have curated some of our recent favourite advocacy resources below.

Recent BCMA Op-Eds:

• Don’t let our shared arts, culture, and heritage slip away
• It’s time to protect the irreplaceable before it’s too late
• Museums matter, visit one now before it’s too late
• B.C. underinvests in heritage, and that matters
• It’s never been a more dangerous time for B.C.’s museums and heritage sites
• Why museums are still a smart investment for taxpayers

BC Museums Week 2024 Media Kit

Explore

Research, reports and additional resources

• Economic Impact Report and Case Studies, BCMA and Heritage BC 2020
  • Stories of Economic Impact and Resilience – Summary Report
  • Template for Organizations
  • Case Study 1 – Kimberley
  • Case Study 2 – Lytton
  • Case Study 3 – Prince George
  • Case Study 4 – Sidney
  • Case Study 5 – Tumbler Ridge
• Hill Strategies: Arts and culture research reports on topics like Canadian public participation in arts, culture and heritage
• The American Museum Association’s Top Ten Rules for Advocacy Engagement can be found here
• The American Museum Association also has free advocacy webinars:
  • Your Secret Advocacy Weapon: Your Board
  • Creating an Advocacy Plan
  • Social Media as Advocacy Tools
  • Getting Your Staff and Visitors Involved in Your Museum’s Cause
• ICOM has laid out 6 Advocacy Steps that can be found here
• ICOM has also created a Culture and Local Development: Maximizing the Impact guide
• The Small Museum Association has put together an Advocacy 101 document for small museums
• Key Takeaways from BC Budget 2024
• National Museum Policy – Position Paper

Who’s Who

Wondering who to invite to your next exhibition opening? Who to brief on a new project you’re seeking support for? Who to write or call to advocate for increased investment and support for museums, culture and heritage? Here are links to directories of elected officials and staff and key decision-makers.

Municipal government

• Visit CivicInfoBC for contacts and information on B.C. municipalities and regional districts.

Provincial government

• Find your MLA (provincial government representatives)
• BC Government Directory (provincial government departments and contacts)
• Key Contacts:
  • Hon. Lana Popham, Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture: Contact the Minister, read her bio and mandate letter and learn more about Ministry plans and activities.

Federal government

• Find your MP (federal government representative)
• Government of Canada Directory (federal government departments and contacts)
• Key Contacts:
  • Pascale St-Onge, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism: Contact the Minister, read her bio and mandate letter and learn more about Canadian Heritage programs and services, and visit the House of Commons website for her contact information