BCMA Member Code of Conduct
All BCMA members commit to
- providing, creating, and/or contributing to safe and respectful working conditions and to fostering a workplace free from discrimination, harassment, and sexual misconduct;
- acting in the best interests of the publics’ trust;
- to support the goals set out by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). To achieve these goals, the BCMA encourages members to embrace the ideals of the Rod Naknakim Declaration and incorporate them into their professional practices.
The BCMA also encourages botanical and zoological gardens, aquaria and vivaria in its membership to uphold the care standards set forth by the Canada’s Accredited Zoos and Aquariums (CAZA).
Members (individual or institutional) who engage in conduct that is unbecoming or inconsistent with the mission and values of the Association may be made ineligible for BCMA funding and programming opportunities, and breaches in the code of conduct may result in members being expelled from the BC Museums Association, as outlined in the BCMA Bylaws.
Service Providers
The BCMA expects our affiliate members to conduct business in a respectful, equitable, and culturally sensitive manner and to comply with the following:
- Comply with all relevant laws and regulations regarding your use of the BCMA member directory and your communications with BCMA members, including Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL)
- Act in good faith, responsibly, with due care, and diligence in your business transactions with any BCMA Member
- Never use or attempt to use your relationship with the BCMA or your status as a BCMA member to imply an endorsement of your products or services
All questions, reports, or feedback can be directed to members@museum.bc.ca
How can I support the goals outlined in the BCMA Member Code of Conduct?
TRC and UNDRIP
We ask members to commit to supporting the goals of the TRC and UNDRIP – to take the spirit and intent of these reports and go to work to address past wrongs, recognize Indigenous communities’ right to choose how their culture and communities are represented and addressed, and to be supporters and allies in the work that needs to be done to redress historical and contemporary injustices. Given the scope of the TRC and UNDRIP, we recognize that the literal implementation of every recommendation and call to action is beyond the reach of most museums, but we ask that members agree to uphold the broad goals of these documents and work towards making reconciliation a cornerstone of their museum practice.
Rod Naknakim
The spirit of the Naknakim Declaration is to remind museums that self-determination by Indigenous communities should be the guiding principle that informs how Indigenous cultural property is stewarded by museums. We expect members to seek to understand the cultural context of their collections and aim for empathy when it comes to ownership and rights for objects that hold such significant cultural value as Indigenous collections often do, and which were often removed or sold under duress throughout history. Check out the additional resources on the Rod Naknakim Declaration below:
Learn more about the Rod Naknakim Declaration
We call upon all cultural organizations to embrace the ideals of the Rod Naknakim Declaration, signal your support of building shared visions and partnerships with Indigenous communities.
Looking Inward: Considering Repatriation Inside a New Reality
A discussion regarding Indigenous ownership and stewardship of cultural materials written by Rod Naknakim and Jodi Simkin for Issue 266 of Roundup Magazine (2016)
