REPRIEVE: MUSEUM DIRECTORS THANKFUL,
The directors of two national museums in the national capital have received a welcome Christmas gift from Mélanie Joly, the minister of Canadian heritage.
Mark O’Neill, head of the Canadian Museum of History Corp., and Meg Beckel, who leads the Canadian Museum of Nature, were informed Wednesday night that Joly fully supports their reappointment to new five-year terms, effective next June.
Both received emails from Joly’s office saying the minister had reviewed their past performance, and board and departmental recommendations, and “is pleased to strongly support” their renominations in their current roles. A formal letter to that effect will follow in the new year.
O’Neill and Beckel were among 33 cabinet appointees who received letters this month advising that the government wanted them to voluntarily renounce early appointments they received from the former Conservative government.
The letters from Dominic LeBlanc, the government House leader, said they were free to reapply for the jobs in a new, open competition.
But on Wednesday, LeBlanc referred the reappointments of O’Neill, Beckel and Carolle Brabant, executive director of Telefilm Canada, to Joly for a decision.
Asked about the matter by the press, the email from Joly’s office advises, “the minister will state that she has reviewed the past performance of the nominees in her portfolio and strongly supports their renomination at each of these outstanding institutions.”
The email adds that, as with all cabinet appointments, parliamentary committees have the right to call nominees to testify.
Both O’Neill and Beckel expressed relief that the uncertainty about their future status has been removed.
“I was very glad to get this news,” said O’Neill, who is also responsible for the Canadian War Museum. “Just knowing that I’ll have an opportunity to continue working in the next few years to complete a number of very significant projects is, on a personal level, really encouraging.”
O’Neill, who joined the public service in 1986 and has worked in various roles at the war and history museums since 2001, said he was “concerned” when his future was in question. But, he added, “I really just had faith that things would work themselves out.”
Beckel said she, too, was “disappointed to be in this situation. It was tough to have that kind of uncertainty.”
But, she said, “I really had to believe that our track record, the results over the past four years, even my own background, would speak for itself. It just had to go through a process.”
Her reappointment process began in January, Beckel said, working toward the June decision to reappoint her a full year ahead of the expiry of her current five-year term.
That sort of lead time is “industry standard,” she said, given that it would take at least a year to find a replacement. “The timing wasn’t early, but I know some perceived it to be.”
Stephen Henley, chair of the Canadian Museum of Nature’s board of directors, called Joly’s endorsement of Beckel “very positive news. As a board, we’re very happy to have this behind us going into the new year.”
Jim Fleck, chair of the history museum’s board, said the board “was solidly in support of (O’Neill) throughout this whole situation. So we are delighted that common sense has prevailed.”
Fleck commended Joly, saying her office informed the board of her support for O’Neill within an hour of receiving LeBlanc’s referral. “She has handled herself very well, in my opinion.”
O’Neill said his top priority is to complete the museum’s new Canadian History Hall by July 1, 2017.
“I really believe that it will be the most comprehensive national exhibition about Canadians ever done.”
Beckel’s top priority is completing the Museum of Nature’s new Arctic gallery by 2017.
“It will be talking about the Arctic past, present and future, and will really be an opportunity to profile, not only the collection, but also the research that we do,” she said.
Knowing that I’ll have an opportunity to … complete a number of very significant projects is … really encouraging. I had to believe that … the results over the past four years, even my own background, would speak for itself.