Canadian Museum of History plans revealed

The Canadian Museum of History will have more politics and more First Nations history than the currentCanadian Museum of Civilization.

That isaccording toa new research paper issued by the museum that gives the public a better idea of what the new Canadian Museum of History will have inside.

The paper is a blueprint on how the museum will rebrand itselffollowing a nationwide consultation.

Canada Hall, the exhibition devoted to the settlement of Canada, is going to get a major overhaul. Some sections of the exhibition have already been removed.

"The Canada Hall starts essentially with the arrival of white people in the 11th century and ends in the groovy years of the 1970s," said Dean Oliver, the museum's director of research, about the current display.

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He said the history of the First Nations people will play a more prominent role in the revamped Canadian History Hall.

Focus on politics, conflicts

There will also be a new focus on the political movements and conflicts that have shaped the country.

"A concerted effort to look at how we tried to govern ourselves, lived together, fought together, so we would look at things like political leadership for sure, but we would also look at things like grassroots politics," said Oliver.

Rosa Barker of the Canadian Association of University Teachers said she worries the current political climate could interfere with what's on display at the new museum.

"In the context of the muzzling of government researchers to what extent will researchers here have the freedom to critically explore Canada's history?" said Barker.

Barker is also critical of recent losses of curatorial staff at the museum, in which a third of the staff involved in research went from 39 to 32.

The museum has said the jobs affected were not cut but involved those who left through attrition.

The museum's new mandate will be in place for the celebrations of Canada's 150th birthday in 2017.