There is reason for optimism in the cancellation of the plan to locate a future national portrait gallery anywhere but in Ottawa. It was a sad day when the Harper government announced that the proposed portrait gallery would be turned over to the private sector and invited bids from cities across Canada, with the specific exception of Ottawa. There may be an argument for spreading federal largesse across the country, but a national portrait gallery which introduces Canadians to their leaders, heroes, celebrities and notables belongs in the national capital.
I can accept that, with the government facing a deficit in the upcoming fiscal year, this is not the optimal time to build the long-promised national portrait gallery. When the current economic difficulties subside, the $20 million that has already been spent on the gallery will, I hope, be salvaged with a re-newed commitment to building the gallery where it belongs – close to the National Art Gallery, the National Library, the National War Museum, the National Museum of Science and Technology, the National Museum of Civilization – in the National Capital Region. And that it will be built and operated as a public institution; not a commercial operation.
