POLICY
FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE NATIONAL COLLECTION
OF THE CANADIAN MUSEUM OF CIVILIZATION CORPORATION

1.

PURPOSE:

1.1

This policy defines how collection development serves the basic legislative objectives of the
Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation according to the Museums Act. In this context,
collection development means the acquisition and disposition of museum material by the
Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation for its National Collection.

2.

APPLICATION:

2.1

This policy applies to the National Collection of the Canadian Museum of Civilization
Corporation (CMCC) as managed by the Canadian War Museum (CWM) and the Canadian
Museum of Civilization (CMC).

3.

DEFINITIONS:
"Accession" is the act of recording or processing an acquisition for the permanent collection of
the CMCC.
"Acquisition" occurs at the point when the CMCC receives title to an object, either by
purchase, gift, bequest, transfer, field research or exchange.
“Collection Committee” means the group of persons at the CWM and the CMC responsible for
the development and refinement of the National Collection.
"Deaccession" refers to the process of removing or alienating an object permanently from the
collection.
"Disposal" refers to the means employed by the CMCC to divest itself of a deaccessioned
object, either through donation, transfer, exchange, sale, return or by destruction.
“Living History Collection” or LHC refers to a variety of objects intended to support Museum
public programs, or acquired as corporate awards, or gifts bestowed on CMCC and its
employees. These objects are not as unique as examples found in the National Collection, but
they are still of value and should be managed as corporate assets. The LHC does not include
props purchased for a single short term use or other consumables.
“Museum material” as defined by the Museum means objects, and records, of a type normally
kept by a museum for reference or exhibition purposes.
"National Collection" includes the artifacts, specimens, works of art, written documents, sound
and video recordings, photographic and electronic records and any other moveable cultural
property which constitute the permanent collections of the CMCC.
“Plan for the Development of the National Collection of the CWM” and “Plan for the
Development of the National Collection of the CMC” are documents containing a general
description of the current holdings of the National Collection of the CMCC, and a guide for the
improvement of the national Collection, by acquisition, disposition, or retention, to meet the
mandated needs of the CMCC.

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 4.
4.1

POLICY STATEMENT:
According to Section 8 of the Museums Act, 1990,
The purpose of the Canadian Museum of Civilization is to increase, throughout Canada and
internationally, interest in, knowledge and critical understanding of and appreciation and
respect for human cultural achievements and human behavior by establishing, maintaining
and developing for research and posterity a collection of objects of historical or cultural
interest, with special but not exclusive reference to Canada, and by demonstrating those
achievements and behaviour, the knowledge derived from them and the understanding they
represent. the CMCC fulfills its mandate in part:
And under Section 9(1) (a), and (c), it may:
a) “collect objects of historical or cultural interest and other museum material”
c) “sell, exchange, give away, destroy or otherwise dispose of objects of historical or cultural
interest and other museum material in its collection and use any revenue obtained
therefrom to further its collection”
Pursuant to the above and in fulfillment of its specific mandate, the CMCC collections activities
are guided by;
a) The Plan for the Development of the National Collection of the CWM
b) The Plan for the Development of the National Collection of the CMC

5.

ACQUISITION:

5.1

The CMCC acquires objects in a number of ways, including donations, exchanges, bequests,
and purchases, with the exception that the CMCC will not purchase, provide tax receipts, or
other transfers of monetary value for objects found as the result of archaeological digs.
Archaeological collections assigned to CMC through the various permit systems which govern
archaeological fieldwork on provincial, territorial or federal land will be automatically accepted
into the National Collection. Other archaeological collections will be considered on a case-bycase basis, following procedures described above.

5.2

All proposals to acquire objects are reviewed by the relevant sub-committees of the CWM or
CMC which then make recommendations to their respective Collection Committee.

5.3

Approval for the acceptance into the National Collection of an acquisition of artifacts whether
being donated or purchased are made by the chair of the respective Collection Committee up
to a limit of a value of $25,000. Approval for artefact acquisitions valued over $25,000 are
brought to the Executive Committee and, for acquisitions over $250,000, to the Board of
Trustees.

5.4

The CMCC does not accept the donation of an object to which conditions are attached.

5.5

All objects proposed for acquisition for the National Collection are assessed by the Collection
Committee of the CWM or CMC. Initially, the relevant Collection Committee evaluates a
proposed acquisition against the following Primary Criteria in order of priority:
Primary Criteria:
Museological Relevance
•
a link to the “Plan for the Development of the National Collection of the CWM”
or “Plan for the Development of the National Collection of the CMC;” these
Plans will guide in the differentiation between the display potential of the

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 object to support exhibits or public programs, or the research potential of the
object
Documentation
•
the provision of provenance and contextual documentation and the assurance
of legal title to the object
If the proposed acquisition meets the primary criteria, the Collection Committee then
evaluates it against the following Secondary Criteria in order of priority:
Secondary Criteria:
Condition
•
the physical condition of the object, the extent of treatment needed, and the
cost of such treatment
Preservation
•
the ability of the relevant Museum and the cost to preserve and store the
object with reasonable cost
Appraisal
•
the current fair market value;
Cost of Acquisition
•
the costs of bringing the object to the CWM or CMC
6.

DEACCESSION AND DISPOSAL:

6.1

Since it is the intention of the CMCC to preserve the objects in the National Collection for
posterity, the decision to deaccession and dispose of any object is taken only after careful
consideration.

6.2

No object in the National Collection may be disposed of unless it has first been deaccessioned
from the National Collection.

6.3

An object from the National Collection may only be deaccessioned with the approval of the
Board of Trustees of the CMCC.

6.4

An object may be recommended by the Collection Committee of the CWM or CMC for
deaccession if it
•
•
•
•
•
•

6.5

does not fall within the mandate
is dangerous to the collection, to employees of the CMCC, or to the public
is badly damaged or in a severe state of deterioration
is a duplicate in excess of the National Collection requirements
is subject of a claim for repatriation, either as sacred or human remains under
which conditions the application of the respective policies will apply.
has been found, through the continuing process of documentation, or by proof
of legal ownership by a third party, that the CMCC does not have legal title.

Dispositions from the National Collection are covered by Section 9(1) (c) of the Museums Act,
which authorizes the Board of Trustees of the CMCC to:
“sell, exchange, give away, destroy or otherwise dispose of objects of historical or
cultural interest and other museum material in its collection and use any revenue
obtained therefrom to further its collection”
In no case, however, is an article disposed of solely because of its monetary value.

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 6.6

The CMCC is bound by the provisions of the Income Tax Act, notably Part XI.2, which governs
disposition of objects previously certified by the Canadian Cultural Property Export Review
Board.

7.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

7.1

The President and CEO, CMCC, approves this policy and ensures that it is evaluated as
required for its relevance and topicality.

7.2

The Director, CWM and the Director General, Research and Collections Branch, CMC are the
designated Chairs of the respective Collection Committee and as such hold the approval
authority for artefact acquisitions valued up to $25,000. They are jointly responsible for
implementing this policy.

8.

RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER CMCC POLICIES:
The policy for the Development of the National Collection of the CMCC is in harmony with and
complements other CMCC policies including the following.
•
•
•
•
•

Policy
Policy
Policy
Policy
Policy

Collections Management at CMCC
Conservation at CMCC
Living History Collections
on Human Remains
on Repatriation

9.

ETHICS:

9.1

CMCC employees are governed by the CMCC guidelines regarding conflict of interest.

9.2

The CMCC adheres to the International Council of Museums (ICOM) Code of Professional Ethics
(2004).

9.3

The CMCC abides by Canadian laws and international conventions and treaties signed by
Canada regarding export and import of cultural property.

10.

EVALUATION AND REVIEW:
This policy will be evaluated and updated as required by the Director CWM and the Director
General CMC Research and Collections.

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