Gail Asper holds thank-you gift, a photo of Leo Mol sculpture presented by Jack Francis.
The proposed Canadian Museum for Human Rights continues to gain momentum, says Gail Asper. And discussions with the federal government are alive and well for the Winnipeg-based national and international symbol, she told Creative Retirement Manitoba’s annual fund-raising luncheon.
Asper drew a parallel for the museum and Creative Retirement. There is nothing retiring about what CRM is doing, she told some 380 guests at the Nov. 10 gala event at Polo Park CanadInn. The organization could as well be called “Creative Ways of Making Our Lives and Our Communities Better”.
Certainly that is what Gail Asper is doing, taking up the dream of her late father to establish in Winnipeg a Human Rights Museum. In her vision, and the vision of her philanthropic father, Israel Asper, the museum will be an ‘iconic symbol of a vision for Canada we can all take a part in creating.’
It will document the stories of many diverse groups, including aboriginal peoples, women, the disabled, the underground railroad, the 1919 General Strike, Acadians, French Canadians, Jews, Ukrainians, African-Canadians (and Americans), Chinese, Japanese, Doukhobors, Sikhs, and many others.
“In other words,” Ms. Asper said, “your stories. Our stories.”
To stress the urgency for getting the museum built quickly, Ms. Asper said these stories are a precious national treasure, and as survivors advance in age, their testimony is being lost.
A Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg will attract visitors from all over the world, she added, and it will be an international symbol which will celebrate our country, a country that is one of the most inclusive and tolerant countries in the world.
Ms. Asper described the vision to create a distinctive, architecturally exceptional museum with a specific mandate to help eliminate intolerance and promote inclusion, by recognizing human rights as the foundation for human equality, dignity and freedom worldwide.
After the luncheon, co-chair of the event Helen Norrie said, “I found Gail Asper’s speech both inspiring and informative. She’s so dedicated to this project that it is a pleasure to listen to her.
“The speech changed the minds of several members of the audience who were not enthusiastic about the Human Rights Museum before she spoke,” Ms. Norrie added. “They told me that she made them realize it was a museum for all human rights for all peoples.”