We find that the planned removal of Third Floor Exhibits related to settlement at the Royal BC Museum including the ‘Old Town’ and Captain Vancouver’s ship the HMS Discovery, amounts to an Orwellian political pogrom against BC’s history and has been devised in a way that is clearly politically biased and racist against Europeans and those of their descent.  

We consider that the planned colonial closure of the excellent First Peoples Gallery is a disservice to the First Peoples of North America and their descendants, as their history, which spans more time by far in Canada than any other people is being downplayed and hidden from view to both those in the province and those visiting it from elsewhere.  

We consider that the closure of Chinatown, a key part of the Old Town exhibit, does a disservice to Chinese Canadians and their descendants.  Chinese Canadians played a key role in the foundation of Canada as a nation and the display of their experience of life in early BC should not be hidden from public view and should not be forgotten.

We feel strongly that erasing any part of history is bad for everyone and that nobody benefits from such a situation regardless of their views or background.  Destroying history is not something that we should be repeating in any form.

We are fully open to and encourage adding new exhibits and information, including offering different lenses/perspectives on the past in both the museum buildings and the planned museum expansion at Royal Bay.  Other voices can easily be added to the exhibits via signage, talking figures, audio recordings, headsets etc., and through the use of space in the recent/modern BC history gallery.  

However, we firmly oppose the planned destruction of the world-renowned and to many people of all ages and backgrounds priceless and cherished permanent exhibitions currently housed in the museum.

The snap decision was made in a completely arbitrary fashion without consulting the public in a transparent and democratic process.  There has not been provided by the museum administration evidence of any broad or overwhelming public support for this extreme action taken against displaying a key part of British Columbia’s history.

The decision is unfair and discriminatory and is politically motivated and pressured, rather than being genuine independent actions taken in the interest of preserving history.  The latter is the function and responsibility of a museum.  

We do not feel that the displays in question are offensive as claimed, but rather are displays of important aspects of BC’s development as a province of Canada, which is the exact function of the museum itself to display.

No specifics were given as justification, but only vague claims of ‘decolonization’.  This is not decolonization.  It is the hiding/erasure of history.  A detailed and well reasoned case against the historical displays has not been made to the public and as such their closure and removal is not justified in any way.

Far from leading us into a bright new future as the political proponents of the purge have claimed, we feel that the removal of history is a dangerous journey down the abysmal and slippery slope of authoritarianism.  We have seen what has happened in numerous countries when history is hidden and/or destroyed and it is not something that we want to have happen here.

Please repeal at once the imminent planned destruction of BC’s historic displays in the Royal BC Museum before it is too late.






For more information contact BCMuseumPetition@mail.com

If you are a resident of British Columbia please also sign the petition at www.enhanceoldtown.ca which is planned to be presented to the BC Legislative Assembly. (More info at the website)