The following letter was sent to members of government:

I am writing to you today on behalf of the Atlantic Provinces Library Association to express my concerns about the elimination of the Documentary Heritage Communities Program (DCHP) by Library and Archives Canada, due to recent budget cuts by the federal government.

The DHCP supports the preservation of and access to Canada’s documentary heritage for Canadians, particularly material that is often overlooked by bigger institutions. Since 2015, it has provided funding to support more than 400 projects that have allowed small, community-based organizations to preserve and provide access to archives of marginalized, minority, and underrepresented groups, including indigenous communities.

Archives and libraries play a vital role in enabling the public to understand, access, and make sense of our collective histories, which serve as the foundations of our country, our society, and identities. Millions of historical documents, photographs, maps, and audio-visual items are held in archives and libraries across the country and made accessible to the public.

Archives and libraries are fundamental to the success of countless public, private, and educational enterprises. They also support Canada’s knowledge-based economy by sustaining and facilitating access to our knowledge resources. For archival and library repositories to continue to fulfil their missions to preserve and make available documentation about these shared histories, they must be recognized, protected and funded accordingly.

The entire archival and library community are extremely concerned about the negative impact that eliminating the DHCP will have on the preservation of and access to our collective histories.

Cutting this program will devastate small, underfunded archives that rely on this program to carry out their work.

I respectfully ask that you advocate for the restoration of dedicated federal support for community-based documentary heritage work, whether through reinstating DCHP or creating a comparable program. Protecting and providing access to Canada’s documentary heritage is an investment in education, accountability, identity, and intergenerational knowledge.

Thank you for your time and for representing our community. I would appreciate knowing your position on this issue and any steps you are taking to address it.

Yours sincerely,

Terri Winchcombe
President, Atlantic Provinces Library Association
On behalf of APLA members