Politics

Coalition calls on minister to withdraw criticism of museum's Palestinian exhibit

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Canadian Identity and Culture Minister Marc Miller attend a news conference in Ottawa on Wednesday, June 10, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

OTTAWA — A coalition of civil society groups is pushing back against criticism by a federal cabinet minister and Jewish organizations of a museum exhibit on Palestinian displacement.

The Canadian Museum of Human Rights, a federal Crown corporation in Winnipeg, has faced a torrent of criticism over its exhibit on the Nakba, the forced displacement of about 750,000 Palestinians during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.

Culture Minister Marc Miller has said the museum failed by not naming Hamas in the exhibit as a terrorist organization that targets Jews, while Jewish groups say the exhibit portrays only one side of a complex history.

Dozens of groups are set to issue a joint statement today voicing support for the museum and pushing back against what they call political interference in its operations.

The groups include Amnesty International, the United Church of Canada and the Union of National Employees, which represents most of the Winnipeg museum staff.

They say Ottawa must support the museum’s curatorial independence in the face of what they call an organized pressure campaign.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 22, 2026.