Understanding and Limiting the Invasion of Exotic Species into Canada

News Release

Government of Canada supports the Musée du Fjord

June 12, 2014 – La Baie, Quebec – Department of Canadian Heritage

The Honourable Shelley Glover, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, today announced $300,000 in funding to help design, produce, and circulate the exhibition The Invaders. This amount, granted through the Access to Heritage component of the Museums Assistance Program, will be used to educate visitors about the scourge that is the massive invasion of exotic species into Canada, and to better equip them to combat this phenomenon.

Quick Facts

The 250 m² exhibition will focus on the massive invasion of Canada by exotic species such as insects, algae, plants, and mammals, and the impact on local ecosystems.
The exhibition will be presented at six different venues in Canada: the Musée du Fjord in La Baie, The Rooms in St. John’s (Newfoundland and Labrador), Collège André-Grasset in Montréal, the Sherbrooke Nature and Science Museum, Cégep Gérald-Godin in Montréal, and the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa.
Project activities, which will be underway until March 31, 2016, also include the development of teaching tools and promotional material.

Quotes

“Our Government's support will allow Canadians to learn more about invasive species and to limit the problems caused by their presence.”

—The Honourable Shelly Glover, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages

“Producing scientific exhibitions is at the heart of our educational mission. We thank the Government of Canada for recognizing our unique expertise in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean and for helping us promote the travelling exhibitions at museums in Quebec and elsewhere in Canada.”

—Francis Gauthier, President, Musée du Fjord

“With this support, the Musée du Fjord's visibility is extending throughout Canada. Since 2007, the museum has created six travelling scientific exhibitions that have served as showcases to more than 850,000 visitors from outside the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region.”

—Guylaine Simard, Executive Director, Musée du Fjord