NATIONAL GALLERY OF CANADA
Pierre Théberge, O.C., C.Q.,
Director
Thank you Mr. Sobey.
It gives me great pleasure to welcome you all this evening to our first Annual Public
Meeting of the National Gallery of Canada Board of Trustees. This meeting presents an
excellent opportunity for us to share our future plans and provide you with some insight
into how the Gallery operates. It also gives you the audience the occasion to participate
in a question and answer session.
Before we start our series of presentations, I would like to take this occasion to thank the
numerous individuals and organizations for their immense contributions and generous
support to both the National Gallery of Canada and the Canadian Museum of
Contemporary Photography.
Firstly, my thanks go to the Minister of Canadian Heritage, The Honorable Josée Verner
and her team. The Gallery receives 85% of its funding from the Government of Canada.
The Gallery accounts for the remaining 15% through self-generating revenue activities,
for example, admission, the Bookstore, parking fees, and rentals.
The Gallery’s Board of Trustees guides every aspect of its governance. This evening, I
would like to thank each member personally for their invaluable contributions to the
Gallery’s success. The trustees participate in the work done by six vital committees and
these are:

The Executive Committee – led by our Chairperson, Mr. Donald Sobey

The Acquisitions Committee – led by Mr. Michael Audain

The Audit and Finance Committee – led by Mr. Fred Fountain

The Governance and Nominating Committee – led by Mr. Peter Cathcart

The Human Resources Committee – led by Mr. Robert Perry, and finally…

The Public Programs and CMCP Advisory Committee – which is led by Mrs.
Sandra Pitblado
Thank you for your wonderful work.
We are also deeply grateful to the National Gallery of Canada Foundation, which was
formed ten years ago. Chaired by Mr. Thomas D’Aquino and overseen by Mrs. Marie
Claire Morin, this organization seeks financial support from the private sector for
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educational programs and scientific research as well as the creation of a solid
endowment fund. The fund is now worth $10 million. The Foundation also works actively
with the corporate community to obtain sponsorship for the Gallery’s programs. The
NGC Foundation is also responsible for our membership services.
I would like to thank them and congratulate them for their wonderful results.
The National Gallery of Canada’s 27,000 members also form an intrinsic part of the
museum. They enrich our programs through their financial support and their active
participation in our programmes.
The members of the Volunteer Circle give more than 40,000 hours of volunteerism to
support various activities in the Gallery. To all, we extend our warmest appreciation for
all that they accomplish.
It is with great pride that I congratulate the Volunteer Circle who will be celebrating their
50th anniversary in 2008. They have made and continue to make a tremendous
contribution to the Gallery’s successes.
I would also like to extend our sincerest thanks to our visitors who not only come from all
over Canada, but from around the world. They are an essential part of our “raisond’être.” It is with the greatest pleasure that we organize our many exhibitions, our wide
variety of educational activities and our websites. We thank you for your participation.
Lastly, the Gallery and the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography’s
reputations are built on the excellence of their collections and programming activities,
and the commitment and dedication of its wonderful Senior Management Team and the
staff.
I would now like to take the opportunity to introduce our Senior Management and to
extend to them my sincerest thanks for their leadership and tireless efforts to bring you,
our visitors, the best programming possible.
They are:

David Franklin, Deputy Director and Chief Curator

David Baxter, Deputy Director, Administration and Finance

Elaine Lawson, Deputy Director, Corporate Governance

Joanne Charette, Director, Public Affairs

Karen Colby-Stothart, Director, Exhibitions and Installations

Mayo Graham, Director, National Outreach and International Relations
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
Martha Hanna, Director, Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography

Lise Labine, Director, Human Resources Services, and

Marie Claire Morin, President and CEO of the National Gallery Foundation and
Director of Development, National Gallery of Canada.
As you will see in the presentations that follow, the Gallery has many achievements of
which to be justifiably proud, but none of these would be possible without the skills and
dedication of our Management team and our 268 talented staff. It is their contributions
that make the National Gallery of Canada and the Canadian Museum of Contemporary
Photography what they are today – institutions that rank amongst the finest in the world.
And now my colleagues who will present their respective areas of responsibilities.
Thank you.
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