LAC initiatives on the agenda for Canadian Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly

Today, as Parliament reconvenes, publication of Meet Heritage Minister Joly, Ottawa’s new political powerhouse in The Hill Times comes at a moment for maximum impact.

"With numerous big NCC projects underway and Canada’s 150th celebrations on the horizon, Ottawa is set to become a ‘critical file’ for the minister from Montreal, say insiders."

Mentioned are the potential partnership between the Library and Archives Canada and the Ottawa Public Library for a new central branch and the resurrected idea of a National Portrait Gallery, an LAC initiative mothballed if not killed by the previous government.

The final paragraph in Rachel Aiello's article makes mention that the Minister has been reading "Art and Politics by journalist Sarah Jennings, which covers the creation of the National Arts Centre in Ottawa in the 1960s and 1970s and the beginnings of what would become the Department of Canadian Heritage."

That's timely as today at 12:15 at 395 Wellington Sarah Jennings is "in conversation with" Dr. Guy Berthiaume, Librarian and Archivist of Canada, the first of a new Signatures Series features original interviews with individuals who provide insights into parts of the LAC collection  -- registration required.