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Opened in late 2014, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) in Winnipeg, located at the forks of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers, exists as an imperfect symbol of Canadians' shared values. The museum itself is a microcosm of many of the long-held beliefs about our place in the world, which have been held dear by the majority of Canadians since Confederation. With permanent galleries dedicated to the evolution of human rights, from the first rules of government and law to be carved in stone or scrawled on parchment, to the modern-day Charter of Rights and Freedoms that is today at the heart of the Constitution of Canada, and to every other similar document found across the world, the CMHR seeks to celebrate human rights beyond the bounds of race, religion, or nationhood.
This being said, the CMHR has been at the centre of controversy since its establishment back in 2008. Various minority groups, including several local First Nations groups whose ancestral lands are now buried beneath the new structure, have been very vocal about concerns over just whose "rights" the CMHR purports itself as promoting. Built on land that many believe was an ancient burial ground, the forks of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers having long been a traditional First Nations' hunting ground and gathering place, and the CMHR's construction has all but wiped that history away.
Designed by American architect Antoine Predock, the $351 million (CAD) structure is a marvel to behold, a Frank Gehry-esque heap of curved glass panels out of which a single glass spire stands 100 metres tall. The grounds below have been landscaped with an aim towards the creation of a reclaimed Prairie grassland. From within, visitors are encouraged to experience the space level by level, their ascent from one gallery to the next travelled via a series of suspended causeways that would not be out of place in an M.C. Escher illustration. Once at the top, those looking to brave the glass elevator can ascend to the pinnacle of the 100-metre Israel Asper Tower of Hope, which offers an unparalleled 360-degree panoramic view of Winnipeg — colloquially known as the Crossroads of Canada — from the downtown skyline, to The Forks, to the gentle calm of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers, and beyond to the relative quaintness of St. Boniface on the other side.
A nice way to spend an afternoon in The Peg, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights must be understood for what it is as much as what it is not, and a stroll through the galleries is equally as interesting for their contents as what is missing. Definitely worth a visit, the architecture and views alone are worth the price of admission, and the deeper meanings held within the galleries will be heavily subject to one's own life experiences.
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