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Welcome - Canadian Museum for Human Rights

Inspirational Quote

“Before you can even talk about reconciliation, you have to know the truth.”

Elder Betty Ross in Return to the Falls. Free film screening at CMHR April 16. 

An indigenous woman is in a canoe on a lake with an orange life jacket. She seems at serene. Partially obscured.

Photo: Eppo Eerkes, @eppodirects

The Witness Blanket

September 20, 2024 to September 20, 2027

Experience the connections between human rights and our shared history in each of the multi‐dimensional, quilt‐like sections of the Witness Blanket.

A museum exhibition featuring a large, curved freestanding wooden wall on which is mounted numerous small objects arranged in diamond and rectangular patterns. In the foreground, there circular benches creating an inviting space for visitors to view and contemplate the exhibit. Partially obscured.

Indigenous history and human rights

Discover the stories of Indigenous people and communities. Learn about Canada's history of colonialism and genocide. Reflect on how we can collectively work towards reconciliation.

A carved wooden box, showing the carved face of a person with a painted red hand over their mouth.

Photo: CMHR, Aaron Cohen

Spring break 2025 at the Museum

From Saturday, March 29 to Sunday, April 6, join us for special activities taking place during spring break.

Two children sit at a table making art while an adult leans on the table, watching.

Photo: CMHR, Aaron Cohen

Plan your visit

Events

Day of Pink: Re‐Emergence Tour

Saturday, April 5, 2025

Cost: Free, registration required

An artistic drawing of four narrow, multicoloured evergreens that flow into fluid line drawings of humans. Partially obscured.

The Goose Moon returns with love

Saturday, April 12, 2025

Cost: Free, registration required

Two Canada geese together on a body of water. Partially obscured.

Return to the Falls: Film screening and conversation

Wednesday, April 16, 2025

Cost: Free, registration required

A girl with long dark hair wearing a knee-length white dress faces away, standing ankle deep in a calm lake, with the setting sun casting a warm yellow glow across the water. Partially obscured.

Upstander Showcase

Thursday, May 22, 2025

Cost: Free

In a museum gallery, students exhibit projects on easels. Two students speak with adults about their work. Partially obscured.

Stories

Reconciliation: A movement of hope or a movement of guilt?

By Karine Duhamel

Visages sculptés en bois. Partially obscured.

Canada’s Indian residential schools: Childhood denied

Un groupe de garçons en pyjama est agenouillé sur des lits simples, la tête baissée et les mains jointes comme pour prier. Une femme se tient dans la pièce, les mains jointes de la même manière. Partially obscured.

Every Canadian’s responsibility

By Karine Duhamel

A young woman with braided hair, wearing a maroon jacket and gray winter cap, looks forward resolutely. A red handprint is painted over her mouth and face. Partially obscured.

The Re‐emergence of 2Spirit People in the 21st Century

By Albert McLeod

A group of marchers carrying signs that read “2-Spirited People of the 1st Nations” are walking down the centre of a city street while onlookers watch behind barriers on both sides. Partially obscured.

Exhibitions

Love in a Dangerous Time: Canada’s LGBT Purge

January 31, 2025 to early 2026

A large group of protestors march through a city while two uniformed RCMP officers keep watch. In this black-and-white image, the protestors' signs and banners call for an end to discriminatory practices against members of the 2SLGBTQI+ community. Partially obscured.

Strength in Numbers: The Polish Solidarity Movement

January 2020 to August 2026

A woman wearing a dress cups her hand to a megaphone placed at her mouth. She is standing elevated above a crowd of people at a gate, with two flags waving nearby. Partially obscured.

Explore the Museum from home

Join Museum guides for virtual tours of our exhibits and architecture. Download our mobile app to check out the entire Museum, gallery by gallery. Discover our many special online experiences.

A smiling woman with light skin is filmed on a cell phone. She is wearing a lanyard with the words “Be inspired” and standing in front of an exhibit element made of horizontal strips of wood, some decorated with Indigenous art. Partially obscured.

Photo: CMHR, Scott Gillam

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