As a result of their deliberations committees may make recommendations which they include in their reports for the consideration of the House of Commons or the Government. Recommendations related to this study are listed below.

RECOMMENDATION 1

The Committee recommends that the requirements of the Policy on Management of Real Property be integrated in new legislation so that custodian departments of designated federal heritage buildings are required to protect the commemorative integrity of these buildings and prevent demolition-by-neglect.

RECOMMENDATION 2

The Committee recommends that the federal government introduce legislation to provide statutory protection for federal heritage buildings.

RECOMMENDATION 3

The Committee recommends that the federal government introduce legislation imposing on Crown corporations the same requirements imposed on federal departments and agencies by the Policy on Management of Real Property regarding the management of federal heritage buildings, in order to protect the commemorative integrity of buildings owned by these Crown corporations and prevent their demolition-by-neglect.

RECOMMENDATION 4

The Committee recommends that the federal government introduce legislation to establish a process to protect, conserve, document and exhibit archaeological resources on federal land and under waters of federal responsibility.

RECOMMENDATION 5

The Committee recommends that the federal government introduce legislation to provide a statutory obligation on federal departments, agencies and Crown corporations to protect the commemorative integrity of all national historic sites of Canada.

RECOMMENDATION 6

The Committee recommends that the federal government introduce legislation to provide a statutory obligation on federal departments, agencies and Crown corporations to protect the integrity of federal heritage buildings owned by the federal government or under its jurisdiction.

RECOMMENDATION 7

The Committee recommends that the Treasury Board Secretariat work with federal departments and agencies to ensure that they invest 2% of the asset replacement value annually towards the maintenance and repair of federal heritage buildings, as recommended in the Treasury Board Secretariat’s Guide to the Management of Real Property.

RECOMMENDATION 8

The Committee recommends that the federal government adopt a policy requiring federal departments and agencies to, when deemed appropriate, give preference to existing heritage buildings when considering leasing or purchasing space.

RECOMMENDATION 9

The Committee recommends that the federal government introduce legislation to:

• ensure that federal actions do not adversely impact the commemorative integrity of national historic sites of Canada or the integrity of heritage sites and buildings designated by provinces and municipalities in Canada;
• provide statutory protection for Canadian World Heritage sites;
• ensure that federal actions take into consideration the heritage values of Canada’s historic places; and
• give statutory recognition of the Canadian Register of Historic Places and the Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada.

RECOMMENDATION 10

The Committee recommends that the federal government restore the funding level for the National Cost-Sharing Program for Heritage Places to a minimum of $10 million per year.

RECOMMENDATION 11

The Committee recommends that the federal government establish a tax credit for the restoration and preservation of buildings listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places.

RECOMMENDATION 12

The Committee recommends that the federal government, in co-operation with provincial and territorial governments, work to adapt future versions of Canada’s National Model Building Codes in a manner that will facilitate the restoration and the rehabilitation of existing buildings and the preservation of their heritage characteristics.

RECOMMENDATION 13

The Committee recommends that Parks Canada review its National Cost-Sharing Program and, if it is determined that rural sites are under-represented in applications for funding or in the awarding of funding, steps should be taken to improve the program.

RECOMMENDATION 14

The Committee recommends that the federal government consider supporting an initiative modelled after the “Main Street America” model, to encourage public and private investment in commercial historic buildings in rural areas and small cities as a catalyst for community sustainability and economic development.

RECOMMENDATION 15

The Committee recommends that the federal government support an Indigenous-led initiative that will be responsible for:

• determining how places that are important to Canada’s Indigenous peoples should be protected and preserved;
• enhancing the capacity of Indigenous communities to preserve places that are important to them; and
• presenting the perspective of Indigenous communities regarding the protection of places that are important to them to the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada and its Secretariat, Parks Canada and other federal government departments and agencies.

RECOMMENDATION 16

The Committee recommends that, in cooperation with Indigenous groups, Parks Canada include Indigenous registrars in the Canadian Register of Historic Places to improve the process by which Indigenous places that are important to Indigenous peoples are identified and designated.

RECOMMENDATION 17

The Committee recommends that, in support of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action 79 and 81, and in consultation with Indigenous groups:

• The federal government introduce legislation amending the Historic Sites and Monuments Act to add First Nations, Inuit, and Métis representation on the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada and its Secretariat.
• The Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada revise the policies, criteria, and practices of the National Program of Historical Commemoration to integrate Indigenous history, heritage values, and memory practices into Canada’s national heritage and history.
• Parks Canada develop and implement a national heritage plan and strategy for commemorating and, where appropriate, conserving residential school sites, the history and legacy of residential schools, and the contributions of Indigenous peoples to Canada’s history.
• The federal government, in collaboration with Residential School Survivors, commission and install a publicly accessible, highly visible, Residential Schools National Monument in the city of Ottawa to honour Survivors and all the children who were lost to their families and communities.