Fredrik Eaton and family make major donation to the Canadian Museum of History

June 22, 2016

MEDIA RELEASE

For immediate release

Gatineau, Quebec, June 22, 2016 — The Canadian Museum of History is proud to announce that Mr. Fredrik Eaton and his family have donated $2 million to support the development of the Museum’s new signature exhibition, the Canadian History Hall. In recognition of this generous gift from the Catherine and Fredrik Eaton Charitable Foundation, a gallery in the new Hall will be named in the family’s honour.

The Canadian History Hall will be the largest, most comprehensive and engaging exhibition about Canadian history ever created. It will open on July 1, 2017, as Canadians mark the 150th anniversary of Confederation.

Fredrik Eaton is one of Canada’s most distinguished citizens and a longtime supporter of the Museum. Among his many accomplishments, Mr. Eaton has served as High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Chairman, President and CEO of T. Eaton Co. and Chancellor of the University of New Brunswick. He was appointed to the Board of Trustees of the Canadian Museum of Civilization in 2006, serving as Chair from 2007 to 2011.

“The Canadian Museum of History is both honoured and delighted to receive such a generous gift from the Catherine and Fredrik Eaton Charitable Foundation,” said Mark O’Neill, the Museum’s President and CEO. “The donation is especially meaningful given Mr. Eaton’s stature in Canada’s business, philanthropic and arts communities and his intimate knowledge of the Museum, which was gained during his tenure on the Museum’s Board. We hope other benefactors will follow his lead.”

“I have always considered the Museum somewhat like Canada’s attic: a repository for the ‘stuff of history’,” said Fred Eaton. “If you have the ‘stuff of history’, please send it to the Museum. If you do not, please send money!”

This donation from the Catherine and Fredrik Eaton Charitable Foundation is the largest the Museum has ever received. The gift will help to ensure that the Canadian History Hall will provide a world-class visitor experience.

The Hall will tell the story of Canada and its people from the dawn of human habitation to the present, exploring how we became the country and the people we are today. It will be a centrepiece in Canada’s premier national museum, attracting visitors from across Canada and around the world. The Hall will be divided chronologically into three principal galleries. Gallery 2, which focuses on the years 1763 to 1914, will become the Fredrik Eaton Family Gallery.

Located on the shores of the Ottawa River in Gatineau, Quebec, the Canadian Museum of History is Canada’s largest and most popular cultural institution, attracting over 1.2 million visitors each year. The Museum’s principal role is to enhance Canadians’ knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the events, experiences, people and objects that have shaped Canada’s history and identity, as well as to enhance Canadians’ awareness of world history and culture. Work of the Canadian History Museum is made possible in part through financial support of the Government of Canada.

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Media contacts:
Stéphanie Verner
Media Relations Officer
Telephone: 819-776-7169
Email: stephanie.verner@historymuseum.ca

Éliane Laberge
Social Media and Media Relations Officer
Telephone: 819-776-7097
Email: eliane.laberge@historymuseum.ca