Parliamentary Precinct

[the capital urbanite]

Nine cities to bid for proposed Portrait Gallery of Canada

The Canadian Press

OTTAWA - The federal government is holding a competition among nine cities for the right to host the controversial Portrait Gallery of Canada.

The Conservative government has launched a request for proposals from Halifax, Quebec City, Montreal, Ottawa-Gatineau, Toronto, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver.

Heritage Minister Josee Verner says all the cities have large populations that could provide a local visitor base for the gallery.

The gallery's collection of portraits is currently housed out of public view in an Ottawa-area building operated by the national archives.

Public Works Minister Michael Fortier says the government wants to ensure maximum tax-dollar benefits by including the private sector in developing the new gallery.

The Liberal government of Jean Chretien first announced in January 2001 that the gallery would be located in the former U.S. embassy across the street from Parliament.

But controversy quickly ensued, centred primarily on costs, which ballooned to $44.6 million by last year from an original construction budget of $22 million.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper put the project on hold shortly after his Tories won a minority government in January 2006.