Announcing the 2025 Winner of the Governor General’s History Award for Excellence in Museums: History Alive!
Press Release
WINNIPEG, January 20, 2026 – The Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) of Winnipeg is being recognized with the country’s most prestigious history museum award for its powerful exhibition Love in a Dangerous Time: Canada’s LGBT Purge.
The Governor General’s History Award for Excellence in Museums: History Alive! honours individuals or institutions that have made a significant achievement in sharing an aspect of Canada’s history. It encourages and celebrates individuals or institutions that have made remarkable contributions to a better knowledge of Canadian history. The 2025 laureates will receive their awards from Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada, at an upcoming ceremony in Ottawa.
“The award for the Canadian Museum for Human Rights recognizes not just this outstanding exhibition, but also the context in which it evolved,” said Dorota Blumczyńska, Board President of the Canadian Museums Association. “Love in a Dangerous Time is an invaluable example of institutional humility and collaboration that shows us how museums themselves can grow and learn as they engage with the stories of our past that were previously systemically excluded.”
The immersive Love in a Dangerous Time highlights one of the most egregious and long‐running violations of human rights in the workplace in Canadian history. Now known as the LGBT Purge, it started in the 1950s and lasted into the 1990s. During that time, the Canadian government systematically investigated, harassed, and fired 2SLGBTQ+ public servants, RCMP officers, and members of the military. Using AI technology and newly commissioned artworks alongside traditional elements, the exhibition invites visitors to reflect with empathy on the Purge as part of a broader history of sexuality and gender in Canada. Emerging after a period of institutional reckoning at the museum, Love in a Dangerous Time demonstrates the critical importance of inclusivity and courageous truth-telling in Canadian public history on the path to national healing.
“Love in a Dangerous Time tells the profound story of the courage of Purge survivors and we are deeply honored to share this achievement with our partners, the LGBT Purge Fund,” said Riva Harrison, Vice President of Education and Public Affairs at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. “Together, we set out to ensure this history was told with honesty, dignity, and care. The profound response from visitors has reinforced how necessary this work is, and we’re proud that we’ve been able to extend the exhibition at CMHR so more people can learn these stories and gain a better understanding of the human rights impacts of the LGBT Purge in Canada.”
The Governor General’s History Award for Excellence in Museums: History Alive! is administered by the Canadian Museums Association with the support of Ecclesiastical Insurance. It encourages and celebrates excellence specifically in the presentation, preservation and interpretation of national, regional or local history. In selecting the laureate, a volunteer jury reviews these qualities as well as the overall contribution and impact of the nominees’ work in fostering a better understanding of our past.
“Ecclesiastical Insurance is once again proud to support the Governor General’s History Award for Excellence in Museums: History Alive!, as its purpose aligns with our commitment to preserving and protecting Canada’s unique history and communities,” says David Huebel, President of Ecclesiastical Insurance. “Congratulations to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Your reflective and collaborative approach in presenting Love in a Dangerous Time demonstrates the importance of courageous storytelling and the power of strong, supportive relationships in helping us understand, and learn from, our shared past.”
To learn more about the Governor General’s History Awards and the other 2025 recipients, visit CanadasHistory.ca/GGHA2025
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More information :
Rebecca MacKenzie
Director of Communications
Canadian Museums Association
613-567-0099 x243
rmackenzie@museums.ca
Claude-Sylvie Lemery
Communications Manager
Canada’s History Society
514-433-3405
cs.lemery@gmail.com
About the Governor General’s History Awards
The Governor General’s History Awards recognize excellence in five categories: Teaching, Museums, Scholarly Research, Community Programming, and Popular Media. Each award category has its own jury, selection process, and prize structure. The Governor General’s History Awards are administered by Canada’s National History Society, in partnership with the Canadian Museums Association and the Canadian Historical Association, and with the support of the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage, and Power Corporation of Canada.
About Canada’s History Society
Canada’s History Society is a national charitable organization based in Winnipeg that works to connect Canadians through history. Canada’s History Society aims to strengthen understanding of the complex and diverse histories of our country and their part in shaping contemporary Canada. It publishes the magazines Canada’s History and Kayak: Canada’s History Magazine for Kids (available digitally at CanadasHistory.ca), and oversees education and award programs, including the Governor General’s History Awards and Heritage Fairs.
About the Canadian Museums Association
The Canadian Museum Association (CMA) is the voice for Canada’s vibrant museum community, from small, volunteer-driven organizations to cherished national institutions, and for the millions of Canadians whose lives are enriched by museums. The CMA advocates for public policies and support, builds skills across the profession, and establishes and inspires connections to strengthen and sustain museums.
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