National Museum of Quebec History to Open in Spring 2026, Replacing Blue Spaces Network

The Camille-Roy pavilion of the Séminaire de Québec, which was to house the parent company of the Legault government’s defunct Blue Spaces network, will be transformed into the National Museum of Quebec History. The opening is planned for the spring of 2026, a few months before the elections.

• Read also: The CAQ drops its Blue Spaces

The Prime Minister made the official announcement on Thursday afternoon, a month and a half after the abandonment, confirmed by the Minister of Culture, Mathieu Lacombe, of the Blue Spaces project, a network that was to be realized under the form of 17 museums cultural and new. sites across Quebec.

So the great cultural legacy of François Legault will never see the light of day, at least not as he announced with great fanfare during the pandemic, by Nathalie Roy who was previously in Culture at Mr. Lacombe.

“To create a museum on the history of our country, for me, it is a legacy. I hope that Quebecers, young and old, are even more proud to be Quebecers, that they know the history of Quebec even better,” explained François Legault, on the site of the construction site, where the work has started from 2021.

The cost overruns seen on the four projects started in Quebec, Baie-Saint-Paul, Amos and Percé have pushed the CAQ to review its plans.

Given the “challenges in the construction sector”, it was necessary to “be realistic”, he explained.

Two or three times more expensive

At the Camille-Roy pavilion of the Séminaire de Québec, the planned investment has now reached $92 million. This amount, which is already included in the Quebec Infrastructure Plan (PQI), corresponds to almost double what was originally planned.

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The first investment announced in 2021 for the 17 Blue Spaces was $261 million. But according to what Mr. Lacombe told TVA Nouvelles last month, at least a billion dollars would be needed to realize the network in all regions of Quebec, or three times more than expected.

“The choice we made in the first place was to focus on making the National Museum, here in Quebec, a success,” Mr. Legault summarized as he answered questions from -news.

Other calls are expected in Baie-Saint-Paul, Amos and Percé, where a new call will also be found for each Blue Space that was to see the light of day there. Regarding other regions where no project is underway, “I do not exclude, in a third or fourth mandate, the development of branches in different regions of Quebec,” said Mr. Legault .

“But for now, my priority is to make the National Museum of Quebec History a success, here in the national capital,” he reiterated. The last establishment of a national museum in Quebec dates back to 1984.

5 years of work

Regarding the choice to make the Blue Place of Quebec a National History Museum, the Prime Minister emphasized that it was an idea raised by the Commission Relève of the Coalition Avenir Québec (CRCAQ).

The Prime Minister was unable to explain why the work that began in 2021 is not more advanced. “It’s a good question. The work has begun. We think they will be ready next year in the fall,” said Mr. Legault. However, it is planned to establish the new center of the museum for the spring of 2026.

Earlier in his morning press conference at the National Assembly, interim Liberal leader Marc Tanguay recalled that the blue spaces should be “a great legacy of François Legault,” but that the CAQ “to make him put the ax in, because it was an elephant. “

“What about adequate funding for the current and underfunded museums that have needs?” Mr. Tanguay was raised.

“We judge the tree by its fruit, but instead of arguing, François Legault, let him take the money from taxpayers and then spend it intelligently,” said the leader of the PLQ.

National Museum of Quebec (MNHQ) highlights:

• Replacing what was to be the flagship of the Blue Spaces network announced in 2021, which was abandoned last month due to cost overruns;
• We will see the light of day in the spring of 2026;
• It will be located in the Camille-Roy Pavilion of the Séminaire de Québec, which is already under renovation ($92 million);
• It will be dedicated solely to the history of Quebec, honoring and including the national motto that I remember;
• It will emphasize the four centuries of evolution of Quebec society in America;
• It brings to life in music and images the important moments of the national story through its distinguished personalities, its great cultural, scientific and sporting achievements, the French language and the contribution of the communities that influenced its evolution, from the first people to the inhabitants of Europe to this day;
• The Musée de la civilization will be joined by Jenny Thibault, general and artistic director of the Society of Technological Arts, and Éric Bédard, historian, whose task it is to design the original content and put on the first exhibitions method.