MONTREAL -- The former director general of one of Montreal’s leading museums says she welcomes an independent investigation by the province, saying it will exonerate her.
The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts will be scrutinized by Quebec’s culture ministry, the ministry announced after five days of upheaval.
The museum’s board says it will cooperate, though it stands by its decision to fire director general Nathalie Bondil on Monday.
The union had complained the workplace had become toxic, according to the board.
“We remain convinced that the decision to terminate Ms. Bondil's contract was the right decision,” the board wrote in a statement.
But Bondil also said she was looking forward to an independent investigation, as she said it would prove she’d done nothing wrong.
“I hope that it will be helpful...to clarify the situation,” she said in an interview.
“I’m happy the government [will] bring a a new independent investigation,” she said. “I think the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and the visitors and members deserve that.”
More than 3,000 people have signed a petition in Bondil’s favour, or rather arguing that the pandemic has made cultural institutions fragile and letting Bondil go right now will further destabilize the museum.
It’s unclear how long the investigation will take, but all sides seem to agree that for the good of this Montreal cultural cornerstone, a resolution needs to come soon.
