Avi Lewis chides Miller for saying rights museum should change Palestinian wording

An exhibit on the 1948 displacement of Palestinians opens at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. CTV's Harrison Shin reports.

OTTAWA — NDP Leader Avi Lewis says Heritage Minister Marc Miller was wrong to call on the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg to change the wording in an exhibit about displaced Palestinians.

Both politicians have said the exhibit is an important chance for Palestinians to see their history reflected in a prominent museum.

But Lewis says Miller is going against his own promise not to intervene in how the Crown corporation curates its exhibits by saying the institution made an error in how it presented the current conflict between Israel and Palestinians.

Miller told The Canadian Press it’s “regrettable” the exhibit did not identify Hamas as a terrorist organization and did not mention that the 2023 attack by Hamas was aimed at killing Jews.

Lewis says Miller attacked the museum’s independence and should apologize for “unacceptable political interference.”

The Conservatives have not directly commented on Miller’s words but have called the exhibit one-sided “propaganda” that lacks context.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 30, 2026

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press