An architecture policy sets an aspirational goal for what we value about the built environment, and helps create a framework for that contribution to culture. The Ordre des architectes du Québec (OAQ) is actively consulting with the government on the establishment of a provincial architecture policy. This is a positive move and shows leadership in the preservation of Canadian culture. It is an example that our federal government should follow.

Every building we see today, and build tomorrow, will be here for generations so it behooves us to invest properly and get the design right.

As architects, we think about how society will be using and interacting with the built environment. Are the entrances and levels accessible? Is the building pleasing to the eye? Does it respond to the context of its surroundings? Is it sustainable?

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Doug Saunders, in his book Maximum Canada, explored this issue: our population density is too low to support major public institutions and "the situation is worse in Quebec, where the market size of media is even smaller …" When applied to architecture, this is even more true, because it is not just publicly funded buildings but also the private development that creates much of the built environment. When Mr. Saunders interviewed architect Frank Gehry, he said "Canada had not offered the well supported educational institutions, the critical mass of creative people to produce radical new ideas, or the consumer markets for architecture to support more inventive practices."

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In Europe, a majority of countries have an architecture policy. We often look to these countries for statistical comparisons on health care, quality of life and taxation, so why not also seek inspiration on the cultural policies that shape the built environment?

We have a small population and if we're not careful to nurture our homegrown architecture talent, we'll soon find that all the buildings in Canada, not just the once-in-a-lifetime ones such as museums and libraries, are being designed by others. There are only about 12,000 architects in all of Canada. We struggle with the challenges of being small businesses, in a small market, trying to compete on national or global stages.

Perhaps Mr. Saunders predicted Quebec having the first provincial architecture policy: "Quebec has done a better job than English Canada of maintaining institutions of thought and communication …" The awakening of Québécois consciousness, nationalism and self-identity "at the political, cultural, institutional" levels in the postwar years as part of the Quiet Revolution in the 1960s manifests itself today in a clear sense of self-awareness, and desire to protect and nurture Quebec culture to ensure it is not lost in English Canada.

We should have this desire to support, nurture and protect Canadian architecture in a global context.

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