Nov. 19 and 20, 1954 - Second national conference on the humanities

The theme of the conference is “the Humanities and Government.” Sixty-one delegates from the federal government and universities across the country join together in Ottawa to discuss issues surrounding education, the humanities’ relationship to other disciplines, and the question of the relevance of the humanities in the modern world. At a dinner, Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent delivers a speech praising the Humanities Research Council of Canada and emphasizes the importance of the humanities in creating a distinct and open Canadian culture. St. Laurent also stresses his government is pursuing the Massey Commission’s recommendation to create a Canada Council for the Arts and he is “hopeful that before too long we shall have something of a very positive nature to report.”