The federal government has budgeted $12 million over four years for Library and Archives Canada to acquire, preserve and make available former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s records, CBC News reports.

The allocation, set out in the federal budget tabled Thursday, provides $3 million annually beginning in 2027-28. The agency has not yet acquired Trudeau’s records, communications adviser Patrick Boissonneault told CBC’s Elizabeth Thompson.

Boissonneault said none of the $12 million would go to Trudeau. His official photographer, Adam Scotti, has already donated files to the agency.

The funding follows a long-standing practice of collecting former prime ministers’ private papers. Library and Archives Canada typically assesses records offered for donation and determines their monetary value. If it acquires them, the donor receives a tax receipt for a gift of cultural property. Any resulting tax credit is a private matter between the donor and the Canada Revenue Agency, Boissonneault said.

The Trudeau allocation exceeds the $8.3 million spent acquiring, processing and preserving Stephen Harper’s archives. Harper served about four months longer than Trudeau. CBC reported that the difference remains even after accounting for inflation, and said the agency had not responded to its question about why Trudeau’s collection would cost more.

The new funding comes as Library and Archives Canada prepares for substantial spending reductions elsewhere. Its latest planning report sets out reductions of $11.1 million in 2026-27, $14.7 million in 2027-28 and $22.1 million in 2028-29. The agency expects to eliminate the equivalent of 161 full-time positions by the end of those cuts.

Planned changes include discontinuing the Documentary Heritage Communities Program, which supports smaller archives, and gradually reducing access-to-information and privacy functions and proactive reviews of historical records.

The agency warned in its planning report that the budget and workforce changes would directly affect its operations and its ability to fully deliver expected results.

Sources