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Winnipeg’s new Canadian Museum For Human Rights cost $351-million, features a 5,000-square-metre glass cloud.JOHN WOODS/The Canadian Press

Federal Heritage Minister Shelly Glover says she is disappointed the Canadian Museum for Human Rights wasn't entirely ready for its grand opening.

Glover said in a report from Ottawa by the Winnipeg Free Press that she is upset she was kept in the dark about the delays in gallery construction by museum staff.

Construction delays resulted in only four of the Winnipeg museum's 11 galleries being ready for the Sept. 19 opening ceremonies.

The Manitoba MP for St. Boniface said she visited the museum regularly over the summer and became concerned the closer the opening got.

Glover said the board will oversee the process of finding a replacement for CEO Stuart Murray, but said she will be invited to make some suggestions.

Murray's term as the head of the museum ends Nov. 1 after the government decided not to renew his five-year contract.

The decision, made public last week, shocked many, including Murray himself, who said the "end came sooner than I expected."

Glover said Murray was hired for the "creation and construction phase" and that now that the museum is open, it needs someone else to take the helm.

She said the next phase requires "a completely different skill set."

Glover did not elaborate about what skills Murray may have been lacking, but said she wants to thank him for what he did in the five years he was there.

"Really, I want to thank him for all that he's done because this museum would not be the success that it is," said Glover.

Once the museum opens the rest of its galleries next month, it will have to take stock of its finances in preparation for negotiating its future operating funds from Ottawa.

It is guaranteed $21.7 million in annual federal funding through to the end of 2015-16, but beyond that it has to negotiate. Among its concerns are the still undetermined payment in lieu of taxes to Winnipeg, which could be as high as $8 million.

Glover hinted last week there will not be a lot more money on offer.

"We committed the operational funding which isn't going to change," she said. "The fact remains they've got a budget and they've got to stay within their budget. It's part of their mandate."

Glover said the government's financial commitment to national museums is "generous. Very generous."

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