Zainub Verjee

Dr. Zainub Verjee is a Member of the Order of Canada and Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, and a Governor General’s Award laureate for visual and media arts. A public intellectual, she has spent four decades advancing the idea of art as a public good. Her commentary has appeared in The Hill Times, Canadian Art, Open Canada, The Georgia Straight, and Galleries West Magazine, among others. She is the executive director of Galeries Ontario Galleries—the national voice of art museums in Canada.

Ottawa should make heritage protection its response to Iran

Canada has a real lane of action in Iran: defend cultural sites, support emergency documentation, and insist that civilian protection includes the protection of history.

opinion | BY ZAINUB VERJEE | March 25, 2026

What public art museums are for when the ground shifts

Museums are among the few civic places designed to sustain shared attention and contested memory in public.

opinion | BY ZAINUB VERJEE | February 4, 2026

Status of the artist: this a moment for leadership

As Canada chooses its next leader, let’s be clear: you can’t claim cultural sovereignty while leaving artists behind.

opinion | BY ZAINUB VERJEE | April 14, 2025

A new public institution to claim Canada’s digital future

Merging the CBC’s strengths with the creative force of the NFB could help reclaim Canada’s place in the global exchange of ideas.

opinion | BY ZAINUB VERJEE | February 19, 2025

Canada’s internal trade barriers are suffocating its cultural economy

Museums, galleries, and collectors face logistical nightmares due to inconsistent provincial rules.

opinion | BY ZAINUB VERJEE | February 5, 2025

We need a new Massey Report

In the face of déjà-vu Manifest Destiny, such a document could be our philosophical anchor and cultural manifesto, ensuring our stories, symbols, and sensibilities remain relevant and indispensable in the 21st century.

opinion | BY ZAINUB VERJEE | January 22, 2025