A government plan to rename the Canadian Museum of Civilization as the Museum of History abandons a successful brand and gives it a "deeply worrying" new mandate, says the man who led the museum from 2000 to 2011.

Former CEO Victor Rabinovitch addressed the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage Wednesday evening, making his first public remarks since the government announced the proposed changes in the fall of 2012.

He pointed to reviews in tourism guides about the country's largest national museum, which sees about 1.2 million visitors per year.

"If the Museum of Civilization stands out as such a good product, why would anyone want to change its brand?" he asked....