Musée de la civilisation is a government corporation. It was established on December 19, 1984, under the National Museums Act, which sets out the museum's major functions as follows:

- to make known the history and the various cultural elements of our civilization, particularly the social and material aspects of the cultures of the occupants of the territory of Québec and the cultures that have contributed to the enrichment of those cultures;
- to ensure the preservation and development of the ethnographic collection and other representative collections of our civilization;
- to ensure the participation of Québec in the international network of museological events through acquisitions, exhibitions, and other cultural activities.

Musée de la civilisation is a place of inquiry, study and documentation that seeks to understand and interpret the world. Its research activities make the institution a national reference – ongoing projects include publications, symposia, scientific committees, thematic research projects, object-based research and conservation at the Centre national de conservation et d'études des collections(CNCEC), audience research and evaluation, as well as studies in Quebec heritage.

Today, the Museum complex is even stronger and more focused on its core mission. Musée de la civilisation has and will always strive to stand out as a premier museum both in Canada and on the world stage. Its creativity, like the performance of its artisans, is a Musée de la civilisation trademark. From the very first exhibitions put on by Musée de la civilisation in 1988 to the establishment of the Centre national de conservation et d'études des collections, its multidisciplinary teams continue to make groundbreaking contributions to museological practices.