Prime Minister Stephen Harper dug into a patch of specially provided soil Friday as he marked the start of construction for the Canadian Museum for Human Rights -- the first national museum outside the Ottawa region.

With temperatures near -20 C and the ground frozen solid, loose soil was brought in to allow Harper, Manitoba Premier Gary Doer and others to use their shovels for the photo opportunity.

"We are building a monument to Canada's embrace of humanity's highest ideals," Harper told invited guests inside a heated tent that offered shelter from a steady northwest wind.

"The spectacular building that will arise on this site will be a place where future generations of Canadians and visitors from around the world can learn about the history of human rights in Canada and hopefully be inspired to build on this proud legacy."

The museum was the brainchild of the late media mogul Izzy Asper and is expected to open in 2012. Asper's daughter, Gail, has been spearheading the project since his death five years ago.

"I am outrageously relieved and extraordinarily happy," she said.

The $265-million museum is being funded largely by $100 million from the federal government, $40 million from the Manitoba government and $20 million from the city of Winnipeg. Ottawa will also cover the museum's operating costs estimated at $22 million a year.

The remaining $105 million in construction costs is to come from private donations. Asper is just $3 million shy of that goal.

"We're still nudging people, but money's been coming in ... and it's been very, very good."

The cold weather that confronted the dignitaries was a reminder of the challenges the museum may face in attracting visitors.

When the federal government ran focus group research on the museum's location last winter, some participants from eastern Canada said they would not be likely to visit the museum because they considered Winnipeg too cold and too remote.

But Asper, Doer and others have said it is only fair that national museums not be confined to the Ottawa area.

Later Friday, the prime minister held a closed-door meeting with a select group of Manitoba business leaders. He did not allow for questions from the media.