From the Desk of Alain Pineau

Within the first two weeks of my mandate as the new National Director of the Canadian Conference of the Arts we have seen the unveiling of the Economic Update by the Minister of Finance, and the spectre of a federal election is now looming in the not-too-distant future. Once the writ drops, legislation to revise the Copyright Act (Bill C-60) and the Not-For-Profit Corporations Act (Bill C-21) will die on the Order Paper, plus the work of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage on its review of federal feature film policy, and the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade’s consultations on Canada’s new international policy statement will grind to a halt.

It is against this backdrop that the CCA is embarking on a comprehensive consultative process with its members and the larger arts and cultural sector, to chart a course for our advocacy efforts with the next government and beyond. As National Director, I personally encourage you to be an active part of this important process.

On the afternoon of March 2 2006, the CCA will convene the Chalmers Conference for arts service organizations to be followed on March 3 and 4 2006 by a national policy conference open to individual artists, arts professionals and arts organizations, students, and decision-makers; a further Chalmers Conference meeting will conclude the conference on the afternoon of March 4. Entitled “Mapping Canada’s Cultural Policy: Where Do We Go From Here?” these discussions will take place at the newly-renovated Sheraton Ottawa Hotel. The conferences will be immediately followed by a meeting of the Board of Governors of the CCA, which will then develop an action plan based on the ideas exchanged over the course of our three days together in Ottawa.

It is not an overstatement to say that this is the most intensive consultation and discussion on federal cultural policy that the CCA has undertaken for many years. I hope that through this process we can collectively identify issues that remain important for the arts and cultural sector, as well as other developments that are lurking off on the horizon. Working together, we can establish a set of attainable objectives that will guide the work of the CCA and other cultural organizations in the years to come.

CCA considers the March 2006 event the first step in a two part process, culminating in a major pan-sectorial conference the following year (2007) where we will focus on those issues, both new and old, identified at the March 2006 event. In the meantime, the Secretariat of the CCA will invest a great deal of time and energy to ensure the issues our membership deems most important are given the attention they deserve both during the election and with the resulting government. In 2007, we will be ready to engage in an informed and forward looking process to carry us forward as an organization and as a sector.

Collectively, we have a great opportunity to influence the priorities of a newly-elected federal government in the cultural area. The CCA is determined to lead, to take advantage of the shifting political landscape, and to assert with clarity and tenacity the aspirations of Canadian artists, creators, producers and arts professionals.

I urge you and your colleagues to be with us in Ottawa from March 3-4, 2006 for the national policy conference, which will be bracketed by a Chalmers Conference on the afternoon of March 2, 2006 and on the afternoon of March 4, 2006. Your experience, insight and passion are central to the success of these events!

You will find attached a broad outline of the program for the three days. Further details about these events will be available on our website by December 1.

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