CCA Bulletin 19/07

Ottawa, Tuesday, May 8, 2007

2007-2008 Report on Plans and Priorities (RPP) Provides Further Clues to Federal Government’s Cultural Policy

In the Canadian Conference of the Arts’ (CCA) first analysis of the 2007-2008 federal budget we commented that there is no obvious, overarching cultural plan or policy the announced expenditures can be linked to.  Trying to determine where the Government may be heading with regards to the arts and culture sector requires reading into a series of seemingly ad-hoc decisions and occasional pronouncements, as illustrated in our latest bulletin concerning a national museums policy.

Now, further insights are provided by way of the recently released Report on Plans and Priorities (RRP) for 2007-2008 for the Department of Canadian Heritage (DCH), the first real manifestation of the longer-term preoccupations of the Minister of Canadian Heritage, the Hon. Bev Oda, and of Canada’s minority Conservative government, for this important portfolio.

The 2007-2008 RPP indicates that an extensive policy and program review process will preoccupy DCH over the current fiscal year. Some of these reviews are part of the ongoing process of program renewal, whereas other reviews (like the one involving the museums policy) will provide an interesting glimpse into the cultural policy trends of “Canada’s new government”. 

Of particular interest under the priority “Canada’s Cultural Interests Abroad”, is the following statement:

“Canada’s athletes, artists and creators are international ambassadors who showcase Canada to the world.  Today’s globally integrated economy and society requires greater engagement by the Department of Canadian heritage to achieve domestic objectives and promote the interests of Canada abroad.”

The recognition of the ambassadorial role of artists, creators and athletes is a welcome affirmation of their role in advancing Canada’s public diplomacy efforts.  It is hoped that such an affirmation will lead to a review of the support measures for artists and creators to share their work on the international scene and contribute to the realization of our national foreign policy objectives as do academics, for whom budgets have been reinstated further to last fall’s cuts in programs deemed inefficient and wasteful of taxpayers’ money.

The DCH is a complex and multi-faceted department.  In preparing the RPP, departmental officials are challenged with the task of balancing expectations with the capacity of the Department to occupy the vast policy territory that it has been given.  The review of the magazines policy, of the Cultural Property Import and Export Act, the National Film Board, Telefilm Canada Act and the Copyright Act reform are important opportunities for the Department to ensure that several of its key policy instruments are equipped with the tools needed to succeed in a constantly changing environment.

The CCA will, as always, continue to monitor the progress of the Government of Canada in achieving their plans and priorities for the arts and culture sector over the coming year, and wishes them every success in doing so. In a matter of weeks the CCA will also publish its annual detailed analysis of the federal budget from the arts and culture perspective, which should only serve to provide further insights into the directions taken by the Government in the current arts and cultural policy environment.

Just the Facts

The Department of Canadian Heritage (DCH) has laid out its plans and priorities for the fiscal year 2007-2008.  Every federal government department is required to undertake this Treasury Board exercise on an annual basis.

Only the order of the four key, overarching considerations guiding Heritage’s programs and priorities has changed since their late publication last October and they remain expressed exclusively in terms of processes and efficiency:

• responding to the needs of Canadians,

• setting objectives and outcomes that are clear,

• offering real value to Canadians; and

• ensuring efficient and responsible management

The DCH has outlined eight priorities for 2007-2008;

• Audio-visual framework

• Focused Arts and Cultural Policies

• Canada’s Heritage

• An Inclusive and Participatory Society

• Canada’s Cultural Interests Abroad

• Aboriginal Languages and Cultures

• Sport Development; and

• 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games

The RPP addresses each of the eight priorities in detail and outlines the expected outcomes in each area.

Tell Me More

Under “Audio-visual framework” the Department of Canadian Heritage (DCH) states that it will review federal legislation governing Telefilm Canada and the National Film Board to determine the need for any “modernization”.  It will also review the CRTC report on the impact of new technologies on broadcasting and consumers to develop a coordinated approach with Industry Canada for the necessary regulatory framework.

The DCH is also committed to centralizing Canadian content certification for audio-visual products (a process currently done by four distinct agencies) and developing a new international audio-visual co-production framework.  A review of the Canadian Feature Film Policy is also part of the plan, though this is odd given that the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage carried a review out just over 18 months ago, an exercise in which Minister Oda participated as Opposition critic.

The “Focused Arts and Cultural Policies” section includes proposed revisions to the Copyright Act, a review of the Canadian periodical policy framework, as well as the Canadian Culture Online Strategy.

The agenda for “Canada’s Heritage” includes the development of a renewed federal vision for museums in the 21st century, a review and strengthening of the Cultural Property Import and Export Act, developing a collaborative online space for museums to engage Canadians in interactive learning and support for the 400th anniversary of Quebec City in 2008.

For those interested in the fate of a new federal museums policy, the CCA notes a rather interesting line in the RPP in response to the Auditor General’s report on heritage institutions that reads as follows:  “As an important step in responding to this call, the Department will develop criteria for identifying collections of outstanding national importance.  Such collections are held by many museums across the country.”

The priority of “Canada’s Cultural Interests Abroad” will be addressed through the implementation of the cultural trade strategy, promoting widespread and timely ratification of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expression, and planning Canada’s participation in the international exposition in Shanghai in 2010.

Other priorities address official language promotion, support for Aboriginal languages and culture, measures to support marginalized and vulnerable cultural minorities, strategies for the advancement of Canadian sport, and engagement in international expositions.