CCA Bulletin 43/08 – From the Desk of Alain Pineau – The CCA enters the Blogosphere!

October 10, 2008

Thanks to a set of circumstances which nobody could have foreseen, arts and culture have occupied with politicians and journalists a most unusual place in the course of the federal election campaign. The question is: what will happen on the day after the election?

Several months ago, the CCA had chosen the theme of its March 2009 National Policy Conference and of the series of Regional Forums which will precede it: how can we best work together to better position arts and culture in public debate? We could not have been more topical if we had tried!

During the next two months, I will travel all over the country to consult with members of the CCA and will all those who are concerned about the important place arts and culture occupy in our society and who want to raise its profile with Canadians at large and with decision-makers in particular. The first of these consultations will take place in Ottawa on October 17 and the last one in Fredericton on December 5.

During the whole process, I will keep here a diary on the highlights of each forum. I invite you to follow this series of consultations to see what is on the mind of your colleagues across the country, the common priorities they think we should adopt and the short, mid and long-term strategies we should develop to make sure arts and culture occupy the place they deserve on the public agenda. 

But even more, I invite you to write you comments and suggestions as the consultation process unfolds. And of course, I urge you to register for the forum which will take place in your province.

I look forward to reading you and, better still, of meeting you!