CCA Bulletin 34/07

October 17, 2007

Speech from the Throne:

Little new: Copyright and the Infrastructure program on the Agenda

On October 16, 2007, the Governor General, the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, delivered the Speech from the Throne, marking the opening of the second session of the 39th Parliament of Canada.

The Speech, which is an outline of the Government’s plans for the Parliamentary session, included five general areas:

• Strengthening Canada’s Sovereignty and Place in the World
• Strengthening the Federation and our Democratic Institutions
• Providing Effective Economic Leadership for a Prosperous Future
• Tackling Crime and Strengthening the Security of Canadians
• Improving the Environment and the Health of Canadians.

Of particular note to the arts and culture sector are two specific references to our sector:

“Our Government will improve the protection of cultural and intellectual property rights in Canada, including copyright reform.”

and,

‘Our Government will announce an infrastructure , the Building Canada Plan, to support our long term growth…..The result will be safer roads and bridges, shorter commutes, more competitive business, improved cultural infrastructure and a better quality of life for Canadians.’

The Speech also affirmed the government of Canada’s commitment to linguistic duality by developing a strategy for the next phase of the Action Plan for Official Languages.

The Government also intends to restrain the use of the federal spending power in areas of exclusive provincial jurisdiction. When it develops new federal programs in these areas, it will only do so with the consent of the provinces. There will also be an opting out provision and appropriate compensation payments to those who elect this route.

Tell Me More

Very little to hang the cultural hat on in the Throne Speech, but then, when is the last time we have had any major reference to culture in such parliamentary ritual?

The Strengthening Canada’s Sovereignty and Place in the World section of the Speech makes no reference to public diplomacy or to the role of academics, artists, creators and culture professionals in advancing our national foreign policy objectives.

It omits any reference to neither the forthcoming 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver/Whistler nor any strategy to ensure that the benefits of hosting the world should be exploited once the games are over. This event will generate enormous amounts of publicity for Canada and Canadian athletic and artistic talent. It would be sad if these extraordinary opportunities were to be lost, a fact Australia regrets after the success of the Sydney games.

The CCA had expressed concerns about the proposal to limit federal spending to areas of exclusive federal jurisdiction. We did so because of the vagueness within the Constitution regarding the responsibility for culture and the important role the federal government has to play in that field, in cooperation with the provincial and municipal governments. In its submission on Advantage Canada,  the CCA asked the federal government to affirm its commitment to the cultural and artistic programs and institutions that have been created over the years. While the Speech from the Throne did not make such a commitment, the proposal as it appears in the text seems to take a more balanced approach to this issue.

The CCA is glad to hear that we should soon see (before Christmas?) what amendments the government has in mind for the Copyright Act. This is a very complex issue, with strong opposite views and interests to reconcile, but an issue that affects many people within the cultural sector and that is critical to the overall health of national cultural expression, in all forms. Given the importance and the complexity of the question, the CCA is busy putting together an internal consultation process to prepare our position when the amendments are presented to the House of Commons.

Nothing new in the infrastructure investment program already announced in the 2007-2008 federal budget: cultural infrastructure investment projects at the community level will be eligible and will compete for attention with roads, bridges and arenas.

Broad based tax cuts, a renewed commitment to our sovereignty in the Arctic and a stirring defense of the role our military and veterans and our international efforts in Afghanistan and Haiti round out the upbeat and focused approach evident in this Speech.

It is now up to our elected officials to begin the political maneuvering around this agenda, which could trigger another federal election, as the government begins to introduce legislation across its five priority areas. The CCA is prepared to keep our membership and the arts and culture sector fully informed in the event that this happens.