CCA BULL ETIN / BULLETIN DE LA CCA
FEDERAL, PROVINCIAL AND TERRITORIAL MINISTERS BACK
TOMORROW STARTS TODAY RENEWAL
Ottawa , November 1, 2004 - A number of promising resolutions have emerged from the meeting of federal, provincial and territorial ministers responsible for culture and heritage, which was held in Halifax on October 30. The focus of the meeting was “Investing in creativity: The role of arts, culture, cultural industries and heritage in strengthening social and economic growth at the community level”.
Of particular interest are the following resolutions:
“… the Provincial and Territorial Ministers Responsible for Culture and Heritage strongly urge the Government of Canada to renew the Tomorrow Starts Today initiative and the Historic Places Initiative, and to continue the programs for at least five years at the current or an increased level of investment .” (CCA emphasis)
CCA is pleased to see strong support for renewal of the funding from this meeting. However, the provinces and territories also urged the federal government to involve them in a “meaningful fashion” when investing funds from Tomorrow Starts Today. CCA has heard from many of its members that funding from the Department of Canadian Heritage is already extremely slow; it is to be hoped that such involvement from the provincial level will not bring delivery of funding to a complete standstill. Individual artists, arts organizations, cultural festivals and events, MUST be able to rely on stable, multi-year programs where funding is delivered in a timely manner.
“… the Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers Responsible for Culture and Heritage pledge their renewed collaborative efforts towards the elaboration of the Convention, which would reiterate the right of governments to adopt cultural policies.”
CCA welcomed this commitment from the provincial/territorial ministers of culture as it reinforces the work of the International Network for Cultural Diversity, the worldwide network of artists and cultural groups under the umbrella of the CCA. INCD has supported the global leadership of the federal government and the active engagement of the government of Quebec on this file and has worked with other provincial leaders to promote the convention over the past 4 years. CCA and INCD believe that a timely and effective convention at UNESCO will form the foundation for sound cultural policies in all regions of Canada and abroad. A UNESCO Convention that is equivalent in status to the trade agreements, contains concrete measures to support cultural development, and acknowledges the broad scope of cultural policy tools, can be the foundation for strong cultural policies in all parts of Canada , as well as in other countries. We congratulate the ministers for recognizing the significance and vital role of the Convention and hope that the renewed commitment of all Canadian governments will spark greater awareness and support in the media and the public across the country. (For more on the Convention, visit the INCD website at www.incd.net ).
(The news release and the provincial-territorial resolutions are available at www.canadianheritage.gc.ca under Media Room.)
Socio-Economic Conditions for Artists
Another topic discussed by this group of ministers involved the socio-economic conditions for artists, in particular in light of the changes made to the Status of the Artist Act by the Province of Québec and the new action plan that government is putting forward to improve the situation for artists.
It is particularly interesting to juxtapose this to a recent response from Ralph Goodale, Minister of Finance, to a letter sent by the Saskatchewan Arts Alliance. The SAA letter advocated for an exemption of income tax on a portion of artistic income, and for income averaging. In his response, the Minister (who is also the MP for Regina where SAA has its offices) stated:
“As you are aware, the Government is committed to the promotion of a strong Canadian identity, and a strong cultural industry is pivotal in such an endeavour. However, with regard to your suggestions to assist artists through a tax exemption or income averaging, we are not considering such measures at this time. The Income Tax Act (the “Act”) already provides many tax benefits to artists that are not provided to other Canadians. It would be difficult to justify giving artists further benefits without extending the same to other groups.
“You suggest that the Act deem artists to be independent contractors, unless otherwise specified in their contracts. I would suggest, however, that any such determinations should be based on the actual situation of the artist. Currently, the differentiation between an employee and an independent contractor is based on principles established by the courts and is made on a case-by-case basis. We believe this practice is most equitable and therefore should be continued.”
Pre-Budget Submission Hearing
A tax exemption on copyright income and income averaging for artists are two of the recommendations contained in CCA's pre-Budget submission. CCA has now received an invitation to present before the Standing Committee on Finance on Tuesday November 23, immediately following its national policy conference on Status of the Artist issues to be held in Regina on November 19 and 20.
Conference Deadline Extended
CCA members, and others in the cultural sector with an interest in Status of the Artist issues, should ensure their attendance at CCA's conference From Act to Action ; full details on the conference proceedings, and the registration form, are available at www.ccarts.ca . The deadline for registrations has been extended to Monday November 8.
PLEASE NOTE
The Aboriginal artists' workshop on announced in CCA's Bulletin 51/04 is a part of the CCA's two day national policy conference, entitled From Act to Action: Moving Forward on Status of the Artist, being held in Regina on 19 and 20 November. The bursaries announced in that bulletin are specifically intended for Aboriginal artists and arts administrators who are registering for the whole conference; the bursary monies can only be provided following the conference, upon presentation of original receipts. Please contact James Missen (613 238 3561, ext.14, james.missen@ccarts.ca) for details.
For more information:
Kevin Desjardins
Communications and Public Relations Manager
(613) 238 3561 ext.11
Fax (613) 238 4849
52/04
Please post and/or distribute. When reprinting CCA Bulletins, please give appropriate credit.
Register now for the CCA's 2004 National Policy Conference
Friday 19 and Saturday 20 November 2004
at the MacKenzie Art Gallery ,
Regina , Saskatchewan
See CCARTS.CA for more details