CCA BULL ETIN / BULLETIN DE LA CCA
MINISTER CLARIFIES COMMENTS ON MUSEUMS
Ottawa, December 2, 2004 - The Minister of Canadian Heritage, Liza Frulla, attempted to set the record straight during her appearance before the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage (Wednesday 24 November). Comments attributed to her in Le Devoir (10 November) indicated that she felt it would be easier to identify savings on spending in museums than in other disciplines. Canadian Museums Association ( CMA ) issued a response on 18 November which articulated its strong concerns with the Minister's comments.
Last Wednesday, Minister Frulla explained that her published comments had been in relation to national museums, and that she regretted she hadn't emphasized that point. She stated the national museums have been asked to identify “common needs”, to make efficiencies around administrative expenditures which might be shared, as part of the 5% reallocation process all government departments are undergoing. Minister Frulla has since contacted CMA , according to its 29 November Advocacy Alert, available at:
http://www.museums.ca/Cma1/WhatsNew/Advocacy/2004/ministersupportsmuseums.htm
The Minister also stated emphatically “I do not have the intention, unless I'm being forced to, of delivering 5%, nor the intention of touching artists' programs, or [asking] the help for those institutions that have very little money in order to give to society and the community”. She emphasized that the Canada Council for the Arts had not been asked to participate in the 5% reallocation at all (see CCA Bulletin 53/04).
Announcement on TST shortly?
In response to a number of questions regarding the importance to the sector of the Tomorrow Starts Today (TST) funding program, the Minister confirmed she is very aware that the issue is urgent and cannot wait until budget time for renewal; mention was made of “an announcement shortly”. There was also mention of the need for stable funding for culture, by both government and opposition Members.
Other snippets from this hearing :
• Minister Frulla's three key objectives are to: encourage creativity; increase access to the arts and culture; and promote Canadian cultural identity on the national and international stages.
• Challenges identified include: foreign ownership in broadcasting; copyright and Internet piracy.
• The Senate Standing Committee on Transport and Communications, which is examining concentration of media, is scheduled to bring down its report in December.
• The Department of Canadian Heritage is working on a more detailed response to the “Lincoln Report” (Our Cultural Sovereignty: The Second Century of Canadian Broadcasting, from June 2003).
• On copyright, the Minister is working on a new Bill in close cooperation with the Minister of Industry and hopes to present it to Cabinet before Christmas.
• This government stands firm in its conviction that culture is non-negotiable in trade treaties.
• Numerous cultural appointments are still in limbo; no assurances were given regarding when they would be filled as the process takes a long time.
• Assistant Deputy Minister Jean-Pierre Blais has been asked to form a task force to examine the film industry in Canada , including the tax benefits that are currently in place and what can be done to better support local productions.
• In response to a question recommending that changes need to be made to the structure of the CRTC to include representation by artists and those actively involved in production, the Minister replied by pointing out how difficult it is to find qualified people with the technical knowledge required.
VISUAL ARTISTS CONCERNED ABOUT PROPOSED PROGRAM CHANGES AT THE CANADA COUNCIL FOR THE ARTS
Over the past few weeks, CCA has received many letters from its organizational and individual members regarding the proposed program changes under discussion in the Visual Arts section of the Canada Council for the Arts. Many expressed strong concerns regarding the impact of the proposed programs and the media has begun to report on this story. CBC 's Arts News item is available at: http://www.cbc.ca/story/arts/national/2004/11/26/Arts/artsfund041126.html )
Currently in the “second phase” of consultations, the proposed program changes would impact the way in which the section administers grants to established, mid-career and emerging professional visual artists. Details of the changes being considered, as well as history of the process to date, are available on the Canada Council's website at:
http://www.canadacouncil.ca/visualarts/va_consultations.htm (in English)
http://www.canadacouncil.ca/artsvisuels/va_consultations.htm (in French)
Canada Council has assured CCA it is taking the community's concerns very seriously; the consultation process is ongoing and no decisions have been made. John Hobday, Director of the Canada Council, said the Council is in the process of sending a letter to the approximately 400 people who expressed concern about the proposal, assuring them that no final decision has been made. The letter is also being sent to arts service organizations in the visual arts, artist-run centres, and public galleries and museums.
“Our next step is to bring together all responses from the consultation meetings, as well as the comments submitted through e-mail, letters or the web,” he said. “After reviewing the reactions from the community, we will engage in a process of in-depth, Council-wide discussion and reflection over the next few months. In addition, we will convene a special advisory committee composed of visual arts professionals which will have a mandate to make recommendations to the Visual Arts Section.”
He added that the Council is listening to the concerns of the community and is studying available options with respect to the program, which last year received 2,400 applications and had sufficient funds to award only 220 grants.
Canadian Artists' Representation / Le Front des Artistes Canadiens (CARFAC) announced 29 November that it will be meeting with the Canada Council next week “…to discuss the community's concerns with its newly proposed grant program for Visual Artists… Many individuals and organizations have written to CARFAC directly and publicly to protest the grant program proposal by Council as generated from their recent consultations. These opinions are generally consistent with the position CARFAC has taken on these matters, and will be represented strongly, and fairly.” Other CCA member organizations that have made their opinions known to Council and the public at large include: le Regroupement des Artistes en Arts Visuels (RAAV); le Regroupement des Centres d'Artistes Autogérés du Québec (RCAAQ); the Pacific Association of Artist-Run Centres (PAARC); and the Artist-Run Centres and Collectives of Ontario (ARCCO).
For more information:
Kevin Desjardins
Communications and Public Relations Manager
(613) 238 3561 ext.11
Fax (613) 238 4849
59/04
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