Investment
in Canadian Culture
A
little more than a year ago, the federal government announced
a major investment in Canadian culture: more than $500 million
of new money over the next three years was promised to "ensure
the growth and development of Canadian culture." This
new funding was warmly welcomed by the Canadian arts and cultural
community, which considered it long overdue after the many
years of federal government repeated cutbacks to the sector.
Federal
government expenditures on culture dropped over the last decade1.
While the influx of new funds appears to bring federal government
expenditures on culture back to levels comparable to those
at the beginning of the decade, they are still well below
early decade levels when considered in constant dollar terms,
a more accurate measure which eliminates inflationary factors.
Moreover, given that Canada 's population is growing, per
capita spending on culture is decreasing. These factors all
indicate that the federal government is not adequately supporting
its cultural objectives.
Now
that the first year in the three year commitment has ended,
it is time to take stock of how the new monies are being delivered.
The following document has been crafted from program announcements,
guidelines and other relevant documentation, as well as through
discussions with members from the various sectors benefiting
from the new funding and by interviews with government officials.
It is structured along the five categories of the announcement:
growth, diversity and creative work; built heritage; cultural
industries; Canadian content online; trade routes and the
team Canada initiative. A closer look reveals that these categories
correspond to ministerial program lines, rather than policy
objectives. This suggests that the new initiatives were developed
in response to programmatic imperatives rather than policy
ones. The absence of an overarching national cultural policy,
with a clear vision an guiding principles, means that these
initiatives are pieces of separate puzzles, that are uncoordinated
from a policy perspective. The risk is that the impact of
these initiatives will be programmatically circumscribed.
The
news release of the May 2001 announcement states that "this
contribution is part of the Government of Canada's commitment
to target excellence in all aspects of the creative process,
to encourage diversity in Canadian content and to promote
access to arts and heritage for all Canadians, taking into
account our linguistic duality, the unique and distinct character
of Quebec culture and the inestimable contribution of the
First Nations cultures." It does not however explain
how all of these objectives are translated into the initiatives
that were created with the new money. The federal government
has called the influx of new money into the cultural sector
an "investment", but unlike a typical investment,
this one does not have clear articulated goals and yardsticks
with which to measure its impact. It is therefore going to
be very difficult to measure the full impact this new money
will have on the sector. What is notably absent is a need
to establish a clear and compelling vision and a strategy
to guide the Government of Canada's commitment to arts and
culture that would ensure all department, agencies and third
party delivery organizations work towards a common goal. Currently,
it is unclear what goals are being pursued and how the funded
initiatives are structured. How do we know that the government's
monies are doing what they are supposed to do? Without knowing
the intended goals, it is difficult to undertake an analysis
of the impact of the programs. This paper is essentially a
process evaluation of how the programs are being delivered.
One
concern voiced by many in the cultural sector was that too
large a portion of the investment was equipping the bureaucratic
machine with additional resources -particularly staff- to
develop and administer the new programs and the newly expanded
existing ones, instead of directly benefiting the artists,
arts presenters and audiences. These concerns are not entirely
unfounded. Although the exact increase in the number of DCH
staff is not known, operating expenses for the Cultural Development
and Heritage business line2 of DCH according to the 2002-2003
main estimates, indicate an increase of 67.5% to $87.7 million
from $52.4 million in 2001-20023. The announcement of the
Cultural Capitals of Canada Awards program provides some information
about the portion of money that is staying within the department.
Cultural Capitals of Canada, which will support "municipalities
for special activities that harness the many benefits of arts
and culture in community life," has a budget of five
million dollars over two years, four million of which will
be awarded to the five winning municipalities (or consortia
of municipalities). It looks like the balance, one million
(or 20%), will be used for program administration.
There
was also concern about the decision to maintain departmental
control over much of the new expenditures, instead of favouring
an arms length mode of delivery. Even though arms length agencies
like the Canada Council, Telefilm, CBC and non-profit arts
organizations like FACTOR/MUSIC ACTI ON which administer programs
on behalf of the Department, have seen either an increase
in their funding or have been given new initiatives to administer,
the majority of the new funding accrues to the Department
of Canadian Heritage. This means there is more potential for
the new funding to be diverted towards broader government
priorities or partisan purposes. There is also some concern
that organizations may have to satisfy increasingly burdensome
and onerous governmental reporting requirements brought about
by changing political climates.
Overall,
implementation of the new monies has been slow, due in part
to time-consuming development of grant administration and
performance evaluation policies for the new programs. In some
cases, Treasury Board approval took several months, postponing
program announcement and delivery. Additionally, new staff
were hired at both regional and national levels, further slowing
the process. It has been suggested that the $500 million announcement
was made earlier than expected, long before the programs were
ready to be rolled out. Most new programs were announcement
late in the first year as lack of preparation resulted in
tight deadlines for first year programs, leaving many organizations
scrambling to get their proposals in on time.
A.
Growth, Diversity and Creative Work:
The
objective of this portion of the funds is to:
"encourage
the growth and diversity of creative work in this country,
notably among young people who are being called upon to project
our traditions into the future; and to promote access to the
arts and heritage for all Canadians".
Except
for funds accruing to the Canada Council, all the programs
benefiting from additional funding in this section are administered
by the Department of Canadian Heritage through the Arts Policy
Sector.
1.
The Canada Council for the Arts: ($75 million over three years)
On
December 18th 2001 , the Canada Council for the Arts, Canada
's national arts funding agency, announced funding of $75
million which would be distributed equally in each of the
three years "to promote excellence and diversity."
Most
of the new monies have been built into the operational framework
of the Canada Council by expanding existing programs such
as the grants to individuals artists, and successful initiatives
like the Flying Squad Program in theatre and dance which help
performing arts organizations obtain administrative and capacity-building
assistance. A small portion of the money will remain within
Council, some of which will be used to strengthen its links
with the Aboriginal arts community by hiring Aboriginal arts
officers in each of the Council's disciplines. Job postings
have been made and the positions now filled.
As
part of the increase to the Canada Council's funding, the
Public Lending Right Commission, which under the administrative
aegis of the Canada Council for the Arts administers a program
of payments to Canadian writers, translators and illustrators
for their eligible books catalogued in libraries across Canada
, received an additional $1 million per year. In the fiscal
year 2001-02, all the additional funds were disbursed to the
registered creators.
2.
National Arts Training Contribution Program: ($13 million
over three years)
The
National Arts Training Program (NATP) supports independent
Canadian non-profit institutions that specialize in preparing
young Canadians for professional artistic careers. It was
launched in 1997 and is administered by the Department of
Canadian Heritage through its regional offices.
The
NATP's funding announcement stated that the new funds would
"support new institutions in order to provide training
for emerging artists and support for emerging artistic areas
such as Aboriginal arts and ethno-cultural traditions."
Traditionally, the NATP has tended to support institutions
providing training in art forms of Western European tradition.
This funding, along with the redesign of the program's eligibility
criteria, will help to broaden the scope of the program to
include institutions that provide training in art forms of
non-European tradition. The eligibility criteria has been
redesigned by relaxing the requirement for schools to be national
in scope, which schools providing training related to Aboriginal
arts and artistic practices based on non-European cultural
traditions tend not to be. As a result, whereas 18 training
institutions received funding through the NATCP in fiscal
year 2000-2001, many more institutions are likely to receive
funding in the future.
A
first round of contributions was announced. Since funds were
earmarked for applications received by June 31, 2001 , it
essentially benefited those institutions which were already
in the program, A special deadline of April 15, 2002 , was
set for institutions that became eligible under the new set
of guidelines. Even though program guidelines and application
forms were made available only one month before the deadline,
most organizations that were likely to apply for funding had
been advised of the expanded program in the fall of 2001,
and thus had time to prepare.
The
full, expanded National Arts Training Program will take effect
over the course of the second year of the increased funding.
Treasury Board has recently approved the extension of the
program beyond fiscal year 2004.
3.
Cultural Spaces Canada (cultural infrastructure): ($80 million
over three years)
Cultural
Spaces Canada is a new Department of Canadian Heritage program,
officially launched on June 29, 2001 . Its purpose is to contribute
to the repair and upgrading of arts and heritage facilities
through funding for construction, renovation or conversion
of facilities, specialized equipment purchases, or feasibility
studies. Applications are assessed and budgeted on a regional
basis and prioritized against specific program objectives.
A National Review Committee then evaluates the projects based
on a number of criteria including needs of under-served communities,
and targeted groups such as youth, official language minorities,
Aboriginal and culturally diverse communities.
A
first round of disbursement was made throughout February and
March, 2002, and close to $23 million was distributed to arts
and heritage organizations across Canada (part of this amount
is multi-year funding). Even though Ontario and Quebec received
the bulk of the funding -roughly $13 million- some critics
have voiced concern that those regions are not receiving an
adequate amount. The program was oversubscribed from the beginning
due to pent-up demand, particularly in central Canada and
especially in the greater Toronto area. There is some concern
from the sector that all the funds will run out before the
end of the second year, leaving little or nothing in the pot
for year three. Another concern relates to the fact that,
although apparently it is not a published criteria, institutions
with activities that are national in scope are being judged
more favorably than those with locally circumscribed operations.
On
May 2002, Prime Minister Jean Chrétien and Ontario
Premier Ernie Eves announced an investment of $232 million
to improve and modernize seven cultural institutions in the
Greater Toronto Area. The federal portion totals $113.5 million
and is funded through Industry Canada 's 'Canada-Ontario Infrastructure
Program', announced in the February 2000 federal Budget.
4.
Canadian Arts and Heritage Sustainability Program: ($63 million
over three years)
The
Canadian Arts and Heritage Sustainability Program is a new
program administered by the Department of Canadian Heritage.
It was only launched on January 22, 2002 , and its purpose
is to improve the management of arts organizations and assist
them in developing greater financial stability.
The
program assists arts and heritage organizations through three
components:
Stabilization
projects:which supports the establishment and operation of
projects (such as the sound practices in governance, strategic
planning and organizational effectiveness) within a specific
geographic area (city or region). John Hobday, Executive Director
of the Samuel and Saidye Bronfman Family Foundation, had been
working to stimulate the development of stabilization funds
across Canada since the late 1980s. Stabilization projects
were already operational in Vancouver , Alberta , Manitoba
, Hamilton and Halifax when the new program was announced.
Due to the long-term nature of establishing such stabilization
projects, it could take some time before any new ones are
announced, but work is apparently proceeding smoothly.
Capacity
Building Projects: which allow arts organizations with a national
scope that do not have access to stabilization project assistance
to improve their administrative, organizational and financial
structures. After a slow start, interest and demand from the
sector have been strong. The program, administered through
DCH 's regional offices, seems to be well understood by organizations
interested in applying for funding under this component. There
has been concern, however, that a private sector matching
funding requirement may be restrictive and will benefit well-established
organizations with existing ties to private sector donors.
Currently, only arts organizations, including national arts
service organizations, are eligible (heritage institutions,
festivals and training institutions are not). The first deadline
for application was April 15, 2002 , with disbursements being
made up to six months later. The delay in disbursing the funds
is also a concern.
Endowment
Initiatives: seek to encourage private sector support (including
individual donations) to professional arts organizations by
providing matching funds of up to one dollar for every dollar
from private donors, to create endowment funds or to increase
existing ones. Demand has been very strong, much larger than
anticipated, in spite of the tight deadline (the initiative
was announced in January 2002 with a deadline of February
15). As organizations needed to have private sector matching
funds prior to applying to the program, the full leverage
effect of federal government matching funds will only be felt
in fiscal year 2002-2003 when organizations will be able to
use the possibility of additional federal funding to attract
private source funding. Not only have large well-established
organizations with existing foundations applied to the program,
but also smaller ones that have used existing community foundations.
5.
Arts Presentation Program ($57M over three years)
The
Arts Presentation Program (APP) is a new program, officially
launched in July 2001 to support performing arts festivals
or other live performing arts series provided by arts presenters.
It is administered by the Department of Canadian Heritage
through its regional offices and will eventually replace (in
fiscal year 2003-04), the Cultural Initiatives Program (CIP)
/ Festivals and Special Events, which had been providing support
to arts festivals and other events for the last 15 years.
The Arts Presentation Program is more general in scope than
the CIP as the eligibility criteria has been broadened to
include organizations that had previously been eligible for
support.
The
APP has three components: project support, programming support,
and development support. The latter component is targeted
to community organizations that have not traditionally been
involved in presentation activities.
The
first round of funding announcements was made during the months
of February and March 2002. The sector warmly welcomed the
creation of this new program and, as with other programs,
it seems that the regional envelopes for Ontario and Quebec
were quickly oversubscribed in the first year. There were
some initial concerns about the lack of speed in announcing
the funding recipients, but these concerns have passed and
the program seems to be running smoothly.
6.
Cultural Capitals of Canada Awards Program ($5 million over
two years: 2002-03 and 2003-04)
Announced
on May 31, 2002 , the Cultural Capitals of Canada is the last
in the series of initiatives flowing from the new funding.
Loosely based on the European Cities of Culture model, it
will recognize "the past achievements of municipalities
with an ongoing commitment to arts and culture and also provides
matching funds for activities that celebrate arts and culture
and build a legacy for arts and culture through community
planning". The Canadian Conference of the Arts had been
advocating for a similar program for many years.
Two
million dollars will be awarded to five single municipalities
or groups thereof each year, leaving $500,000 for administration
and support, a substantial amount given the budget of the
initiative and the limited number of recipients.
The
assessment process will take from 4-6 months and will occur
in two stages: first a screening by DCH itself, and then an
evaluation by an independent jury of seven individuals drawn
from various cultural and municipal fields. The lengthiness
of the assessment process is a concern for the sector.
B.
Historic Places Initiative: ($24M over three years)
The
objective of this portion of the funds is to "provide
Canadians with the means to protect their built heritage."
The Historic Places Initiative is a new program, which will
be managed by the Department of Canadian Heritage through
the newly created Historic Places Division.
The
Historic Places Initiative was long sought after by the built
heritage community, and organizations such as Heritage Canada
have been advocating for such an initiative for years. The
funds will pay for the first step in the initiative whose
goal is to support retention and restoration of Canada's built
heritage through fiscal incentives and other taxation measures
- such as a favourable tax treatment of restoration costs
for heritage buildings, and the elimination of capital gains
tax on donations of heritage properties (as is the case with
donations of movable cultural property and environmentally
sensitive land). But before such measures can be considered,
a number of elements must be in place, such as defining a
set of eligible properties by establishing a national register
of eligible heritage buildings, developing standards to define
what constitutes legitimate restoration activity, and establishing
a certifying role (to be played by the Department). None of
the money will flow to institutions during this initial stage,
but will do so later in the Historic Places Initiative.
C.
Canadian Culture Online ($108 million over three years)
The
objective of this large portion of funds is to:
"increase
the production of Canadian content for the Internet, which
is fast becoming the most popular medium of communication
among Canada 's youth, and promote the development of the
new media industry."
Because
of its size and the lack of detailed information about it,
there was initial concern about this new initiative when it
was announced. The Canadian Culture Online initiative seeks
to support the broader efforts of the 'Connecting Canadians'
agenda of the federal government, and it builds and expands
on existing initiatives that assist with the digitization
of Canadian cultural collections. The digitization initiatives
began in 1998 with the Telefilm Multimedia Fund, which was
subsequently re-launched and renamed the Canada New Media
Fund in December 2001 with a budget of $9 million per year
(up from $6 million previously). The first phase of the Canadian
Online initiative began in June 2000, with a budget of $75
million over three years, and was expanded in May 2001, with
a budget of $108 million over three years (this amount includes
the additional $3 million earmarked for the Canada New Media
Fund administered by Telefilm Canada ).
The
Canadian Culture Online Program brings together a range of
initiatives and partners, including Telefilm Canada , Canadian
Heritage Information Network (CHIN), Industry Canada , CANARIE,
as well as third party organizations. They each have a part
to play in developing, promoting and distributing Canadian
cultural content on the Internet.
The
Canadian Culture Online initiative is new, far-reaching and
ambitious. Even though much of the first year has been spent
building on the framework and putting the required blocks
in place, a number of new programs have been created. Three
new funds have been launched; others will be launched over
the course of 2002, including a 'Gateway to Canadian Culture'
designed to make it easier for all Canadians to have online
access to the multitude of Canadian cultural resources (a
former cultural portal, Culturenet, no longer exis
- The Partnership Fund fosters partnership
initiatives between the private, public and non-profit organizations
and institutions in the digitization of cultural collections
held by provincial, municipal and local cultural organizations.
So far, 21 projects have been recommended for funding. One
example is the Toronto Public Library which received funding
through Partnerships to create the Canadian Theatre Record
(CTR), a new virtual reference library gateway. It will
be the first centralized collection of Canada 's original
theatre documents from English and French language theatre
companies, featuring digital images of theatre programs,
posters, photos, and stage and costume designs.
- The Electronic Copyright Fund assists
in the development and implementation of an online licensing
system. So far, funding has been provided to 3 organizations
totalling $1.8 million.
-
The
Canadian Memory Fund, which is available to federal institutions
holding significant collections of Canada 's cultural
heritage. So far, 9 federal organizations have received
funding totalling $14.5 million.
On
March 19, 2002 , the government announced the establishment
of a National Advisory Board made up of members from the
private sector, which will meet twice a year to provide
direction to the program, identify priorities, and assist
in developing tolls to facilitate the creation and use
of content. The National Advisory Board is headed by Senator
Laurier L. Lapierre, former chair of Telefilm Canada .
One
of the major concerns raised by the visual arts community
about the online funding is the lack of stringent guidelines
to ensure that artists are properly remunerated by institutions
that exhibit their works on the Internet. All projects supported
by the Canada Council through the Visual Arts Section must
pay the appropriate copyright fees to participating artists,
including exhibition rights, public presentation rights and
reproduction rights for the use of works. Furthermore, in
Quebec, the provincial government announced last fall that
eligible artists would be remunerated when their works appear
on the Internet site called 'Artimage', a joint venture that
involves the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of Contemporary
Art and the Musée du Québec, and in part funded
by the government of Quebec. The federal government, through
the Culture Online Program, could be a leader in ensuring
that organizations, particularly those that receive federal
funding, properly compensate authors and artists when they
exhibit works in the digital arena.
D.
Cultural Industries:
The
objective of this portion of the funds is to:
"ensure
that our cultural industries, notably the book and sound recording
sectors, are able to prosper in the new digital economy and
to project a Canadian voice that is strong and original."
Essentially,
these funds are earmarked for the book publishing and music
programs, both of which are administered by the Department
of Canadian Heritage.
1.
The Book Publishing Industry Development Program ($28 million
over three years):
In
May, the federal government announced "an additional
$28 million over the next three years to encourage the use
of innovative new technologies and support the increased development,
marketing and promotion of Canadian books and authors."
Shortly after, on June 1, 2001, the government explained that
it proposed to achieve this through the existing 'Book Publishing
Industry Development Program', funds have been added to the
'Aid to Publishers' component, the 'Distribution Assistance'
component and to the 'Aid to Industry and Association' component.
Funds have also been earmarked to enhance the Department of
Canadian Heritage research capabilities in the area of book
publishing.
Through
the 'Aid to Publishers' component, $9.5 million will be "used
to assist the publishing industry in meeting short-term challenges
related to an evolving environment and changing terms of trade."
The new funds represent a 20% increase (on average) over the
three years ($4.5 million this year, $3 million in 2002-03,
and $2 million in 2003-04). The reason for distributing close
to half the funds in the first year rather than spreading
it out evenly is meant to help publishers deal with the current
market imbalances, particularly following the Indigo/Chapters
merger.
A
second pool of funds will be administered through the 'Aid
to Industry and Association' component. $7.5 million has been
earmarked for initiatives that help "market and promote
established authors and new talent." These funds will
be channeled through industry groups such as professional
associations representing writers. The financial breakdown
of this component is: $1.5 million in 2001-02, $3 million
in 2002-03, and $3 million in 2002- 04.
Through
the 'Distribution Assistance component', $8 million in new
funds will be administered over three years to develop 'supply-chain
projects', such as improved electronic communications and
point-of-sale data collection to better manage inventories
and track distribution and sales, issues which have been identified
as top priorities by the industry. The first step is to develop
methods of collecting accurate bibliographic data and to develop
means of electronic communication. This initiative is still
in its infancy.
The
last pool of funds, totaling $3 million over three years,
will be used to streamline data collection by Statistics Canada,
Canada Council, provincial arts councils, and the Department
of Canadian Heritage ( DCH ), and to improve DCH 's research
capacity. Consultants have been hired to undertake cross-country
consultations. There is some concern from the sector that
if the data is too rigidly streamlined, the cultural focus
of this data may be compromised.
DCH
has set up committees which bring together government officials
and industry players so that programs are better targeted
at industry's needs. Many of the new initiatives stemming
from the additional funds have been developed in conjunction
with industry or have been developed to respond to the recommendations
of the June 2000 report by the Standing Committee on Canadian
Heritage entitled "The Challenge of Change: A Consideration
of the Canadian Book Industry".
2.
Canada Music Fund ($28 million over three years) and the Music
Entrepreneur Program ($23 million over three years):
A.
The Canada Music Fund (CMF) is a new program that mirrors
and replaces the existing Sound Recording Development Program.
Through eight components, the program will fund initiatives
that support song writing, composition, new musical works,
specialized music, market development, sound recording entrepreneurship,
and the preservation of Canadian musical collections. The
CMF is overseen by a governing body with members of the
sound recording industry (Canadian Independent Record Production
Association [CIRPA], Canadian Broadcasting Corporation [CBC],
Songwriters Association of Canada [SAC], Société
professionnelle des auteurs et des compositeurs du Québec
[SPACQ] and FACTOR/Musicaction and the Society of Composers,
Authors and Music Publishers Foundation [SOCAN]). Funding
is distributed through several avenues, each one with a
specific objective. DCH will administer the 'Support to
National Sector Associations' component and the 'Collective
Infrastructure Initiatives Program' (as well as the 'Federal
Policy Development' component).
Originally,
the financial breakdown of the funds over the three years
was to have been $8 million in fiscal year 2001-2002, $10
million in 2002-03, and $10 million in 2003-04. However,
since the initial announcement of the funding was made before
Treasury Board approval for the different programs had been
given, it appeared the full amount of first year funding
might be in jeopardy. But thanks to active lobbying from
the music industry associations, the original amounts were
retained.
The
first year has been frustrating for the sector, as disbursements
were slow, and the newly hired DCH staff were green. The
following two years should run more smoothly.
B.
A new initiative of $23 million, called the Music Entrepreneur
Program (MEP), was announced on October 26, 2001 . The MEP
is the first program of its kind for the music and sound
recording industry that is not project based. The money
will actually fund infrastructure for Canada 's music companies,
particularly independent record labels. It will be administered
by Telefilm Canada , which the Department believes to be
better equipped to manage this program. However, this is
a new line of activity for Telefilm Canada , and the agency
will need to equip itself with the necessary resources,
particularly staff, to administer it. Telefilm has only
recently released the MEP guidelines ( May 31, 2002 ), the
delays being due in part Treasury Board's slow approval
of the program. Given the learning curve required, it might
be the end of the year before any funds for the second year
are disbursed.
E.
Trade Routes and The Team Canada Initiative: ($32 million
over three years)
Funds
allocated in this component are intended to:
"encourage
export of cultural products and services in partnership
with the Department of Foreign Affairs and International
Trade and explore new markets for our artists."
The
Trade Routes program was announced in November 2001. The $23
million program over three years will provide training, counselling
and market research to Canadian Cultural exporters. Much of
the effort in the last year was channelled into defining program
guidelines and objectives, and hiring new staff, both at DCH
and in other government departments (i.e. 5 new cultural trade
specialists in Canadian embassies abroad, and 6 new cultural
trade officers at Industry Canada 's international trade centres
across Canada ).
The
program is managed by the DCH in partnership with the Department
of Foreign Affairs and International Trade and several government
agencies (including Canada Council and Telefilm Canada , both
of which have international components). Collaboration and
partnerships will guide the implementation of the new program
as all stakeholders wish to offer a common service window
for the cultural exporter.
Funding
amounts for individuals and companies will be limited since
a large part of the new monies has been put into staffing.
Nonetheless, for those proposals that do receive funding,
Trade Routes gives priority to projects that are part of a
long-term industry export strategy, being developed by the
Cultural Trade Advisory Board, the consultative body of arts
and cultural industry representatives. 'Export Development
Action Plans', which feed into the overall export strategy,
have been developed for the various cultural and artistic
disciplines. These plans outline the potential export markets,
opportunities and barriers for each discipline and will ultimately
guide the type of proposal that gets funding from the Trade
Routes program. Positive results are the yardstick against
which this program will be evaluated. It will be interesting
to monitor the type of proposals that receive funding to see
if the imperatives of trade, with its focus on sales and the
bottom line, are compatible with those of cultural sovereignty,
protection and diversity.
The
Cultural Trade Advisory Board is also working on the cultural
component of the $9 million Team Canada Initiative, which
will be used to enhance its cultural component. None of this
money will flow to individuals or institutions, but as one
DFAIT official said "only ten years ago, culture was
not on the trade radar screen, but now it is an integral component
of the Canadian trade basket." Both the Trade Routes
program and the Team Canada initiatives are significant for
the arts and culture in Canada in ensuring that they are no
longer isolated from the broader trade imperatives and that
dedicated cultural trade officers will cater to the specific
needs of the cultural exporter.
Conclusion:
.
The funding was long overdue. Even though the Canadian arts
and culture sector overall warmly welcomed the influx of new
funding, it is also important to remember that the sector
desperately needed the money after many years of repeated
cutbacks. The new funds are perceived less as an investment,
which is how the federal government has qualified this influx
of funds, than as a "re-investment" into the arts and culture.
.
Program implementation has been slow across the spectrum.
The lack of prior Treasury Board approval seems to have been
a contributing factor in getting the programs off the mark.
Without approval, staff could not be hired, programs could
not be designed, and monies could not be expended. Now that
most of the last details have been settled, years 2 and 3
should be much smoother; the full impact of the new funding
will only be felt over the course of the second year.
.
The Department of Canadian Heritage is definitely staffing
up. On the one hand, it means that considerable funding is
staying within the Department rather than flowing to the cultural
sector. On the other hand, it offers hope that the programs
will continue beyond the three year framework within which
they were designed. A big question is: what will happen after
the three years? Many of those consulted were optimistic that
the amounts would be added to the base allocations for future
years. If not, what will all those new DCH employees have
to do?
.
Undertaking arts and cultural initiatives is not the equivalent
of establishing a national cultural policy with a clear vision
and guiding principles. The absence of such a policy means
that these new initiatives were developed in response to programmatic
imperatives, rather than policy ones. It is difficult to examine
these initiatives in terms of their impact on the cultural
sector without the existence of a national cultural policy
that sets coherent objectives for the federal government's
involvement in culture as a whole. These initiatives can thus
only be examined individually, as separate pieces of separate
puzzles.
Notes
1.
Statistics Canada.The Daily: Government Expenditures on Culture,
May 27, 2001 .
2.
The Cultural Development and Heritage business line includes
the following sectors: Broadcasting, Cultural Industries,
Arts, and Heritage.
3.
Not all the amount can be attributed directly to increases
in staff and other operational expenditures that resulted
from the new programs and initiatives.
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