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Federal Government Funding Cuts to

Arts and Cultural Programs 2008

What's Current

During the last weeks of the month of August, the arts and cultural sector has learnt that the government of Canada have cut or completely cancelled certain programs. What started initially as the cancellation of two programs dedicated to the promotion of Canadian arts abroad has become a broader movement.

This web page provides a selection of the documents related to the recently announced cuts to federal budgets. It also provides background material published over the past two years which gives context to the various issues these cuts raise.

List of recent cuts by Federal government to arts and cultural programs (September 2, 2008)

Culture Spending Cuts – Part One: Trade Routes and PromArt Cuts in Context (August 20, 2008)

Heritage Spending Cuts – Part Two: An Ongoing Saga?(August 25, 2008)

2007-2008 Report on Plans and Priorities (RPP) Provides Further Clues to Federal Government’s Cultural Policy (May 8, 2007)

"Advantage Canada" Poised To Stir Up Jurisdictional Issues - What could this mean for arts and culture? (November 30, 2006)

CCA Analysis of 2006-07 Government Plans and Priorities (October 25, 2006)

Background

The federal government and culture

Culture and international relations

Investing in the creative economy

The Federal Budget from the cultural perspective

Resources

The federal government and culture

While culture has not been very high on the agenda of our federal governments' priorities, it has been particularly difficult to ascertain where the Conservative minority government stands with regards to its role with respect to arts and culture in Canadian society. We have gathered here documents which may help decipher the position of the government vis-a-vis this important sector in Canadian society.

(July 22, 2008)

Bill C-61 - The Devil is in the Details: Revisions to the Copyright Act Finally Unveiled

(June 20, 2008)

The Plans and Priorities of the Department of Canadian Heritage for 2008-2009

(May 21, 2008)

Bill C-10: The CCA warns the Senate Banking Committee about the serious dangers to freedom of expression

(April 10, 2008)

The Minister of Canadian Heritage Introduces Legislation to Create New National Museum

(February 14, 2008)

Update on various files

(Nov 20, 2007)

Speech from the Throne - Little new: Copyright and the infrastructure program on the Agenda (October 17, 2007)

The CCA welcomes the Hon. Josée Verner as the new Minister of Canadian Heritage

(August 15, 2007)

Canadian Heritage Minister, the Hon. Beverly J. Oda has announced a recurring $30 million dollar increase to the Canada Council for the Arts

(July 24, 2007)

The Minister of Finance Replies to the CCA Advantage Canada Brief

(June 21, 2007)

2007-2008 Report on Plans and Priorities (RPP) Provides Further Clues to Federal Government’s Cultural Policy

(May 8, 2007)

First new national museum created outside of National Capital Region

(May 1, 2007)

Disappointments Continue for Canada’s Museums

(April 3, 2007)

"Advantage Canada" Poised To Stir Up Jurisdictional Issues - What could this mean for arts and culture? (November 30, 2006)

Hope on the museum policy front, a mandate review for the CBC, and a clarification on "cultural rights" (November 28, 2006)

Late Spring Echoes from the Hill

(June 5, 2006)

Some Good News for Canada's Arts and Culture Sector Announced in 2006 Federal Budget

(May 2, 2006)

THE SPEECH FROM THE THRONE - 39TH PARLIAMENT OF CANADA "TURNING A NEW LEAF"

(April 5, 2006)

BEVERLEY J. ODA, NEW MINISTER OF CANADIAN HERITAGE

(April 5, 2006)

The CCA urges the new Government of Canada to strengthen our arts and culture on national and international fronts

(January 24, 2006)

Culture and international relations

In the mid 90s, the federal government established "the promotion of Canadian culture and values" as the third pillar of Canadian foreign policy. In the spring of 2005, the government published an International Policy Statement in which the third pillar was noticeably absent. The November 2005 federal election put an end to the study of this document by the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade and, given the change of government, the Statement was never heard of again. In the fall of 2006, the current government slashed a first $11,8 million over two years which had been used to top up the insufficient $4,7 million budget of PromArt. As we know, the other shoe has just dropped with the total elimination of the PromArt program.

Public and Cultural Diplomacy Debate Power-Point presentation by Cynthia P. Schneider

(June 12, 2008)

FROM THE DESK: Culture and Trade

(June 4, 2008)

Follow-ups to Symposium on the Role of the Arts in Public Diplomacy

(February 29, 2008)

Several Measures Proposed at the CCA Symposium on Cultural Diplomacy

(Dec. 7, 200)7

Bill C-2: CCA’s Presentation to the Senate Committee; Update on Reallocation Cuts to Public Diplomacy Program at Foreign Affairs

(October 10, 2006)

Investing in the creative economy

Over the past few years, more and more governments around the world have woken up to the economic importance of investing in the creative powers of their population, in all areas of activity. Several studies have pointed more particularly towards the importance of investing in the arts and cultural sector because of its positive effects on urban environment where one finds clusters of creators in all walks of life. In March 2008, the Conference Board of Canada, in cooperation with the Department of Canadian Heritage, organized an International Forum on the Creative Economy in Gatineau (Québec). This even led to the recent publication of a much quoted report Value Culture: Measuring and Understanding Canada's Creative Economy. As a parallel contribution to the Forum, the Canadian Conference of the Arts published its own report, prepared in cooperation with Simon Fraser University, From Economy to Ecology: A Policy Framework for Creative Labour.

From Economy to Ecology – A Policy Framework for Creative Labour

(March 14, 2008)

Canadian Heritage Minister, the Hon. Beverly J. Oda, has announced a recurring $30 million dollar increase to the Canada Council for the Arts

(July 24, 2007)

The Federal Budget from the cultural perspective

The CCA follows closely the budget processes of the federal government and reports them in its bulletins. The CCA analyzes the Plans and Priorities of the Department of Canadian Heritage and intervenes each year in the pre-budget consultations of the Standing Committee on Finance. The CCA also published an Annual Analysis of the Federal Budget from the perspective of the arts and cultural sector, identifying budget transfers from one year to the next.

a) Recent budget cuts

Heritage Spending Cuts – Part Two: An Ongoing Saga?

(August 25, 2008)

Culture Spending Cuts – Part One: Trade Routes and PromArt Cuts in Context

(August 20, 2008)

b) Department of Canadian Heritage Plans and Priorities

The Plans and Priorities of the Department of Canadian Heritage for 2008-2009

(May 21, 2008)

2007-2008 Report on Plans and Priorities (RPP) Provides Further Clues to Federal Government’s Cultural Policy

(May 8, 2007)

CCA Analysis of 2006-07 Government Plans and Priorities

(October 25, 2006)