CCA BULLETIN / BULLETIN DE LA CCA

 

 

 

2004 CHALMERS CONFERENCE “THE BEST EVER”!

 

Minister's presence “a coup”!

 

Ottawa, March 2, 2004 - The fifth Chalmers Conference, an annual gathering of representatives from National Arts Service Organizations (NASOs) organized by the Canadian Conference of the Arts ( CCA ), was held in Ottawa last Friday 27 February.   It was a sold out event and, by all accounts, a resounding success!   Organized around the theme of “Advocacy and Elections”, the one-day conference opened with a breakfast co-hosted by the National Arts Centre.  

 

The keynote speaker was the new Minister of Canadian Heritage, the Honorable Hélène Chalifour Scherrer.   With less than three months under her belt in this position, she welcomed the opportunity to meet with so many leaders of the cultural community at once.   Mme Scherrer prefaced her remarks by stating that it was a pity the Chalmers Conference wasn't being held a month later, so that she could announce funding from the 2004 Budget speech - a statement many hope is auspicious!   Declaring herself “passionate” about Canadian culture, Mme Scherrer announced she would be working closely with John Godfrey, Parliamentary Secretary with special responsibility for cities, and that Colin Jackson, President and CEO of the Calgary Performing Arts Centre and a long time CCA member, will sit on the External Advisory Committee on Cities and Communities.   The Minister appears committed to working closely with the sector and is well aware of the need for renewed support at a sustainable level.   The full text of Mme Scherrer's speech will appear within a few days on the Heritage website at www.pch.gc.ca.

 

The breakfast was followed by a panel discussion entitled “Hype, Gossip, and Spin: which messages get attention at election time?”.   The four panellists, Max Wyman , Richard Messier, Caroline Di Cocco and Elizabeth May, provided different perspectives on the major elements needed to get arts and culture's message across at election time and beyond.   (More details of this discussion, plus other aspects of the conference, will be available in the final report by the end of the month.)

 

John Hobday, Director of the Canada Council for the Arts, was the lunchtime speaker and provided an update on his address at last year's Chalmers, outlining some important changes Council is anticipating as it reassesses its programmes in light of a new corporate plan.   These changes include

•  an increased focus on the benefit to the Canadian public of the arts and of investment in the arts

•  a stronger emphasis on the organizational health of arts organizations

•  a reassertion of Council's role as the primary federal funder of the professional arts and what this means to existing and future programmes at DCH .

The complete text of Mr Hobday's speech will be available on the Canada Council website next week ( www.canadacouncil.ca).

 

Government relations expert Sean Moore conducted a workshop in the af ternoon.   Described by many conference delegates as “outstanding”, this session outlined how the system of government works, and what the cultural sector needs to do to“work the system”.   Mr Moore's clear and practical presentation provided many in the room with new insights into the “mysterious” world of government lobbying and advocacy.   The breakout groups which followed the workshop tackled the complex problem of defining key issues and messages from the arts and culture sector in light of an impending federal election.  

 

In her wrap-up remarks, CCA National Director, Megan Davis Williams, commented on the determination expressed by those present that the arts be raised in the context of the coming election, not just to advocate for funding but to articulate the centrality of the arts to the lives of citizens. She thanked the participants for their clear message that the CCA should move forward with a strong campaign drawing on the strengths of its organizational members.

CCA will use the material gathered from the breakout group participants to inform the questionnaires for candidates and political parties currently under construction, and to develop key messages from the sector.

 

Election primer on CCA website

The CCA 's election primer is now available on our website ( www.ccarts.ca) in both English and French.   The material comprises four elements: