CCA Bulletin 14/09

April 29, 2009

Focus on Arts Funding: a report from the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage and another one on cultural infrastructure

Just the Facts

Two recently released reports on arts funding have refocused the debate on federal government investments in the arts and culture sector.

The Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage recently published a report further to the hearings held in the wake of funding cuts to the arts made over the course of the summer and fall of 2008. The Committee heard from a wide range of witnesses that testified about the impact of the cuts on current and future activities and the financial stability of the sector.

The Standing Committee also heard from senior departmental officials, including Deputy Minister of Canadian Heritage, Ms. Judith LaRocque, about some of the reasons for the cuts. Because of the decision-making process concerning those cuts is covered by budget secrecy, Ms. LaRocque could not provide the detailed information some of the Committee members were seeking throughout the hearings about the rationale for targeting of some programs for the chopping block.

Nonetheless, the same budget process saw many of the programs restored or given increased resources in the last federal budget. In light of this, the Standing Committee’s report is somewhat retrospective. The Conservative members of the Committee issued a Dissenting Opinion which is included in the Report. The Dissenting Opinion provides additional rationales for some of the spending cuts but also highlights increases in funding to the Canada Council for the Arts and increases to international outreach efforts by the National Film Board, Factor/MusiqueAction and the Association for the Export of Canadian Books.

The Conservative members also allege that …” diplomatic missions, cultural attachés and trade commission offices will continue to promote the sector as part of the mandate, as will the Trade Commissioner Service across Canada.”

It would seem implausible that the budget cuts to Foreign Affairs with the transfers of funds to the missions around the world will not affect the cultural attachés.  Further to successive budget cuts, many of our cultural attachés now have to expend considerable efforts to raise funds to undertake any promotional work on behalf of Canadian artists, creators and arts professionals.

In a few weeks the CCA will release a detailed analysis of the 2009 federal budget where a clearer picture of where federal funding for the arts currently stands. The Report of the Standing Committee will be a useful historical reference document in mapping funding trends at the federal level.

On another front, the Creative City Network has recently released a report on the state of cultural infrastructure across Canada. This report is an abridged version of the report published in August 2008 by Simon Fraser University’s Centre of Expertise on Culture and Communities (CECC). While pointing to the fact that we are lacking a complete set of data on the current situation, the Report presents an excellent overview of the state of many of our cultural facilities and other infrastructure central to the vitality of the sector.

The Report reminds us that many of the facilities were created in celebration of Canada’s Centennial year and are now aging and in need of both repairs and technical upgrades. The Report also reflects on new trends in cultural infrastructure and calls upon the federal government to make this a priority in advance of Canada’s Sesquicentennial in 2017.

Tell me More

With respect to the funding of cultural infrastructure, the Cultural Spaces Program at the Department of Canadian Heritage has received an infusion of an additional $ 30 million for the current fiscal year. It seems that the government has also committed to a new injection of $ 30 million for the next fiscal year, but at the moment, it is still unclear if the base funding of $ 30 million will be in place next year as the program is due to sunset in March 2010. This is no doubt a step in the right direction, but it remains quite modest when one considers that the federal economic stimulus budget has earmarked $ 500 million over two years for the renovation and upgrade of recreational infrastructure.

Cultural infrastructure projects are now also eligible for funding under the Building Canada Fund of the Department of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities.  The process is somewhat more competitive with a buy in required from municipalities and provincial governments, and cultural projects are competing with other infrastructure projects like sewage, roads, sport facilities, etc. However the program is very well funded at $ 4.1 billion.

The CCA has written to the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, the Hon. John Baird, drawing the CECC’s Report and that of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities to his attention and calling for further federal investment in the cultural infrastructure across Canada. The CCA commends the CECC on this report which will be an important tool in focusing the requests for additional federal spending on the arts and culture sector.

What Can I Do?

If you share the concerns about our cultural infrastructure please communicate your views to the Hon. John Baird, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities and the Minister of Canadian Heritage, the Hon. James Moore. The CCA would appreciate receiving copies of any such communications.