CCA Bulletin 1/11

January 11, 2011

A nice way to start the year!

I hope the holiday break was great for all of you! It sure was for the CCA secretariat and frankly, it’s a good thing because we have a very busy calendar ahead of us! On the policy front, Bill C-32 and copyright are major priorities, but there are also the upcoming CRTC hearings regarding the purchase of CTVglobemedia by BCE. We are in the final stages of preparation for our third Thinking Culture forum (on copyright on January 25). Internally, the secretariat is organizing the upcoming election of CCA board members and is in the process of planning the new board’s first strategic session in June. We have also launched a call for nominations for the 2010 CCA awards. And of course, there is the possibility of a federal election in the spring which could throw a wrench into the works!

I returned to work last week to a piece of good news. The Department of Canadian Heritage has published the results of the five-year summative evaluation of the Arts, Culture and Diversity Program under which the CCA and the Coalition for Cultural Diversity (CCD) are funded. Since we are the only two recipients of this program, its evaluation amounts to a third party reviewing not only how the program fits in with the government’s priorities, but also how well the two organizations deliver through their contribution agreements with Heritage. This report is therefore critical to the future funding of the CCA and the CCD. As you will see below, the report also includes conclusions of interest for the whole arts, culture and heritage sector.

I am thrilled to announce that the report recommends that the program be renewed because it is “efficient and in line with the government’s priorities.” The report states that over the past five years, “The CCA has made valuable contributions to the arts and culture sector and to the Government of Canada…the CCA successfully supports the development of arts networks across the country. These networks enable artists as well as both small and large arts organizations to not only share their diverse experiences, but also discuss common issues. Such networking helps sensitize sector members to other viewpoints and facilitates problem solving.”

After five years as National Director, I wholeheartedly agree that, “the CCA has a unique relationship with the organizations and individuals that comprise the arts and culture sector. As a peer, the CCA is in a position to coalesce issues... most importantly, many CCA activities, including nourishing/provoking debate on cultural issues, providing a pre-clearing house for policy development, facilitating communications between the cultural sector and government and providing information on arts and culture, have served to effectively and efficiently communicate the views and interests of the arts and culture sector to PCH in a way that could not likely be efficiently duplicated by PCH or another NGO.”

Maybe more importantly still, the report includes a number of conclusions which are of interest for the whole arts, culture and heritage sector:

Arts and culture are relevant for Canada and the Canadian economy;
The federal government has both domestic and international roles to play in terms of arts and culture; and
Non-governmental organizations are important to the arts and culture sector.

Tell me more

The following are quotes from the report:

Arts and Culture are Relevant for Canada and the Canadian Economy

Arts and culture are essential elements of the Canadian identity, uniting the nation as a people and enabling Canadians to tell stories that reflect their diverse backgrounds and experiences. Statistics published by the Conference Board of Canada and Statistics Canada also indicate that the arts and culture sector has contributed significantly to the Canadian economy: According to these sources, the sector accounted for 7.4% of Canada’s total real GDP in 2007 (including direct, indirect, and induced contributions); and culture-sector employment totaled approximately 1.1 million jobs in 2007 (representing about 6.5% of national employment).

The Federal Government Has Both Domestic and International Roles to Play in Terms of Arts and Culture

Domestically, the federal government’s role in terms of arts and culture is to formulate policies and providing funding support that will continue to allow the arts and culture sector to flourish, thereby contributing to the development of a competitive workforce of creative, knowledgeable workers and industry investors; and allowing Canadians to embrace their linguistic, ethno-cultural, Aboriginal and regional diversity while strengthening their community identity and pride in Canada and in being Canadian.

Internationally, the federal government’s role is to promote cultural diversity by:

Building coalitions in countries and regions where there has not been extensive ratification of the Convention;
Encouraging ratification by countries in the Asia-Pacific region and by the Arab States;
Contributing to the development of operational guidelines for the Convention;
Monitoring trade negotiations to ensure that the spirit of the Convention is upheld;
Putting forward the views of civil society as they pertain to the Convention, in collaboration with other NGOs; and
Providing ideas and encouraging support for the IFCD.

NGOs Are Important to the Arts and Culture Sector

Domestically, there is a need for an NGO presence in the arts and culture sector, not only to provide independent, objective research, but also to build consensus among disparate voices in the sector.

Internationally, there is a continuing need for a strong NGO presence in the implementation of the Convention, especially because NGOs provide continuity in participation in the UNESCO and the Convention’s governing bodies. Furthermore, NGOs are needed to provide continued messaging to ensure ongoing visibility for the Convention.

The CCA and the CCD Have Made Valuable Contributions to the Arts and Culture Sector and to the Government of Canada

The CCA’s production of independent, objective research on the arts and culture sector and its efforts to inform the federal government of the most current and pressing concerns of the organizations and individuals that populate the sector have helped ensure that government policy recognizes and encourages the contribution of the sector to Canadian public life. As well, the CCA’s dissemination of information that is critical to arts and culture organizations across regions/sub-sectors and its coordination of disparate arts and culture organizations on issues on which there is common ground have enabled those organizations 1) to determine what kind of impact government policies and current events will have on their operations; and 2) to speak to the federal government with a unified voice.

What are your thoughts on this bulletin? Let us know on our blog.