CCA BULL ETIN / BULLETIN DE LA CCA
CANADIAN ARTISTS ON THE “SOFA” THIS PAST WEEKEND
Ottawa , November 25, 2004 - The CCA's 2004 national policy conference on Status of the Artist (SofA) issues was held in Regina , Saskatchewan , on 19 and 20 November. It was, by all accounts, a pivotal event -- an opportunity for 150 members of the arts and cultural communities from across Canada to come together for in-depth discussions and exchanges of information on what is widely acknowledged to be a challenging subject. The CCA's 2004 conference partner was the Saskatchewan Arts Alliance, whose input into content and organization was invaluable.
The objectives of the conference were threefold:
• To discuss how the existing federal legislation on SofA could be improved.
• To examine the need for a national council on Status of the Artist and how it could be reinstated.
• To act as a catalyst for provincial development of SofA outside Quebec .
The conference generated some excellent media coverage in Saskatchewan thanks to the CBC , Radio-Canada, and the Regina Leader-Post. As well, Globe and Mail Review columnist Kate Taylor wrote extensively on SofA issues in an article published yesterday (Wednesday, 24 November).
“I felt very inspired”
The two day conference was structured to bring a broad variety of voices to the table and to examine the existing legislation through a wide-angle lens – how it affects individual artists and arts organizations, how similar legislation can be developed at the provincial level, what sort of links must be made between the two levels of government jurisdiction, and what we can learn from other places where SofA legislation is more developed.
An additional important element of the conference was the launch of a campaign for fair tax treatment for artists. Delegates were invited to sign on to the following objectives:
• To ensure that
• all professional artists will be presumed to be self-employed for purposes of their artistic activity
• artists and the organizations which engage them will be free to negotiate a contract of service (employer-employee relationship) if they explicitly agree
• To have a community-agreed test of “professionalism” replace the “reasonable expectation of profit” test now in use.
(If you did not attend the conference and would be interested in signing on to this document, please contact Philippa Borgal at philippa.borgal@ccarts.ca .)
Workshops were held on the final afternoon to provide delegates with the opportunity for in-depth discussion in four key areas: a council on Status of the Artist; amendments to existing federal legislation; development of provincial SofA; and issues for Aboriginal professional artists under SofA legislation. Some of the conclusions which flowed from the workshops include:
• Confirmation of the need within the sector for a national council on Status of the Artist with a mandate to advise the Minister of Canadian Heritage, but also with the credibility to advise other government departments. Its suggested initial tasks could be: providing counsel on changes to improve the socio-economic lives of artists; defining what is a professional artist; and providing a channel for harmonisation between federal and existing and potential provincial legislation on SofA.
• Proposed amendments to Part I of SofA legislation to allow for a presumption of independent contractor status, tax measures, and other socio-economic measures.
• Proposed amendments to Part II of the Act should provide for first contract negotiation and arbitration; a requirement for federal government agencies to insist on union agreements; and, if provincial SofA legislation includes bargaining, authority could be delegated to the Canadian Artists and Producers Professional Relations Tribunal (CA PPRT ).
• Development of provincial SofA legislation would be assisted by strong national leadership through the CCA, which could help in identifying the milestones and priority areas, and providing clear communications.
• CCA support for a major national meeting to discuss the formation of a national alliance (similar to a national arts service organization) to be held by the Aboriginal arts community and which would reflect the Aboriginal model of association, including a place for elders in the discussions.
Over the next several weeks, CCA will be taking the recommendations and direction provided by the conference and turning them into a concrete work plan. Progress on this work will be reported in CCA's bulletins and on its website. CCA will also be publishing a detailed report on the conference, which will be available in the coming months.
“This was the best part!”
Starting with the 2002 conference in Edmonton , CCA has demonstrated a commitment to integrating an artistic component into its conferences. This year, local artists provided the artistic stimulus, through live performance, installation art, and sound work. There was also an opportunity for delegates to indulge their own creativity through “Artists Trading Cards” – which proved a very popular exercise. CCA hopes to build on this concept of individual creativity opportunities for future conferences.
For more information:
Kevin Desjardins
Communications and Public Relations Manager
(613) 238 3561 ext.11
Fax (613) 238 4849
58/04
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