The cultural sector and the new Conservative cabinet
CCA Bulletin 19/11
May 24, 2011
Just the Facts
On May 2, 2011, Canadians went to the polls and elected a Conservative majority, the first majority government in seven years. On Wednesday, May 18, the first cabinet under the 41st Parliament was sworn in at Rideau Hall, the residence of the Governor General of Canada. The new cabinet is comprised of 38 ministers, with nine new faces and 10 women.
On June 2, Parliamentarians will convene for a first time to elect the new Speaker of the House of Commons. Parliament will officially open the next day, Friday, June 3, with the speech from the throne. The speech will deal with the immediate priorities of the government. The 2011-12 budget, which could not be adopted because of the election, is expected to be reintroduced on June 6 by the Hon. Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance . The session will likely be prorogued soon after the budget has been adopted, meaning Parliament would reopen with a new speech from the throne in early fall.
In this bulletin, we look at the ministers who will be responsible for the files of direct importance to the arts, culture and heritage sector.
Key Cabinet Ministers
The Hon. has been reappointed as Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages. Since 2008, Mr. Moore has brought his former experiences as a broadcaster, economist and Secretary of State for the 2010 Olympics, the Asia-Pacific Gateway and Official Languages to the position of Minister of Canadian Heritage. First elected to the House of Commons in 2000, at the time, he was the youngest MP ever elected. He is the youngest Minister of Canadian Heritage and since taking over this portfolio, he has been active on many files including copyright, the renewal of important funding programs and the Olympics’ cultural events. He also has a keen interest in new media and what the digital economy means for Canada.
James Moore
Given his performance at Heritage, it was expected that Minister Moore would get a promotion. Common speculation is that this will come after he has shepherded the reform of the Copyright Act, now that the former Minister of Industry, Tony Clement, has been appointed as President of the Treasury Board. Beyond intellectual property, major files that will likely occupy Minister Moore include the place of culture in developing a national digital strategy and the overseeing of the Strategic and Operating Review within the department and its agencies. This exercise, announced in the March 22 pre-election budget, will result in hard cuts of between five and 10% and may lead to the elimination of whole programs deemed to have outlived their usefulness. In that respect, as President of the Treasury Board, the Hon. Tony Clement will also play a crucial role in the future of the cultural sector.
A noteworthy appointment to the new cabinet is that of the Hon. Christian Paradis who shifted from Natural Resources Canada to become Minister of Industry and Minister of State for Agriculture, a portfolio of particular importance to Quebec. As Minister of Industry, Mr. Paradis will work closely with Minister Moore to re-introduce and pass the copyright legislation that died on the order paper when Parliament was dissolved. He will also be charged with developing and implementing the digital economy strategy, for which consultations were held in 2010. The CCA will also closely monitor how the Minister moves forward with the Investment Canada Act, which deals with foreign ownership of Canadian companies, notably in telecommunications and broadcasting, and the regulations involved in that process.
Another Minister to watch is Diane Finley who returns as Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, a post she has held since 2008. The CCA will keep a watchful eye on this portfolio as it deals with the training and professional development of cultural workers. As Canada moves increasingly towards a knowledge-based economy, the training and career progression of cultural workers will be an integral element to the growth of the economy. Studies like the Impact of Emerging Digital Technologies on the Cultural Sector in Canada, currently being conducted by the Cultural Human Resources Council, should help inform the Minister and the Department of HRSDC on how to proceed with applicable training programs.
The Hon John Baird has become Minister of Foreign Affairs. First elected to the House of Commons in 2006, Minister Baird was successively President of the Treasury Board, Minister of the Environment, Minister of Transport and more recently, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons. It is the CCA’s hope that as Minister of Foreign Affairs, he will renew his department’s commitment to promote Canadian culture internationally and support the view that artists and cultural institutions are ambassadors that contribute to Canada’s foreign policy and international trade objectives.
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Finally, another cabinet member who in the coming years will be responsible for files of importance for the Canadian cultural sector is the new Minister for International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway, the Hon. Ed Fast. One file of immediate and particular interest is the on-going negotiations with the European Union regarding the conclusion of a Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement. (CETA). Mr. Fast has acquired considerable experience on cultural files, having been on the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage for several years.