Canadian Heritage Committee on Nov. 29th, 2007

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Schellenberger]

I call to order this part of the meeting of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage.

Welcome, Minister, and your associates.

Pursuant to Standing Order 81(5), we're considering supplementary estimates (A) for 2007-08: votes 1a, 5a, 10a, 15a, 30a, 35a, 45a, 50a, 55a, 65a, 75a, and 105a, under Canadian Heritage, referred to the committee on Tuesday, October 30, 2007.

The chair calls vote 1 under Canadian Heritage.

Again, welcome, Minister. We await your statement.

[Josée Verner, Conservative, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

On behalf of myself and my colleagues — Ms. Judith LaRocque, Deputy Minister of Canadian Heritage, and her colleague, Mr. Jean-Pierre Blais, Assistant Deputy Minister for Cultural Affairs, I would like to thank the members of the Committee for inviting us here today.

As you know, as Minister of Canadian Heritage, I am assisted in my duties by the Minister for the Pacific Gateway and the Vancouver Whistler Olympics, the Honourable David Emerson, and by two Secretaries of State, namely Helena Guergis, who is responsible for Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Sports; and, Jason Kenney, Secretary of State for Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity.

I am delighted to be here today. Several of you, including Gary and Mr. Bélanger, are long-standing members of the Committee. I know that you share my conviction that culture is essential to our quality of life and our sense of identity.

Each year, the cultural sector contributes over $40 billion to the Canadian economy and employs 700,000 people. More importantly, thanks to support from Canadian Heritage, all Canadians have access to their culture. By participating in cultural activities, they gain a sense of cultural ownership and help to forge our collective identity.

This past fall I met with a number of representatives from the public, private, and community sectors. As elected officials, it's our responsibility to develop policies and programs that are in line with our constituents' expectations and aspirations. That is my objective and it's the objective of our government.

The Speech from the Throne is clear on this matter, and I quote:Canadians expect their government to help them build on this legacy. They want a government that sets clear goals and delivers concrete results. A government that is accountable.

Where culture and heritage are concerned, Canadians expect their government to contribute actively to the cultural vitality of our society. In collaboration with the organizations and agencies of the Canadian Heritage portfolio, my department is working to achieve that goal. I am proud to share some of our most significant accomplishments with you today.

In the arts, culture and heritage sector, our government has allocated an additional $50 million over two years to the Canada Council for the Arts; $20 million in 2006-2007, and $30 million for the current year. And, to mark the Council's 50th anniversary this year, in July, we announced that the Council could count on receiving that $30 million on an ongoing basis.

Two weeks ago, I took part in the Montreal Cultural Metropolis Rendez-Vous. The event attracted over 1,200 delegates with the common goal of positioning and promoting Montreal, over the next decade, as an international centre for creativity and innovation. I took advantage of this ideal opportunity to join forces with the Government of Quebec, the City of Montreal, artists and industry representatives, in the true spirit of open federalism. Our government also announced funding of $40 million for the Quartier des spectacles de Montréal, the city's dedicated arts district.

In September, I announced annual funding of $30 million for ongoing support of local arts and heritage festivals and related activities.

In addition, our department has allocated nearly $100 million over the next five years to address the infrastructure needs of several of our national cultural institutions. And, speaking of national cultural institutions, we are pleased to report some innovative developments on that front. Last April, the Prime Minister announced the creation, in Winnipeg, of our first new national museum in 40 years. With public and private sector support, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights will promote the values that all Canadians cherish.

In the same vein, we recently issued a request for proposal to locate the Portrait Gallery of Canada in one of nine Canadian cities.

In the museums sector, we eliminated the capital gains tax on gifts of listed, publicly traded securities to registered charities such as museums. Museums report that they are already seeing the effects of this measure.

As well, the 2007 budget includes an annual amount of $5 million for our qualified students to work in museums across Canada during the summer.

Finally, as announced in the Speech from the Throne, our government is committed to protecting intellectual and cultural property rights in Canada. I'm working with the industry minister, Jim Prentice, on a bill to amend the Copyright Act. The bill will be introduced in Parliament very soon.

Besides providing opportunities for Canadians to engage in rich and diverse cultural activities, my department strengthens the connections that bring us together.

Canada's broadcasting industry plays a leading role in this regard. At the recent Canadian Association of Broadcasters Convention, I reminded the delegates that our primary objective in this area continues to be making high-quality Canadian content available on radio, on television and on-line.

I could go on at some length about our accomplishments in the broadcasting sector, but I want to mention a few of my department's other achievements.

I'm thinking in particular of our work on UNESCO's Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. We have agreed to contribute to the International Fund for Cultural Diversity, and Canada has been elected to the Intergovernmental Committee for the Protection and Promotion of Diversity of Cultural Expressions. In this context, next week it will be my honour and pleasure to welcome representatives of the Committee's 24 member states to Ottawa.

Canadian Heritage has also increased its efforts to promote Canada's linguistic duality and to support official language minority communities. I will be addressing this topic in more detail in a few days, in my presentation to the Standing Committee on Official Languages.

As you know, Canadian Heritage administers several other programs. I'd like to conclude by mentioning two that are close to my heart, if I may.

Tomorrow I will officially launch the 2008 Canada Day poster contest. This is one of my department's most popular initiatives and a concrete example of a program that truly appeals to all Canadians.

I know that even as I speak, teachers and students all across the country are busily working on creative entries that express all their pride in being Canadian. Next July 1, thirteen talented young people from every province and territory will join us at the Canada Day celebrations on Parliament Hill.

Another exciting initiative is the celebration, in 2008, of the 400th Anniversary of the City of Quebec. I have followed the preparations with interest, and I participated in the programming announcements made by the Société du 400e, the National Battlefields Commission, the Huron-Wendat Nation, and our military forces posted in Quebec. This festive event will underscore the significance of this date in the history of Canada and North America. The founding of Quebec also marks the founding of Canada, and this will be a wonderful opportunity for Canadians to gather to celebrate their culture and heritage.

Thank you for your kind attention. I am now available to take your questions.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Schellenberger]

Thank you for that.

I just would like ask all members of the committee and our witnesses to try to stay within five minutes each. If we keep our questions relatively short and to the point, maybe the answers can be that way. That way, everyone will have an opportunity, because we only have three-quarters of an hour for questions.

Mr. Scarpaleggia.

[Francis Scarpaleggia, Liberal, Lac-Saint-Louis, QC]

I will be very brief.

Thank you for being with us, Minister. As you may know, I represent a sizeable part of the minority anglophone community in Quebec. You and your government talk about open federalism, but you have closed one of the doors available to minority language communities in Canada by eliminating the Court Challenges Program. Even the Montreal Gazette is disappointed with the decision to do away with that program. It even recommended, a few days before the Speech from the Throne, that the government, at the very least, restore that program for the language communities.

Do you think the case law has effectively come to an end as regards language rights in Canada? Is it your opinion that there will be no further cases coming out of the language communities—anglophone or francophone—and for that reason, we no longer deserve that program?

My second question has to do with the Canadian Railway Museum, Exporail. As you know, most Members of Parliament voted in favour of your department incorporating this exceptional and internationally-renowned museum into the firmament of the federal government's national museums network. At the time, we were told that the national museums had to be located in Ottawa, in the national capital, but since then, there has been talk of moving the Portrait Gallery and, in addition, funding is to be provided for the Canadian Human Rights Museum in Winnipeg.

I would be interested in hearing your comments on those two topics.

[Josée Verner, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Thank you for your question.

As regards the Court Challenges Program, as you know, a case dealing with that is currently before the courts. As a result, I will not be commenting on it.

With respect to the anglophone community in Quebec, we have already had several meetings. We have opened up real dialogue, which is both constructive and positive.

I would like to remind you of a certain number of facts. In the Speech from the Throne, we undertook to move ahead with the second phase of the Official Languages Action Plan, an initiative we were commended for by your leader. We have close relations. We announced a further injection of $30 million in the 2007 budget. I have undertaken to hold consultations with a view to hearing the concerns of official language communities across the country. They should begin very shortly. Those are the points I wanted to make with respect to the anglophone community in Quebec.

If I am not mistaken, in May 2006, I attended one of their meetings that was taking place in Gatineau. They told me that it was the first time a government minister had attended one of their meetings to say a few words and open up a dialogue with them. Indeed, I will be appearing before the Official Languages Committee in the coming days.

As regards the museums, I did, in fact, recently meet with representatives of Exporail. We are attentive to their needs. As you know, the government funds the national museums. Still, we are looking at how we can be of assistance to them.

[Francis Scarpaleggia, Liberal, Lac-Saint-Louis, QC]

It could become a national museum. It is already one of the best railway museums in the world. I see no reason why it could not be folded into the National Museums network, even if it's located in Montreal, rather than Ottawa. You have already taken steps to move the Portrait Gallery outside Ottawa, and you are funding a museum…

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Schellenberger]

Mr. Scarpaleggia, a question...?

[Francis Scarpaleggia, Liberal, Lac-Saint-Louis, QC]

We are wondering why you cannot simply incorporate it into the National Museums network, by making it a national museum or, for example, making it part of the Museum of Science and Technology, given that the railway is connected to both science and technology.

[Josée Verner, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

I just want to set the record straight with respect to some of your comments. We have not decided to move the Portrait Gallery outside Ottawa. Ottawa-Gatineau is one of the nine cities that have been identified and which will have an opportunity, we hope, to submit a project under the Request for Proposals recently initiated for the Portrait Gallery. I think it's important to clarify that point.

As regards the Exporail Museum, we are continuing to review the situation with museum management. I know they received a grant of $230,000 a few years ago through the museums' Summer Internship Program. That is another way of providing assistance to them.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Schellenberger]

Okay, thank you.

Ms. Mourani.

[Maria Mourani, Bloc, Ahuntsic, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you for being here to take our questions.

In the last election campaign, your party announced that it would implement a museums policy. I would just like to quickly lay out the facts I have been made aware of.

Over the last two years, the Museums Assistance Program has seen one third of its budget cut. Furthermore, several days ago, on November 27, an article in Le Devoir stated that the Exhibition Transport Service provided through the Canadian Conservation Institute will no longer be available as of April 1, 2008. Consequently, the museums will have to deal with the private sector, where costs are much higher. At the same time, the museums' budgets have shrunk considerably.

In my opinion, this is not a new museums policy, but rather, a kind of demolition project aimed at Canadian museums. It particularly affects small regional museums.

Do you intend to take any action, first of all, to restore the Museums Assistance Program's budget by increasing its funding? Also, will you maintain the ETS, which is absolutely critical for our museums, to ensure that their wonderful exhibitions can travel all across the country? Will you bring in a museums policy?

[Josée Verner, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Thank you for those three questions. I will answer them in order or in disorder.

With respect to the Exhibition Transport Service, it is important to say that it has been clearly established that using subcontractors for the transport service contravened Revenue Canada's rules as regards employer-employee relationships. The department could thus no longer use those services, for obvious reasons relating to transparency and accountability on the part of our federal institutions.

The museums continue to have access to financial assistance. The private sector is currently developing fairly competitive expertise in that field. Also, discussions are underway between departmental officials and museum directors to ensure they are comfortable with the transition.

As regards a museums policy, it's important to mention, first of all, that there is a need to put our house in order in this area. For one thing, there was an absolutely glaring need for infrastructure. That is the reason why our government announced an injection of $100 million to meet urgent needs in the museum community, including $41 million for our four national museums, in order to address infrastructure problems.

[Maria Mourani, Bloc, Ahuntsic, QC]

You raise an important point with respect to infrastructure. A year and a half ago, your colleague, Mr. Fortier, announced funding of $30 million for the Montreal Planetarium. We have yet to see that money.

[Josée Verner, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Yes, that file is being handled by my colleague who is responsible for infrastructure, Mr. Lawrence Cannon. I know that he has looked at it very closely. I invite you to put the question directly to him.

[Maria Mourani, Bloc, Ahuntsic, QC]

A planetarium is a science museum. It still is related to culture.

[Josée Verner, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

I agree that a planetarium is an important institution.

I know that my colleague, Lawrence Cannon, has specifically looked at that issue.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Schellenberger]

Very short, please.

[Maria Mourani, Bloc, Ahuntsic, QC]

With respect to the ETS, you said that you are trying to find a way for private institutions to have access to services at an affordable price, and so on. On the other hand, it is well known that very few companies offer the kind of quality service that could be had through the ETS. I have been told of two companies in Montreal. I will not mention their name, because I don't want to give them publicity. However, a director of the largest of those companies has said that she could never do it for $1.81, as was the case for the ETS, and that her costs will be much higher. This could have considerable consequences for the regions, because small museums will never be able to pay that kind of fee, unless you increase their budget.

[Josée Verner, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Because your question is of a more technical nature, with respect to the different companies out there, I'm going to ask the Deputy Minister to complete my answer.

[Judith LaRocque, Deputy Minister, Department of Canadian Heritage]

Thank you for your question, Ms. Mourani.

We are following this issue very closely. The Minister has already had discussions with her provincial and territorial colleagues on that very matter. It is a concern, but we believe that in the long run, private companies will not only be competitive, but will develop their own expertise. We will ensure that happens.

Your point is very well taken, because this is certainly a matter of concern to us as well.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Schellenberger]

Thank you.

Mr. Siksay.

[Bill Siksay, NDP, Burnaby—Douglas, BC]

Thank you, Chair, and thank you for being here, Minister, with your deputies.

Minister, one question I wanted to ask is this. A number of agencies and organizations that depend on funding from your department have raised concerns about a 5% overall cut to the budget of the department. The other day the president of the CBC mentioned that there was talk of such a reallocation—I think that was the word he used—that was coming over a four-year cycle.

Can you tell us, if that is under way in your department, how you see it affecting the budget and the programming of your department?

I also have three other very specific questions around funding. My understanding is that funding for the National Anti-Racism Council of Canada was denied earlier this year, in June, for a continuation of the work they've been doing in anti-racism work and racial profiling work. It's been very important work to many people, and yet the funding they requested to continue that program was denied.

Can you tell me why that was denied and how this important work will be carried on without that program?

I also want to know what the government's position is on the CBC request for $25 million of capital costs and what the government's position is on $25 million a year to extend their local radio network to include the eight million Canadians who don't have access to CBC/Radio-Canada local radio.

The last question is around the Canadian Federation of Municipalities' concern that there's a $40 billion recreational infrastructure deficit in Canada. A lot of the projects that were built during the centennial year are now 40 years old and in serious need of repair and upgrading.

Does the government, does your department, have a plan to address that growing deficit in recreation facilities?

[Josée Verner, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Thank you. I will try to answer your four questions.

As regards the management of public funds, our government has certainly made its mark in that area. Over the years, we want to ensure that our programs are effective and that taxpayers' money is spent appropriately; however, what is most important is that we achieve good results for taxpayers that are measurable and concrete. With that in mind, it is the responsibility of every minister to ensure that departmental programs and objectives meet that requirement. That is what we do on a regular basis.

You referred to an anti-racism organization. That is something that falls within the purview of my colleague, the Secretary of State for Multiculturalism, Jason Kenney. I will give the Deputy Minister an opportunity to provide additional details on that specific point.

As regards CBC's budget requests, there is no doubt that the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation is a public service that has its own management. I am confident and, in fact, very proud of the fact that Mr. Hubert Lacroix has been appointed CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada, as well as — a little earlier — Mr. Tim Casgrain as Chairman of the Board of Directors. There is no doubt in my mind that they will look at the overall operations of CBC/Radio-Canada with a view to efficiency and good service in a way that should be satisfactory.

Your final question had to do with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and infrastructure. We do have some money in the budget for requests relating to cultural infrastructure. However, if you're talking about recreational infrastructure, my colleague, the Minister of Transportation, Infrastructure and Communities, would be in a better position to answer that kind of question.

With respect to multiculturalism, I am going to ask Ms. Judith LaRocque to provide you with additional details.

[Judith LaRocque]

Mr. Siksay, I am not aware of that particular request. We have about 7,000 grants and contributions going through the department a year, but we would be very happy to look into it for you and either respond directly to you or through the chair, as you prefer.

[Bill Siksay, NDP, Burnaby—Douglas, BC]

Thank you.