Canadian Heritage committee  I would have to concur. One of the remarkable things about all of our organizations is the incredible commitment and enthusiasm of the volunteers. In our case, we have up to 800 volunteers who support our activities, many of whom have been with us for the 26 years the organizatio

Canadian Heritage committee  I think Anita has pretty much laid it all out. The key here is that community engagement piece—whether it's the kind of contest Anita's talking about, or the educational pieces like residencies, or the opportunities to invite young people and students into our programs. There nee

Canadian Heritage committee  Just to echo what Anita and Janice were saying, I think any kind of funding that comes through has to first and foremost support the development of content, the development of product. You can't market something that doesn't exist, so supporting the ability to commission new work

Canadian Heritage committee  FAME is an organization that's just been put together, so it is in its infancy. I think perhaps Janice could speak better to this, as a member of the executive. I know they are reaching out, certainly, to organizations across Canada to get their input and to stay connected to the

Canadian Heritage committee  Absolutely.

Canadian Heritage committee  I would like to echo what Anita and Janice are saying. The program was very vital to our activities and to being able to draw the international audiences. We certainly saw a growth in the international audiences, as well as in what Janice is mentioning, which is the ability to

Canadian Heritage committee  Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and good morning. I'll ask you to forgive me if I'm a little groggy today. I'm the executive director of the Coastal Jazz and Blues Society, which produces the annual Vancouver International Jazz Festival as well as Winterruption on Granville Island, the