First and foremost, I must say how honoured I am to have musicians, artists appearing before us in the flesh. Indeed, the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage often hears from some of your representatives, from officials and politicians, but seldom do we see before us the raw material of art in Quebec and Canada. Let me assure you that what you have to say is immensely important. We listen to you and we drink in your words.
First, the cuts that were made last year to the Canadian Musical Diversity Program compound those that were made last year. Indeed, $25 million were cut from programs that allowed artists to tour overseas, including in the areas of theatre and dance. This government does not understand that by cutting these programs they do great damage to major cultural sectors. There are almost no more theatrical tours to other parts of the world for artists outside of Quebec, and musicians who are not into pop music will be in great difficulty in the coming months.
I would first like to ask a few questions and I would like all of you to answer. How many grants have you received from the Canadian Musical Diversity Program? How often did you get any and what were the amounts?
Let us start with Mr. Zubot.