Canadian Heritage Committee on Oct. 20th, 2009

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Schellenberger]

Go ahead, Roger.

[Roger Pomerleau, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

It is my turn.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. A great big thank you.

I was quite dismayed by what I heard today from the six people who came to speak with us. I have the very distinct impression that the removal of this program is to a certain extent, for those who benefited from it, a death knoll for their future.

I am convinced that if we only support what is being done today and what is profitable and popular today, nothing new will be produced, and future creativity will be threatened.

History is full of cases like that, everywhere: Marconi, Wernher von Braun, these are all people who works were costed out properly. We talked this morning about the fact that Van Gogh never sold a thing while he was alive and yet, today, this artist's works are the most expensive in the world.

The Eiffel Tower, the construction of which was decried by everyone at the time, is today the symbol of France. The Cirque du Soleil, that received a $1 million grant — a grant awarded to a clown by René Lévesque, at the time, for a completely crazy affair — is today the greatest circus in the world.

If what is new and is not immediately profitable is cut, these are the types of things that will not come about. What is your thinking on this more specifically?

[Erick Dorion]

There are things that are patently obvious. Before becoming Madonna, Madonna had to work at home. Before becoming Guy Laliberté, Guy Laliberté had to work at home. Before becoming Robert Lepage, Robert Lepage had to create — creation is not aimed at the general public, it is a work of experimentation. The principle of mass music or mass art does not bother me strictly speaking, because everyone benefits from it at some point or another, but before producing anything that might appeal to the “masses“, there is an experimentation stage.

Personally, like some other artists, I feel like I am constantly in experimentation mode, without any desire to have a commercial career, but I must have this right, just as some artists are also entitled to start with experimentation and to move towards the kind of thing that the majority of people want. Therefore, in cutting this grant, you are cutting off two possibilities, namely that of the artist who begins by experimenting and then moves towards a broader audience or the masses, or that of the masses that become more and more interested by this type of experimentation. Therefore, you are cutting that and you are also cutting support to the artist who will continue to do experimentation for the rest of his or her life. To my mind, this is very serious.

I said earlier that I would only discuss facts. I am trying, in fact, to think in terms of the future. This is something that is very important and that could be very dangerous.

[Bill Garrett]

The exploratory artist is extremely important, and this is certainly one of the areas that the council helps out big time. As for the other thing it can help out, I'll go back to my world of expertise, folk music, and give you a little example.

I was in Newfoundland about seven years ago producing an album for two traditional musicians from Newfoundland. They brought in a 70-year-old accordion player who blew me away. I'm a musician, and I've heard a lot of really good musicians, but this guy was incredible. He had never been recorded in his life, and everybody in St John's knew who he was. Outside of there, nobody knew who he was.

I wrote a letter to the Canada Council to say there's this fabulous musician in St John's, Newfoundland; he's 70 years old and carries a wealth of tradition with him--songs from all around the island. I told them I would like to be given a grant so we could record this guy. It wasn't a lot of money; I think it was $9,000 or something like that. We got the grant, and today, because of his CD, he's able to play at festivals in Winnipeg, the States, Quebec, etc. Before that nobody knew who he was. The man is a pure Canadian cultural treasure.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Schellenberger]

Thank you.

We'll move to Mr. Del Mastro for five minutes.

[Dean Del Mastro, Conservative, Peterborough, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I thank you, witnesses, for your dedication to what you do and for making Canada more culturally diverse. I think your contribution to the Canadian arts and culture scene is significant, and we appreciate it.

I guess I'm surprised by the tone of some of the comments. I was at the Canadian Country Music Awards at the end of August, and Heather Ostertag, who is a director of FACTOR, received a lifetime achievement award for her dedication to artists. We've seen a bit of a bashing session on FACTOR in our first two panels.

I think FACTOR does good work, and I'm proud of a lot of the investments they make. The $138 million we put into the Canada Music Fund, which is an extension and expansion of the program, and the extra $31 million annually, from $150 million to $181 million that we put in the Canada Council for the Arts, allows them to expand their specialized music funding, which so many of you have spoken about passionately, to now $9 million.

Perhaps what we're seeing is a knee-jerk reaction without an understanding of where things are going. I don't think what you're suggesting may happen is going to happen. I would suggest it's not happening or will not happen. What we've done is simplified and pointed the program.

We're going to hear a lot of witnesses. I said earlier that, not unlike other industries, there's no one view within the music industry as to what's going to make the Canadian music industry stronger, and we will hear divergent views.

I would suggest that all of you take a look at what the government has done. We have put an awful lot of money behind it and ultimately made substantial commitments with the investments we've made in the Canada Council and FACTOR. I look forward to hearing from FACTOR, because I want them to defend their record.

I'm sure you mean no offence, but I don't believe any music is disposable. I don't think there's any kind of music I don't like. I believe some of the biggest pop band acts will transcend generations, much like the Beatles, who are unquestionably a pop act. Their music will be around for hundreds of years. I think it's difficult to say what's disposable and what is not.

I want to thank each of you for your testimony here today.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Schellenberger]

Our time is up.

I thank our witnesses for being candid.

The meeting is adjourned.