Canada had already distinguished itself from some other countries. When we went on tour with our show about war, entitled Leitmotiv, we made a stop in Russia. We gave a performance in Russian, because we like the challenge of performing in the language of the country. We were the first Canadian company to play in Nijni Novgorod. The only foreign companies who have performed there previously were French companies, for the very simple reason that France pays all the expenses, believing that this is a way to extend the influence of French culture.
In our case, we have been paid fees both in Russia and China. Although it may seem perfectly normal to be paid fees in China, even though it is common for artists to be provided food and accommodation, they were not necessarily paid a performance fee. That ideologic threshold had not been crossed. So, we were paid a performance fee, but international transportation fees were covered by Foreign Affairs, as is the case in other countries.