Thank you, Chair.
I've heard some great quotes in the last 30 minutes or so: a new level of confidence in this country is a good way of looking at it; festivals and events can be a catalyst to discovering your own country; community engagement; the seeds of 2017 could certainly create infrastructure and create legacies that will be longstanding and very beneficial.
Thank you for that.
As a committee, I think our job is to provide the government with a study, with some ideas of how we can celebrate who we are at 150. This is such a broad thing to look at, whether it's sports or, in this case, arts.
First and foremost, as a catalyst, I think FAME is a fantastic organization. I've met with several of you in the past, and I find it's a great opportunity for decision-makers to sit down and flesh out some of these themes that I talked about.
But when it comes to, let's say, the MTEP, which is a very popular program...when we look at specific recommendations to the government and how we access government funds to promote this idea, I have no doubt there is going to be some type of fund you can take advantage of for Canada 150 and whatever theme there may be.
Where does the thrust of that funding go to? I know that's a hard question to answer because we're several years away, but give us an idea of where this funding works.
You talked about marketing, about infrastructure, bricks and mortar—the building itself. Do you put money into promoting your festival that people across the country can go to see, or do you take this festival and put it on the road, similar to what the Discovery Train was back in 1967?
I don't know where to start on this one...maybe I'll go from east to west. I'll start with Ms. Gaffney and then Ms. Price, and then to our guests on video conference.