Evidence of meeting #31 for Canadian Heritage in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was music.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Conservative
Terence Young Conservative Oakville, ON
No? I thought you might be like the Justin Bieber of fiddling.
Conservative
Terence Young Conservative Oakville, ON
I know you have a brilliant future, so thanks again for playing for us today.
Mr. Sheppard, can you estimate—or maybe you know—how many festivals and competitions there are for fiddling music across Canada in a year? Do you have any idea how many people might attend all these events?
Vice-President, Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Association
I'll just look at five. I'm adding up for five festivals right now, and I'm seeing 10,000 in that number. If you add up the smaller ones that I'm aware of across the country, you can add on, let's say, 40,000 or 50,000 people who will attend these across Canada in a year. That doesn't include the cross-border component. There is also an exportation of fiddlers to play in festivals in the U.S. as well. So you're seeing a lot of people in a lot of locations who take part in these festivals, but there's not only the festivals themselves. The fiddle music is an essential part of a festival, but there's also the spinoff effect, what goes on elsewhere in the communities. As I mentioned, there are the bus tours and the hotel rooms.
When I lived on the east coast in New Brunswick, every second Saturday throughout this time of year, you would have a community fiddle do, and people would go from one to the other. You would probably be in Saint-Antoine on one Saturday, Sussex the next Saturday, and up in Plaster Rock or somewhere like that the following Saturday.
All these people moved around, and they kept it alive, but the advantage there is that it's spread by word of mouth.
What we see this bill doing is creating a point of reference, a focal point.
Conservative
Terence Young Conservative Oakville, ON
That makes perfect sense. Thank you.
Thank you, Chair. Mr. Dykstra wants to ask a question.
Conservative
Rick Dykstra Conservative St. Catharines, ON
Thank you. Alexander, thanks for being here this afternoon.
You are still growing up, and I have had the pleasure of watching you learn how to play this instrument from a very young age, and I know how much it means to you and to your family.
The tradition of maintaining that in Canada is critical. Part of the preamble of the bill really talks about the art of fiddle playing having a significant role in the culture and social history of Canada, and it being practised in all the regions of our country.
I thought perhaps from your perspective and your vantage point, you could fill us in on why you think the fiddle and Canada mean so much to each other, and why it's an art we should continue to, obviously, showcase to the world, and why it's important for young people especially to learn this art and to keep this Canadian tradition alive.
Musician, As an Individual
When the pioneers came over on the ships to settle the Americas, they didn't really have access to Mozart, and Bach, and Beethoven, composers of the time, per se so they created their own music, which is Canadian. Right now it's played all over the world.
It really is our music. It isn't written by anyone in Europe. So it's very important to keep the tradition of our music going, because it was written around the time we became a nation.
Conservative
Rick Dykstra Conservative St. Catharines, ON
Thanks.
It's the age-old question: what's the difference between a fiddle and a violin?
Musician, As an Individual
It's how you play it. They're the exact same instrument. It's just the style you play.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gord Brown
Thank you very much, Mr. Dykstra.
Mr. Nantel, you have five minutes.
NDP
Pierre Nantel NDP Longueuil—Pierre-Boucher, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. George, let me tell you that you have written a page in history by playing the fiddle right here. You turned yourself into a fiddler before the committee. I think that represents just how relevant it is to highlight the work and tradition of fiddlers and the fiddle.
In these meetings, which are very political and often very partisan by nature, we parliamentarians don't often leave saying that we had a good time and that we were happy to hear a young boy play the fiddle. This has brought us closer together. We all share these roots, that is part of our Canadian fabric, of our origins. I don't think we can be against it, we can't be against virtue. This is a good idea.
If I remember correctly, the date that was chosen was Mr. Stradivari's birthday. What is that date exactly?
Vice-President, Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Association
Yes. The day identified is May 17. That's the third Saturday in May. The World Fiddle Day people identified that day as the date of the death of Stradivari because they did not know his date of birth.
Vice-President, Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Association
So they've identified it.
NDP
Pierre Nantel NDP Longueuil—Pierre-Boucher, QC
Thank you. It was a tough question.
It was a trick question.
I'm sorry about that.
Mr. Sheppard, I would like to ask you the following question.
I think we all find this very pleasant. It is like choosing a frame for a wonderful photograph to hang it up properly on the wall. The art of fiddlers and traditional music makes perfect sense. Recognizing this day is like providing a frame, making it official, which is wonderful. In your view, how will the association and the fiddlers celebrate the day?
We are also talking about highlighting an event or a discipline such as yours. Have you had the opportunity to submit something for Canada's 150th anniversary?
Liberal
NDP
Pierre Nantel NDP Longueuil—Pierre-Boucher, QC
Yes, I apologize, Mr. Dion is quite right; it is the 150th anniversary of Confederation.
Vice-President, Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Association
I think I hear three questions there. I'll take them in order.
Number one, how do I see this day helping fiddlers across the country? I'll use an example. Last year on World Fiddle Day, through our board of directors, we contacted people and asked if there was anything going on in their areas with respect to World Fiddle Day. We said to let us know if there was and to send us a picture, a video, or a clip. I also sent the request to some of my colleagues in the United States.
In actual fact, by mentioning it, we actually got attention in—without checking the record—at least five provinces, an immediate record. Winnipeg, Manitoba had a huge event. Alberta had one, and Ontario did for sure. Also, two locations in the United States submitted their videos to us. That is without the benefit of national fiddling day. Having that focus would allow us to expand the awareness amongst our own people. It would also allow us to capitalize on the event as a major proponent of an event to advance fiddling across the country in its many forms. I think we need to not lose sight of the fact that this is community driven, in large part, and the other thing is that we need to preserve the identities of these forms.
That answers those two questions.
On the last one, with the 150th, that's how far away now? About one year?
