Thank you for inviting me to speak today.
Today, in representing the Canadian Association of Fairs and Exhibitions, I am representing 800 fairs, exhibitions, and agricultural societies across Canada, from the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto right down to the one-day Havelock Fair in Quebec. Together, in total, we see about 35 million visitors each year.
Fairs are living reflections of the life and times around them. They hold deep cultural, traditional, and emotional connections to the people of their local area and embody a sense of community.
In fact, there are several examples of fairs that are older than Canada itself. There's the Hants County Exhibition in Nova Scotia, which is 252 years old. We also have the Williamstown Fair in Ontario, which is 206 years old, and the Lachute Fair in Quebec, which is 193 years old.
I highlight this point, because in a nation so young it can sometimes be hard to identify what is truly Canadian. We identify ourselves with our Tim Hortons, our diversity, our manners, and our hockey, but that just scratches the surface of our culture.
Fairs are institutions that have grown with their communities over decades of progress and development. I would therefore argue that fairs are one of the first cultural hubs to exist in Canada and one of the best reflections of Canadian culture. Our culture is shared in our collective history, but also in our evolving stories and values. In a short time in even the smallest rural community, we make a significant impact. Our fairs showcase local arts and entertainment, we educate the population on all sorts of topics, and we are also one of the few social gathering places that reflect the diversity of Canadians through the visitors, the food selections, and even the activities we bring to the table.
For example, this year the CNE has developed a unique program entitled “The Silk Road to the CNE” that will celebrate the cultures of the ancient trading route established by Marco Polo. They will feature the world's largest indoor lantern festival, showcasing characters from fables and children's stories from these countries. They will also have cultural cuisine, performing artists, and an Asian night market, as well as hosting a three-day business forum emphasizing global trade, with a particular emphasis on exporting to China.
In Winnipeg, the Red River Exhibition has made significant strides in engaging newcomers by specifically inviting them to the event and allowing them to picnic on site so that they feel welcome.
Several of you may have fairs in your own constituencies, so I am confident you understand what I am referring to when I speak to the vibrancy of these events. If you don't, I strongly encourage you to visit a fair this summer, because one of the best representations of our events is to experience them first-hand.
Our struggle, however, is that we are not often recognized as a cultural hub, so my main recommendation today is that the Department of Canadian Heritage actively recognize fairs and exhibitions as cultural hubs.
Arts equals culture, but culture does not exclusively equal arts. Culture is tradition, arts, and heritage—fundamentally, a broad and true representation of society. Cultural hubs are both permanent and temporary locations that reflect society. Fairs, therefore, are the perfect example.
In terms of how the government can help cultural hubs, I've been listening over the past few weeks to other witnesses, and I strongly agree with many of their points, including the ever-popular need for operational funding, the need to educate boards and volunteers, and the need for more flexibility in the language when it comes to granting and funding opportunities.
To that third example, there is funding specific to festivals. However, many of my members do not qualify because of the language used or the restrictions in place. Another great example is the Canada 150 funding. Several of my members applied for funding and didn't receive any, due in large part to the fact that they were considered an agricultural fair rather than a cultural event. As I have explained, we are much more than that one-dimensional agricultural fair.
My final recommendation is that the government help fairs and exhibitions by assisting us with collecting data about our events. This applies to cultural hubs as well. We were fortunate enough to have a funded study completed in 2008, but that information is now considered significantly outdated. A new study would help us defend our influence and impact. The 2008 study showed, for example, that 89% of fair visitors agree that fairs are a major social gathering for the community, 94% agree that events like these are important to Canadian traditions, and 88% agree that these events enhance the quality of life for people in the regions. These numbers have been extremely useful to us, but I'm confident they've increased, as too have the numbers of volunteers who have been engaged and our economic impact.
Overall, I commend the committee for taking on this study, as it is such an integral part of Canadian society. As one of the oldest and most modern cultural hubs in Canada, we at CAFE look forward to working with you throughout this process.
Thank you.