Evidence of meeting #106 for Canadian Heritage in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was board.
A recording is available from Parliament.
President, Fédération culturelle canadienne-française
Let there be no mistake. The idea of establishing a francophone creative centre in St. Paul, Alberta, is not realistic. We have to think instead of mobile, social, and technological components.
Marie-Christine Morin Acting Executive Director, Fédération culturelle canadienne-française
This project also has a virtual aspect, namely, that these various creative centres will be connected across the country. We have heard—and Canadian Heritage officials also said this at the outset—that this aspect will be considered in the second or third phase.
In our opinion, given our situation, namely, that our communities are spread out, we have to consider this aspect very early in the process, if not right now. The virtual aspect, which connects people to the teams, will be crucial to the survival of the network of creative centres.
NDP
Pierre Nantel NDP Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC
Do all these small communities have good Internet service?
Acting Executive Director, Fédération culturelle canadienne-française
That is an excellent question and the answer is no.
Liberal
Liberal
Pierre Breton Liberal Shefford, QC
Thank you, Madam Chair.
I also want to thank all the witnesses for their passion and dedication to the arts and culture.
My first questions are for Mr. Théberge and Ms. Morin. They are related to what Ms. Franc said earlier about gathering data. Ms. Franc said she would like to have greater access to statistics.
That being said, Mr. Théberge and Ms. Morin, I am interested in the economic impact of cultural hubs and cultural districts.
Do you have any such data from the members you represent, whether they are rural, remote communities or urban communities?
I would like to hear your thoughts on that. We can then move on to the people from Calgary and to Ms. Franc.
President, Fédération culturelle canadienne-française
We do not have any specific data on the arts and culture in francophone communities in Canada. It is a specific niche of a target market and we do not have any tangible data. We are, however, preparing an exercise within our network to develop a profile of the needs and opportunities available to our communities in order to really stimulate our thinking on this issue.
Acting Executive Director, Fédération culturelle canadienne-française
I would also point out that, in general, the arts and culture sector accounts for about 3.1% of GDP, if memory serves, and about the same percentage of jobs. So the sector has a major economic impact and contributes to the development of our communities. There is no doubt that it is an economic driver.
I heard my colleague say earlier that, in addition to the events themselves, the whole community experiences and is supported by them: the population triples, and all the nearby businesses and citizens benefit from these events.
President, Fédération culturelle canadienne-française
My colleague just said that the sector accounts for 3.1% of GDP and, if memory serves, 3.4% of jobs in Canada. So those figures are roughly equivalent. I can confirm that and send you the information later on, but if memory serves, the arts and culture sector in Canada supports more jobs than aquaculture, agriculture, and the fishery combined. So the economic impact is significant, not to mention the volunteer and social component, and so on. Clearly, it has a real impact.
Liberal
Pierre Breton Liberal Shefford, QC
What you are saying is interesting and I think this message has be spread more broadly in order to better inform the public.
Ms. Franc, do you have something to add?
Executive Director, Canadian Association of Fairs and Exhibitions
The last study we completed was in 2008. We do know that nationally we contribute $1 billion to the Canadian economy. We contribute 10,700 jobs. The study was based on small, medium, and large fairs. The small fairs average a $750,000 impact on their local economies. So we do have significant impact, even in the smallest communities. As I said, though, that information is quite outdated, and we're looking for some help there.
Liberal
Pierre Breton Liberal Shefford, QC
Would our friends from Calgary like to add anything regarding the economic impact?
Chair, Board of Govenors, Rosebud School of the Arts
I can say that it's huge in our case, because the community obviously wouldn't exist without the arts. In our province, as an example, the top industry, of course, is the energy industry, followed by agriculture, and then by tourism and recreation. A huge component of tourism and recreation is directly associated with the arts.
We work co-operatively. I need to say we want our francophone friends to travel and be able to see what the offerings are, and I think we need to do the same. There's more rubber-tire tourism taking place now across our country. The agricultural fairs draw people into all of the communities throughout our area, and I know that we get spinoff from them and the people who come in. I know that many of the core services in those communities are supported by what happens with the fairs that take place in the different locations.
I think better coordination in the future is going to be extremely important to the survival of all of us. As I said, as far as the financial situation is concerned, our budget is just over $3 million. In our general community around us, I expect that the spinoff is probably 10 times that with the bed and breakfasts and the golf courses and the different things that people access when they come to see the different forms of art that are offered.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Arts Commons
Just in response to that question, if I may add, I did mention briefly that our annual economic impact, according to Deloitte, is $87 million, and that includes the direct, indirect, and induced impacts. But to support what Jack was saying, that's the measurable direct and indirect impact, and it supports 1,400 artists a year.
In terms of the indirect impact, would the absence of Arts Commons create a loss of more than $87 million way out on the edges, because of the impact on tourism and the economy in more general terms? I think the answer is definitely yes. So beyond just the measurable numbers, we're working hard in our industry and my field to try to figure out how we mention the SROI—the social impact, the social return on investment. That's something that I think is far bigger, and it touches on the elements Jack mentioned. It's not measurable in our field at this stage. We're working on ways to articulate that.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Julie Dabrusin
That brings us to the end of our hearings of witnesses for our cultural hubs study.
This is the last meeting in our study on cultural hubs and districts in Canada.
Many thanks to all the witnesses and to the members; it has been most interesting.
In the next few meetings, we will continue our study of gender parity on boards of directors.
Thank you very much.