Canadian Heritage Committee on May 16th, 2019

[Simon Brault]

Absolutely. Any time. I went already—

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

I'll be there like a bridge. I will be there as a bridge to the Alberta community.

[Simon Brault]

I will, with great pleasure.

You know what? I did that already.

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

In Edmonton?

[Simon Brault]

No. I did Calgary the last time, because I was going to Banff, but I will do it in Edmonton any time.

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

It's a standing invitation. Let's go and listen to the community.

[Simon Brault]

Sure.

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

My pen is down, so the arms are down. If the pen's out of my hand, then I'm all good. It's like scaling Mount Olympus. That is what Alberta artists and...

Mr. Brault, I lived with my first partner

for seven years. He paints like Michelangelo. He sculpts like Rodin. He tried for eight years and failed every time. He made multiple attempts at grants every year—fail, fail, fail.

Then at his last, last, last attempt for the Winter Olympics, he decided to take an Olympic idea but made it a hockey player, naked. He called it Slapshotolus, and he was able to get an $80,000 grant from the Canada Council for the Arts, but that was after 10 years of trying.

Stewart Lemoine has 72 Canadian plays, 10 Sterling Awards, and the Tommy Banks Award. After 11 years of trying, he stopped trying to get funding from CCA.

I understand the machinery. I understand that 66% of the jurors are from Ontario and Quebec and five are from Alberta, and that's going to build in some inherent bias, but let's figure out what the mechanics are so we can get this addressed.

[Simon Brault]

You know what? What was before my time I cannot change.

I'm telling you—and I've spent all my life in this sector—we are doing everything in the world to be fair and to be transparent. I'm working on this question of juries. I also realize that sometimes when I have Alberta jurists, they are tougher on Alberta than others—

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Then let's get into that. It's a good thing to observe. I agree.

[Simon Brault]

What I'm saying is that there is no simple solution.

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

I agree.

[Simon Brault]

It's a systematic approach. I think that what we are doing right now in terms of where we put the money, in terms of outreach in Alberta and in terms of inviting the artists, with the success rate that I mentioned.... It's not a joke. One out of two is quite good, because you also need quality. I think we are doing the right thing, and I think it has already produced, as I told you, a 10% increase in terms of success in Alberta over three years. That's quite good.

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

I will say that's a step in the right direction.

[Simon Brault]

Your life will probably be longer than mine, so you will see the change.

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Let's work together.

[Simon Brault]

Absolutely.

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

I'm happy to extend the hand of friendship so that we can get this for Alberta artists.

[Simon Brault]

Absolutely, I'll be there with great pleasure.

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Go ahead.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

You have 10 seconds left, Mr. Hogg.

[Gordie Hogg, Liberal, South Surrey—White Rock, BC]

You made reference to 67% that was core funding before, and now that's down to 50%.

[Simon Brault]

Yes.

[Gordie Hogg, Liberal, South Surrey—White Rock, BC]

You've reduced your number of programs from 150 to six. Is that correct?

[Simon Brault]

Yes.