Evidence of meeting #162 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 council.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Artistic Director and Co-General Manager, L’UniThéâtre
Yes. In 2013, that amount was increased to $70,000. It was then reduced to $65,000, and then to $63,000 in 2015.
Artistic Director and Co-General Manager, L’UniThéâtre
Yes, that's right. We will submit a multi-year funding application in October.
Liberal
Pierre Breton Liberal Shefford, QC
Okay.
You are a francophone organization in Alberta. So you are in a minority situation. Are you facing additional challenges as far as the Canada Council for the Arts is concerned?
Liberal
Pierre Breton Liberal Shefford, QC
What is the procedure like?
Ms. Petrov, I will have the same question for you.
Artistic Director and Co-General Manager, L’UniThéâtre
Our organization must have a presence across the province, but we find it very difficult to serve all the regions of Alberta. It is very costly to go to the regions if we take into consideration transportation, accommodations and talent fees we pay our artists for their work. However, we strongly believe in that part of our activities and we have once again started to provide workshops in schools to be able to remain in touch with all those people.
It is certain that an increase in subsidies from the Council for the Arts would facilitate that kind of work. It would enable us to go on tour with our creations. We were actually planning an Albertan tour with our production of La fille du facteur. That is a play by Josée Thibeault, who has been living in Alberta for 25 years and is a very successful local writer.
Liberal
Pierre Breton Liberal Shefford, QC
I have a question that is not related to the Canada Council for the Arts.
As you are in a minority situation, I assume that you are entitled to subsidies through funding initiatives supporting official languages. Are you involved with those programs?
Artistic Director and Co-General Manager, L’UniThéâtre
Yes, but it depends on the projects.
Last year, we submitted a request to the Canada Council for the Arts for translation of plays and surtitling. All our productions for the general public are surtitled to make them accessible to as many people as possible.
Liberal
Pierre Breton Liberal Shefford, QC
So you are making requests for funding under initiatives supporting official languages, including for your translations, right?
Artistic Director and Co-General Manager, L’UniThéâtre
Yes, to the Canada Council for the Arts.
Liberal
Pierre Breton Liberal Shefford, QC
Very well.
Ms. Petrov, did I understand correctly that you have worked in three different provinces?
President and Chief Executive Officer, Winspear Centre
I am now actually at five: Quebec, New Brunswick, Ontario, since I worked in Ottawa, Manitoba, when I was in Winnipeg, and now Alberta, in Edmonton.
Liberal
Pierre Breton Liberal Shefford, QC
My question is pretty simple.
When it comes to the Canada Council for the Arts, have you noted any differences in terms of the process or the funding across the various provinces where you have worked?
President and Chief Executive Officer, Winspear Centre
That is a very good question, as the situation is complicated.
May I answer in English?
President and Chief Executive Officer, Winspear Centre
Just to make sure the focus stays on the fact that it's really about inequity, suffice it to say that what the Canada Council does in this country is exceptional. It's extraordinary because for me, it's a Canadian priority to make sure that we understand that the arts speak for our culture, and it's one of the best ways that we can get the word out of what it means to be Canadian.
As you can see, I have several years of experience. I've been working in the arts field for almost four decades and it is fascinating to see the importance that the arts play in this. As far as Canada Council goes, its work in the country is incredibly important, but over the years, I have seen a change. Part of it is just as a result of its own success now becoming its downfall. In other words, in the day when the focus was really on artistic excellence, I got it. That was important and there were a lot of great things that happened in the seventies, eighties, and nineties. But the thing is now there isn't an amount of resources that you require to become artistically excellent. When you don't have the resources, you can't advance your artistic excellence. Those provinces that have less continue to get less, and those provinces that have more continue to get more because they're able to invest in their art.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Julie Dabrusin
I will have to cut you off there because you're well over time.
We'll now go to Mr. Shields.
Conservative
Martin Shields Conservative Bow River, AB
Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you to the witnesses for being here today.
It's very interesting. It's great to hear from Theatre Calgary. The Arts Commons in Calgary is a great experience in the sense of what you've developed in the arts community with the theatre and galleries in that area. I think it's an excellent promotion of that.
I have a question for the witness from the Winspear Centre. You talked about a conversation you had. What was that conversation with regard to the lack of applications?
President and Chief Executive Officer, Winspear Centre
Do you mean when I was sitting on a jury, for example, at the Canada Council? Is that what you're referring to?
Conservative
Martin Shields Conservative Bow River, AB
You referred to a conversation, but you didn't say what the conversation was. You mentioned all the applications from various places—
President and Chief Executive Officer, Winspear Centre
Right. I've been happy to sit on juries at Canada Council over the years. There is a palpable difference at the jury table when, with the applications you receive, you see the disparity in the country by the volume of the applications and the quality of the applications that are submitted.
Conservative
President and Chief Executive Officer, Winspear Centre
Then as a representative in my case, because I represent some more of the minority provinces, I speak up, and then that works. Then I'm able to bring a voice to the discussion that brings balance to the conversation. The challenge, as you can appreciate, is that at the jury as well you have a high preponderance of representatives from the Quebec and Ontario areas just because that's where the larger population exists.