Evidence of meeting #163 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.
Conservative
Martin Shields Conservative Bow River, AB
I've raised before that I don't see Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver wanting to give up some of their money either.
Executive Director, Decidedly Jazz Danceworks
Even for institutions that were founded in Alberta in the Lougheed years, when they got into the operating stream—and that's kind of grandfathered because it's hard for funders to take money away—there's just no room to nurture new organizations and new artists because there hasn't been a growth in funding.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Julie Dabrusin
We're going to have to leave it there.
Thank you very much.
We'll now give the floor to Mr. Nantel for five minutes.
NDP
Pierre Nantel NDP Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC
Thank you, Madam Chair.
I want to thank all the witnesses.
Ms. Sundstrom, thank you for your expertise and objectivity.
Mr. Shields, I completely share your concerns about the distribution of funding and how the distribution can be interpreted. The Canada Council for the Arts obviously appears to be providing less money to Alberta. However, it seems that this outcome is the result of various factors. Ms. Sundstrom tried to explain it properly. I'm pleased about this, because I honestly feel uncomfortable with the fact that we're taking advantage of the presence of witnesses in this study to build a case regarding the lack of funding in Alberta. I hope that Mr. Boissonnault and I can talk about this again in a few years.
The figures show that the Canada Council for the Arts gives less money to Alberta. However, I believe that there are reasons for this. We certainly have some issues to resolve, but I think we were a little overzealous.
Thank you, Ms. Sundstrom.
Mr. Jain and Mr. Lightwala, I hope to have the opportunity to speak to you, because I completely share Mr. Shields' enthusiasm for your analysis. I think that you perfectly described the modernity that we should aspire to. You're right to say that this model is Eurocentric. I'm pleased to see that the council has made the necessary adjustments.
I'll now turn to the representatives of the Fédération culturelle canadienne-française.
I realize that we don't want to rob Peter to pay Paul. We should be able to trust that the size of the budget allocated to the council will support new theatrical traditions in Canada, such as the pieces presented by Mr. Lightwala and Mr. Jain.
I'm also grateful to you for clearly reminding us that if artists exhibit their work in a cultural centre that operates as a non-profit organization, it's not because the artists aren't good enough for a professional centre. Instead, the location is the only place in their community where they can exhibit their work. I found that you qualified your assertions.
That said, are you saying that you should have had more support? Do you feel that you received better or worse service in the past? Do the recent structural changes in the council seem promising to you? If not, what are your specific concerns?
President, Fédération culturelle canadienne-française
We're asking the Canada Council for the Arts to show strong leadership with respect to francophone minority communities. There used to be systemic issues. These issues still exist, despite the increase in funding, and they must be resolved. The council must show leadership.
Artists shouldn't automatically be considered non-professional, and therefore not eligible for funding, simply because they organize their exhibitions or perform in community halls. For example, artists from Chéticamp exhibit their work at Les Trois Pignons or in the school-community centre because these places are the only venues available. Even though the location is an NPO or a community hall, these rooms are still professional venues. The fact that artists exhibit their work at these places doesn't make them non-professionals and doesn't justify the denial of grants. This is just a community reality, but it isn't being taken into consideration at this time. That's what we're saying.
NDP
Pierre Nantel NDP Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC
Mr. Prescott, do you share that opinion? I imagine that your community doesn't have festivals the size of the event at Massey Theatre, does it?
Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director, Yukon Arts Centre
There are a number of festivals.
I still come back to the idea that a lot of the funding design of the Canada Council would change if they were on the ground in some of these areas and these regions. Being here physically and talking to people really does affect how you design your programming. With no disrespect to Ottawa, but when you're in downtown Ottawa, it's very hard to really meet and....
In the Yukon, it's an enormous territory. There are people in very tiny communities, but they're very vibrant and they have lots of artistic ambition. The council does not get to them. That's what I'm very much advocating for.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Julie Dabrusin
I want to thank all the witnesses.
It has been an interesting study.
I know that all of the members had the opportunity to put forward witness names, and we've had some diverse perspectives on how the Canada Council works. I appreciate that.
We are going to suspend briefly, because we will be moving in camera.
[Proceedings continue in camera]