Thank you. It's such an important question.
I spent 13 years living in northern Ontario as an artist, and I have direct experience. I spent many years on the board, actually, of the East Coast Music Association. I was from away, but I somehow ended up on that board. I certainly spent a lot of time in different parts of eastern Canada and as a touring artist playing in very small communities across the land.
Organizations like the Canada Council for the Arts, when we're talking about the non-profit side of things, have a deep understanding of this and attempt to approach effectively some of the very unique, specialized needs of live music spaces in rural parts of Canada, but we need to go further in terms of connectivity. The cost of touring is exponential. You're less likely to attract artists because of the cost of getting to smaller places. Typically, we may see smaller budgets in smaller rural places as well.
It's a great opportunity, when we're thinking about the modernization of cultural policy, to understand those unique aspects and to consult with folks—artists, venues and festivals—on both the not-for-profit and commercial sides of that spectrum to understand those challenges and integrate their perspectives into future policy.