Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you to the finance committee for inviting the Canadian Museums Association to provide our views and recommendations for the 2007 budget. My name is Cal White and I'm president of the Canadian Museums Association, and I'm joined by executive director, John McAvity.
I had some speaking notes prepared for today, but I've thrown those out, given the results of yesterday's announced cuts. We were surprised by the federal cutback in the amount of $4.6 million to the museums assistance program, which was announced yesterday. We were surprised because this committee has consistently called for stable, long-term funding for Canadian museums in general and for the museums assistance program specifically. In the recent election campaign, all the political parties supported the development of a new museum policy, including the Conservative Party, which committed in writing to develop a new policy.
The Auditor General of Canada has called on the federal government to invest in its heritage programs. The provincial and territorial ministers of heritage have unanimously supported the development of a new policy. The CMA has been pleased to appear before this committee in years past, and we have been pleased that the committee has supported our recommendations, but we wonder what value comes from it when its recommendations are not taken seriously. The CMA has called consistently for a new museum policy to replace the outdated policy of the 1980s. Just last week, after studying museum issues in the spring, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Heritage released its report calling on the government to implement the new museums policy as soon as possible.
The reality facing Canadian museums is that public financial support, currently operating at 1972 funding levels, has not kept pace with rising costs. In recent years, museums have been diligent about decreasing the reliance on public funding; however, many still face critical shortfalls. When coupled with rising costs and a challenging operating environment, we're at a point today where many museums are unable to properly maintain facilities or preserve and display collections. One of the biggest challenges we face with the current outdated museum policy is the limited scope of one-year project funding. If we were to move to multi-year investments, it would enable museums to plan their development, research, and programming initiatives. This would result in better services, information, and programs for Canadians.
I'd like to make a couple of points about what museums contribute to the lives of Canadians and to our communities.
Culture plays an important role in the quality of Canada's community life. It is widely recognized that these quality-of-life factors directly affect decisions of businesses and individuals looking to relocate or invest. A creative and vibrant community attracts and retains talented people, and businesses want to go where talented people go, resulting in greater business investment. Museums are sources of inspiration, innovation, and knowledge creation. They create opportunities for lifelong learning for all of us: our children, our youth, new Canadians.
Museums contribute to building a strong national identity and secure for Canada a role of pride and influence in the world. We think of this international profile building in terms of our creative economy. Museums are a leading force in Canada's tourism promotion strategy, and, today, 60% of international tourists visit a Canadian museum during their stay. As a result, there is an economic spinoff from the cultural and museum sector, which helps to create employment in complementary sectors of regional economies, including tourism, hospitality, transportation, printing, and many more. Ensuring viable and strong cultural institutions is an investment that drives future investment.
So in conclusion, Mr. Chairman, our recommendations to the committee remain the same. One, it is now more critical than ever that the government make the new museum policy a priority and introduce it at the earliest opportunity. Second, we recommend that the committee support the need for more robust, predictable, long-term funding for national and community-based Canadian museums.