Thank you.
My name is Shannon Litzenberger and I'm a contemporary dance artist and the executive director of the Canadian Dance Assembly. We're the national association representing Canada's professional dance sector, and we're also a founding member of the Performing Arts Alliance and a member of the Canadian Arts Coalition.
In the 2009 economic action plan, the arts and culture sector was identified as a key sector—along with forestry, agriculture, the auto sector, and others—recognized as playing a significant role in stimulating the economy. The arts and culture sector contributes $46 billion directly to Canada's GDP and generates approximately $25 billion in taxes for all levels of government, which is more than three times higher than the $7.9 billion that is invested at all levels. Despite economic challenges faced by all sectors at this moment, the cultural sector remains a growth market with substantive potential for further expansion.
As the face of Canada's population evolves, so too does the richness and diversity of our cultural expression. The cultural work force has grown by over 30% in the last decade and now represents 7.1% of Canada's total employment. Cultural workers are typically self-employed, have relatively low earnings, are highly educated, and are exceptionally talented. Indeed, cultural workers are leading Canada into the new credo of knowledge-based economy. While the cultural sector plays a critical role in Canada's economic, social, and creative vitality, the Government of Canada also plays a critical role in ensuring that artists and arts organizations can create, produce, and disseminate their work for the benefit of all Canadians.
On behalf of my colleagues in dance and in the performing arts, I'd like to congratulate the government for recognizing this role and putting into action several investment measures that have assisted a number of dance and arts organizations to remain vital during the economic downturn.
Today there are three recommendations I wish to make that I believe will significantly improve the impact and effectiveness of overall federal investment in the arts. These recommendations are modest given our economic climate and represent about one-twentieth of 1% of federal spending, or less than $5 per Canadian.
The first is to increase investment to the Canada Council for the Arts to $300 million over three years. The work of artists and arts organizations contributes immensely to the economic, social, and creative vitality of communities in every riding. In 2008-09, the Canada Council invested $158 million in more than 4,400 artists and arts organizations whose work reached 689 communities across the country. The impact of the council's work is unmatched. It fuels the market with excellent artistic products by supporting artists and arts organizations in the creation, production, and dissemination of meaningful and engaging work.
New investment will enable it to give attention to critical priorities, including increasing artistic activity across regions, nurturing new generations of artists and arts organizations, and responding to the explosion of new forms of practice that have emerged from an evolving Canadian social and multicultural identity over the past two decades. Furthermore, increased investment will ensure that as our economy recovers, the arts remain a public good available not only to the rich but to all Canadians regardless of their socio-economic status.
The second recommendation is connecting Canada's outstanding cultural product to local and global markets by investing $25 million in a new market access and development fund. Today Canadians seek better access to exhibitions and productions from across the country and expect to see them at home in their own galleries, museums, theatres, and concert halls. With Canada's relatively small population base spread across vast territory, arts organizations require support to reach beyond their local markets, making their work accessible to markets from coast to coast to coast. The new market access and development fund will ensure that Canadian communities of all backgrounds will have the opportunities to participate in and benefit from the broadest possible range of artistic experiences.
Equally, Canada's cultural product is in high demand around the globe, a testament to the exceptional talent of Canadian artists. For many dance and arts organizations, international export is a vital component of a sound business strategy that ensures investment made in the creation and production of Canadian works will leverage revenue returns through business development in foreign markets.
My last recommendation is increasing the tax credit to 39% on gifts between $200 and $10,000 to stimulate the flow of charitable gifts from middle-income Canadians. In the performing arts sector, the economic slowdown has resulted in lost revenues from diminished corporate investments and endowments. A full 53% of Canadians report that they would give more to charitable causes if a better tax credit were in place.
The Government of Canada has already taken steps towards supporting a continuum of arts and cultural activities that includes the creation and production of art, public access to Canada’s artistic products, organizational health and sustainability, the development and preservation of physical infrastructure, and arts training. Together with existing investments, targeting arts spending in these three recommended areas will maximize the social and economic impact of public contributions to the arts and culture sector for the benefit of all Canadians. Canadian artists and arts organizations are playing an important role in Canadian society. They contribute significantly to Canada’s economic recovery. We are eager to do more in partnership with the Government of Canada.
Thank you.