Good afternoon.
My name is Jane Hargraft, and I'm the general manager of Opera Atelier, which is a $2.5-million opera company located in Toronto. It produces two operas per year and tours internationally every two to three years.
I'm joined by David Ferguson, who is the chair of the Canadian Opera Company, a $34-million company also located in Toronto that produces seven operas every year.
We are here as volunteers speaking to a brief submitted by our member associations. The executive director could not be here today. We will be speaking for opera companies large and small, composers, singers, directors, librettists, musicians, dancers, and audiences. We are all part of Canada's $46-billion creative economy.
On behalf of myself and Mr. Ferguson, I want to thank you for the opportunity to meet with you today.
Before we begin, we'd like to thank the Government of Canada for its sustained investment in arts and culture, including the recent permanent $30-million increase to the Canada Council for the Arts and the five-year renewal of important programs of support at Canadian Heritage.
We have three recommendations that are consistent with those of our colleagues in other performing arts sectors. The first is to increase the base budget of the Canada Council for the Arts by $120 million over three years. The second is to invest $25 million in a market development program. The third is to increase the federal tax credit to 39% for donations over $200 and under $10,000.