There are a couple of very good points to keep in mind about this. You are right that arts and culture will be part of the next road map. I can tell you that. It's a commitment I've made to communities around the country. I found when I did round tables across the country that when we added that fifth pillar into the road map, specifically with regard to arts and culture....
As a young anglophone British Columbian trying to learn French in B.C., I had difficulties because as soon as I left the classroom, everything was English. When you leave the classroom and you actually have French experiences in film and the performing arts and music and so on, those enrich your capacity, your understanding, and your ability to properly learn French and to have a proper context for it. Also better than that is being able to appreciate not just the French language but the French language within a Canadian context, a Canadian history context, whether of Acadians or Quebeckers or Franco-Manitobans, people who are proud of the French fact and proud of the French fact within their context. Expressing that in a cultural way is very important.
So to your first point, yes, arts and culture will be part of the next road map as well, and those investments were really important. I've heard again and again that thevitrines musicales was a very popular component.
Mr. Chair, I know I have to move on, but this is an important part. The second part deals with funding of anglophone arts and culture in the province of Quebec. This is a concern that has been raised again and again. It's not just something we as a government are aware of and try to support and appreciate in our own funding models within the Department of Heritage. Obviously, we try to have an open application process for people to apply for funding. It's also an important component of the Canada Council for the Arts as well.
As you know, the Canada Council receives $181 million a year from the Government of Canada, but we need to make sure that all of our cultural organizations are open to people receiving money for the first time. Very often, cultural organizations from the Government of Canada and the provinces get entrenched in giving the money to the people who have always received the money and do not tweak terms and conditions in order to open things up so that new entrants in the cultural marketplace have access to funding for the first time. We have to make sure there's that rejuvenation of our ability to provide funds to cultural organizations that are often just starting up.
In the province of Quebec, I have to say, there has been a push in order for the Government of Canada to have an agreement with the Province of Quebec to just give the Province of Quebec money. I have a problem with that, because I don't think the diversity of voices in the cultural communities will get a fair hearing and access to funding if the Government of Canada is not there to ensure that fair access.