Madam Speaker, it might surprise members to hear me speak on Motion M-293 today because I am the Bloc critic on citizenship, immigration and the status of persons with disabilities.
Obviously, we all have favourite subjects. To some extent, we are all critics at heart when it comes to our special interests. Some people are passionate about sports, recreation, science or technology. In my case, it is health and culture. My past experience in health care explains my interest in the former, and my passion for arts and culture justifies my special love for the latter. Today, I want to talk about culture.
I want to congratulate the hon. member for Dartmouth for having drawn the attention of the House to the important issue of supporting artists and various cultural stakeholders.
The motion before us today states:
That, in the opinion of this House, the government should celebrate and encourage Canada's magnificent and diverse culture by changing the Income Tax Act to exempt creative and interpretive artists from paying income tax on a percentage of income derived from copyright, neighbouring rights, and/or other income derived from the sale of any creative work.
Before I continue, I want to clarify that my hon. colleague for Drummond has moved an amendment to replace the word “Canada's” with the word “a”. Later, I will talk about what this means.
The Bloc Quebecois will be pleased to vote in favour of the motion by the hon. member from the NDP. Once again, this demonstrates our support for artists and creators.
There is an obvious paradox between our daily lives, the place of culture in our lives and the status of artists. Who does not have at home books that make for a good read from time to time, to escape into another world, either real or fantasy, leaving behind the hustle and bustle of everyday life? Who does not watch television or videos once in a while? How many people enjoy a night out at the theatre or at a concert? How many CDs do you have in your collection at home—and I hope there are more real ones than illegal copies? This goes to show that culture is an integral part of our way of life, our reality, and wherever we turn, whatever we do, it never leaves anyone indifferent.
What about the individuals in the many professions in the cultural sector, though? What about the artists in particular, who are self-employed for the most part? If culture is everywhere and we consume culture daily, does this make artists some of the wealthiest members of our society? With the exception of a few comedians, singers and actors, the majority are very badly off, financially speaking.
Given this situation, are we unable to change anything? Some thought has to be given to this by both individuals and lawmakers. Allow me first to call on individuals. Our artists are not poor only because of a limited market or greedy production company agents.
I would be curious to know how many illegal copies of CDs we could collect if we searched every household in Quebec and Canada. How can one claim to appreciate the work of an artist, but not feel it is worth paying $20 or $25 to buy the CD and listen to the music or songs performed as often as we want to? Copying an artist's work without paying is disrespectful, ungrateful and unfair. We have a collective responsibility to prevent artists from being robbed, and robbery must not be trivialized “because everyone is doing it”, as some put it.
What can the lawmakers do? Of course, we have a responsibility to creators and performers. We cannot ignore the fact that most often they are financially hard up,if not living below the poverty line.
Moreover, they are often self-employed, which means they cannot receive certain benefits provided for in the Labour Code.
Looking at various factors that influence an artist's work and living conditions, there is no doubt that positive government action is essential.
In Quebec—this will come as no surprise—we already have provisions similar to those in Motion No. 293. At first artists were eligible for an annual exemption on copyright revenues based on a sliding scale up to $30,000. This has now been raised to $60,000.
Except in cases when artists enjoy a resounding success, it is difficult for them to predict what their future will hold and what their tax return will look like the following year. In this case, the past is not necessarily an indication of what the future will be like.
The Canadian Conference of the Arts, or the CCA, has been asking for tax breaks on copyright revenues for a long time. In its budget proposal to the finance committee in September 2002, the CCA asked for a tax exemption equivalent to the one granted in Quebec. To that effect, recommendations 3 and 4 stipulate:
That the government of Canada give serious consideration to supporting Canada’s professional artists and creators, the cornerstone of Canada’s cultural industries and institutions, by exempting up to $60,000 of annual copyright income.
That, following the implementation of the above-mentioned tax exemption on copyright income, the government of Canada give serious consideration to extending such an exemption to apply to up to $60,000 per annum of all artistic income.
Since there is no question of the legitimacy of these demands, and since artists deserve additional government support, at least through tax measures encouraging their artistic endeavours, we support the motion of the member for Dartmouth.
As I have already said, a motion in amendment has been submitted by my colleague from Drummond, seconded by the member for Matapédia—Matane. It reads:
That the motion beamended by replacing the word “Canada's” with the word “a”.
I m sure that you will not see this as an undisguised attempt at trouble-making or petty politics. On the contrary, we want to make this motion into a more inclusive parliamentary initiative, one that better reflects the reality of the culture of this vast territory north of the American border.
By deleting the word “Canada's”, we are acknowledging that there are different cultures within this vast country, and that all deserve the same recognition by the federal government. To name but a few: the Quebec culture, the English Canadian culture, the French Canadian culture, and those of the aboriginal, Acadian and immigrant communities.
In closing, I raise my hat to all those who, day in and day out, bring colour to our lives through their cultural creations. Thanks to them, our lives are touched by imagination and fantasy. Often the ups and downs of life seem more bearable when our spirits can soar with the help of music, poetry or a good book.
As André Malraux put it:
The entire history of art, of genius, should be a history of deliverance: for history strives to transform destiny into awareness, while art strives to transform it into freedom.
That freedom is what I wish for all the artists and other creative members of our society.