Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to inform the House that the Minister of Canadian Heritage has confirmed that the Government of Canada will continue to pursue its efforts in building the capacity of Canadian arts organizations through the renewal of the government's investment in arts and culture, known as “Tomorrow Starts Today”, in the new fiscal year. After just three years, we are seeing extremely positive results of this initiative.
Through this program, the government is awarding an amount exceeding $9 million this year to qualified arts organizations across the country, matching every dollar raised from the private sector and deposited into an endowment fund. In three years Canada will have invested more than $20 million for that purpose, which leveraged $26 million from the private sector.
Together we can ensure that the organizations that contribute so much to the cultural life of our communities have the means to continue to do so.