Debates of April 27th, 2006

Canada Elections Act

[Rob Nicholson, Conservative, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform]

Mr. Speaker, there have been consultations and I believe you would find unanimous consent for the following motion. I move:

That Bill C-4, An Act to amend an act to amend the Canada Elections Act and the Income Tax Act, be deemed to have been read a second time and referred to a committee of the whole, deemed considered in committee of the whole, deemed reported without amendment, deemed concurred in at the report stage and deemed read a third time and passed.

[The Acting Speaker, Conservative, Royal Galipeau]

Does the hon. government House leader have the unanimous consent of the House to move the motion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Acting Speaker, Conservative, Royal Galipeau]

The House has heard the terms of the motion. Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Acting Speaker, Conservative, Royal Galipeau]

(Motion agreed to, bill read the second time, considered in committee, reported, concurred in and, by unanimous consent, read the third time and passed)

[Jay Hill, Conservative, Prince George—Peace River, BC]

Mr. Speaker, with the indulgence of all members, I believe that if you were to seek it, you would find unanimous consent to see the clock as 7:05 p.m.

[The Acting Speaker, Conservative, Royal Galipeau]

Is it agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Acting Speaker, Conservative, Royal Galipeau]

Accordingly, I see the clock as 7:05 p.m.

A motion to adjourn the House under Standing Order 38 deemed to have been moved.

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to take part in one of the first adjournment debates of this 39th Parliament. My remarks deal with the very first question I asked of the Minister of Canadian Heritage, concerning the funding for the Canada Council for the Arts.

We will recall that, last fall—more specifically on November 23—the previous government announced a commitment of $342 million over three years not only for the Canada Council for the Arts, but also for other institutions in the same field.

This investment would have seen the annual budget of the Canada Council for the Arts grow from $150 million to $300 million over three years. This represents an increase of $50 million for the fiscal year that started on April 1. Another $50 million would have been added each subsequent year. This was responding in a tangible way to the pressing and repeated demand of cultural and artistic communities across the country to increase from $5 to $10 the per capita amount allocated to the Canada Council for the Arts in support of our country's cultural and artistic communities. In those days, the heritage minister was the critic for the Conservative official opposition. During her election campaign, she said:

“We will honour the commitment that they have made, that the artistic community has received”.

The word We was used.

In saying, “We will honour the commitment,” the minister, who was then the official opposition critic, was speaking for her party. However, we heard her say on the radio on the weekend that she was speaking for herself. That has caused a great deal of concern in the community as to whether or not the government indeed will honour the commitment that was made by the previous government of doubling in three years the funding for the Canada Council for the Arts.

It was a commitment that was made after long discussions and consultations with the community. It was a commitment made in good faith. Money had been accounted for it in the fiscal framework, which would have seen the budget go from $150 million to $300 million over three years.

Unfortunately, in the estimates that were tabled earlier this week, we see that there is no increase. Some of us are still hopeful that the government will come to its senses, respect the commitment of the previous government, respect its own commitment that it gave to the community during the campaign through the voice of the Conservative Party's own critic that they would respect that commitment, and indeed increase the budget of the Canada Council for the Arts.

We are hopeful that come May 2 the government will honour that commitment. It is one that is the appropriate response to the repeated demands and representations from the artistic and cultural community of Canada.

[Jim Abbott, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, first and foremost the government has been clear on our commitment to Canada's artists and the creative community.

We recognize the important contribution made by arts and culture to Canadian society. For more than a century the government has invested in the arts and culture in recognition of the role they play in stimulating our social and economic development.

Support for artists and the arts has led to the development of Canadian talent in the literary, visual, media and performing arts, thereby enriching the lives of Canadians and laying the foundation for our cultural industries to thrive.

The arts help to build internationally competitive and innovative communities that are attractive to knowledge workers and investors. Our artists also serve as influential ambassadors abroad, projecting the image of a modern and cosmopolitan country. They affirm Canadian identity, critical in an increasingly integrated North American and global environment.

The arts are at the core of the mandate of the Department of Canadian Heritage and are central to many of its portfolio agencies.

Through the arts and cultural industries, Canada is able to promote its interests abroad, enhance the tourism sector and develop technological opportunities.

Investing in the arts is an investment in our cultural industries and economy. The cultural sector employed over 597,500 workers in 2002, roughly the same as agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining, and oil and gas combined, or the workforce of a province such as Manitoba. Canada's cultural sector is built around Canada's 131,000 artists, key players in the research and development work of the cultural industries.

Musicians, singers, writers, actors and visual artists form the core of arts activities and provide the creative spark upon which the film, television, publishing and music industries depend.

The government appreciates the powerful role of the arts sector in social, economic and international issues. It also recognizes the value of the arts to our communities and the contribution they make to furthering knowledge and understanding of our experience as Canadians.

Communities across Canada, from the largest to the smallest, are investing in the arts and culture as an economic lever, as a means to attract investment, and as a way to improve the quality of life in their communities. They recognize the power of the arts and culture in creating a sense of place and in enriching the lives of their citizens. They are taking advantage of the tremendous creativity and cultural vibrancy that exist within their communities and are building strong partnerships with their local arts and heritage organizations to foster artistic and cultural expression in Canada.

The arts and culture are currently supported through a variety of federal programs delivered directly by the Department of Canadian Heritage and through the portfolio agencies such as the Canada Council for the Arts.

It is important to note that the Minister of Canadian Heritage has met Karen Kain, chair of the Canada Council for the Arts, and will continue to work with the council in order to ensure that the best means of meeting the needs of the artists will be used.

Our artists and creators deserve stability, and a long term plan must be part of the government's commitment to the arts. We will therefore examine the effectiveness of the current funding available and to determine what level and type of support is needed to address the long term stability and sustainability of the arts sector in Canada.

We are committed to providing artists and creators with the resources they need to continue to make a meaningful contribution to Canadian life and to Canada's future prosperity. We will ensure that federal funding for the arts is tailored to maximize the government's investment in this sector and is aligned with our commitment to a transparent and accountable government.

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I listened carefully when the parliamentary secretary was talking about how valuable the artistic community and artists are to one's society. He is preaching to the converted. He does not have to convince me of that. I have always supported the artistic community, either in private or public spending.

What I did not hear is whether or not the government will respect a commitment that the government made. When she was the critic the minister said, “We will respect a commitment,” and then when she was minister she said, “We are not going to honour any Liberal commitment”. Then on the weekend she said on the radio that she was speaking for herself when she said, “We will respect a commitment”.

There is a great deal of nervousness in the arts and culture community in our country because of the contradictory statements coming from the government. The only hope the artistic community has is that it will see some money in the budget.

If the government is just throwing up smoke screens while we are waiting for the budget, so be it. However, I would hope that it will also think about the effects its words are having on the artistic community as we wait for the budget. People in the artistic community should not have to be put through such stress.

[Jim Abbott, Conservative, Kootenay—Columbia, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the member seems to have forgotten that the Liberal government, his government, had 13 years to stabilize the funding for the arts and it failed miserably.

Let me restate that the intention of the Conservative government is to examine the effectiveness of the current funding available and to determine what level and type of support is needed to address the long term stability and sustainability of the arts sector in Canada.

The Conservative government is committed to providing artists and creators with the resources they need to continue to make a meaningful contribution to Canadian life and to Canada's future prosperity.

The Conservative government will ensure that federal funding for the arts is tailored to maximize the government's investment in this sector and is aligned with our commitment to a transparent and accountable government.

[The Acting Speaker, Conservative, Royal Galipeau]

The motion to adjourn the House is now deemed to have been adopted.

Accordingly, the House stands adjourned until tomorrow at 10 a.m., pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).

(The House adjourned at 6:22 p.m.)