Dean Del Mastro

[February 24th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, the member sat in on the same briefings as I did. She keeps referring to the number of cuts and so forth but she was at the presentation on these numbers and knows that what she is saying is not accurate. However, she keeps spinning a misrepresentation to artists. It is unfortunate and it may well be part of the problem.

What we need to be telling artists is how much this government and Parliament has put behind them in support. We believe in what they do and in the vibrancy and value they provide to Canada, as well as the rich flavour they add to the world as a whole when it comes to their artistic contributions.

The reallocations conducted under our strategic review affect a very small amount, as I have said. In budget 2008-09, $2.31 billion have been allocated to the Canadian heritage portfolio.

[February 24th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, the intervention by the member is not unlike other interventions she has made. It was factually incorrect, as a matter of fact.

As you well know, Mr. Speaker, no government in history has supported arts and culture more than this government. In fact, no government in Canadian history has put more money into arts and culture than budget 2009, a budget that the very member who is making the intervention is voting against, which I find remarkable.

She talked specifically about the promotion of culture abroad, which she has mentioned many times. As you know, Mr. Speaker, because I know you follow these things very closely, we have provided over $22 million in ongoing support to culture abroad. This is delivered through agencies such as the Canada Council for the Arts, Telefilm Canada, the Association for the Export of Canadian Books, FACTOR, Musicaction and the National Film Board of Canada.

Just this past October, at the Sommet de la Francophonie, the Prime Minister announced that we would invest an additional $25 million in TV5 over the next five years. What will it use the money for? The hon. member might be inclined to research this because it has indicated that it will facilitate support for TV5MONDE and TV5 Quebec Canada to increase their Canadian and francophone content, modernize and expand their distribution through high definition television, modern media, Internet and video on demand, which will allow francophones in Canada and around the world to have increased access to the network. That allows promotion abroad.

I am really proud of this government's record with respect to heritage and the amount of support we are providing for artists. The member should either research the facts or stop misinterpreting the facts.

[Human Pathogens and Toxins Act, February 23rd, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, it surprises me when a Liberal stands and talks about accountability or access to information.

I would love some information on which Quebec riding associations received money in the sponsorship program but I do not see that member offering that kind of access to information.

I am prepared to set aside most of the bluster of the member as he really did not speak to the bill at all. I am not really sure he knows what bill we are actually debating.

I would love to ask him about a recent announcement in his riding that was positively received. The Prime Minister and the Premier of Ontario recently announced significant upgrades to GO Transit in the province of Ontario. I would love him to talk about how that will benefit the people of Mississauga because it was a great announcement.

[Portrait Gallery, February 13th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, we are currently living in challenging economic times. Unfortunately, the minister had to withdraw a process that had been set in place on the portrait gallery, but it is something that we look to revisit at some point in the future.

Having said that, the member of the NDP is asking about support for arts and culture and heritage. I have to wonder why those members are missing in action on an action plan that would put $530 million into arts and culture in Canada. Why is the NDP voting against that? Why are those members holding up a budget that would support heritage, and arts and culture in this country?

[Arts and Culture, February 13th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I will speak a little slower. The awards will recognize excellence in the arts. It will be a very bright stage on which Canadian artists will have the opportunity to compete against the best in the world. We will create a centre of excellence right here in Canada.

It is a huge victory for arts and culture in Canada, a celebration of arts and culture in a borderless world where our artists want the opportunity to compete and to share their talent with the rest of the world. This is a great story.

[Arts and Culture, February 13th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, what we seek to do is create an international competition that awards excellence. It will create a centre of excellence right here in Canada. The world will be watching and we will be promoting artists from right here in Canada on the brightest stage in the world, created by this measure that is spun out of this economic action plan. It is a great victory for arts and culture in Canada. We are very proud of it.

[Culture, February 13th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I am not quite sure who the Bloc member is listening to but I do know that the Bloc voted against $530 million worth of investment into arts and culture through the economic action plan.

I will read what The Globe and Mail had to say about the new awards. It stated:

It's a visionary notion.

To seed such an enterprise in the midst of a worldwide recession is so bold as to be virtually unheard-of.

This is about giving a jolt of entrepreneurial energy to the arts, about putting young artists in a borderless world on centre stage, and with them, Canada, as a country that is open to world culture, and cares about the arts and artists.

Artists should be thrilled. This is their moment.

[Culture, February 13th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, Canada's economic action plan, budget 2009, established record funding for the arts. One of the things we really wanted to do was to create an award that would recognize excellence in the arts, like the awards we created for health and sciences.

This will be an outstanding celebration of arts and culture right here in Canada. It will be a tremendous legacy coming out of this particular economic action plan.

[February 10th, 2009]

That is very interesting, Mr. Speaker. The member wants us to send artists abroad, but I assume when they get abroad she does not want foreign governments or foreign people to spend anything on them. She does not want them to make any investment when they go abroad. She just wants them to arrive abroad and no one to care if they are there. If it is wrong for Canada to try to assist in promoting the arts broadly and also allowing a stage for Canadians, then it must clearly be wrong for those in foreign countries to support our artists when they get there. That is the Bloc mentality. That is what I am hearing from the Bloc. It is absolutely ridiculous.

Let me take this to another step. The member mentioned that Quebec would like to take control of culture because it is not happy and it wants the money reinstated. I have only been here three years, Mr. Speaker, and not as long as you, but despite all the challenges that provincial governments have, and I give them a lot of credit for the work that they do, I do not remember a provincial delegation coming to Ottawa yet and saying, “Please spend less. Please don't send us so much money”. They always ask for more.

It is our responsibility to budget, to be responsible, to be accountable, and if there is--

[February 10th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member will be very encouraged to know that we like artists and our government is very supportive of artists. In fact, I appreciate the opportunity to talk about our government's record with respect to support for arts and culture because it is a great story. It is a wonderful story. I am proud of our record. It is record investment in the arts.

Our government acknowledges how essential arts and culture is to our communities, our identity, our economy, particularly in challenging economic times. We know exactly how important a vibrant cultural sector is to Canada's economy.

Just for your own information, Mr. Speaker, and you are probably aware of this, but in 2007 arts and culture contributed $46 billion to Canada's GDP and 660,000 jobs nation-wide. It is a big industry. It is an important industry.

In the current economic context the long-term sustainability takes on greater importance. We recognize the challenges that creators, producers and arts organizations face across Canada. That is why we made a $30 million investment to the Canada Council for the Arts permanent several years ago. That is an additional $30 million investment to the Canada Council for the Arts.

The Canada Council for the Arts is an arm's length organization. That is artists helping artists. That fund now sits at $180 million, record funding for the Canada Council.

That is why in budget 2009 we have announced an investment of more than $.5 billion, record funding for arts and culture and $276 million. For the benefit of the Bloc member that is $276 million of new investment in this budget in support of arts and culture.

Where are we going to invest that money? We are going to build on that recent investment in the Canada Council for the Arts. We are going to focus on ensuring that we have a solid base for arts and culture right across Canada.

Central to this is $100 million to support festivals and cultural events, including cultural events and festivals in the province of Quebec and right across Canada because our government is a national government. We support things in the national interest. Arts and culture is in the national interest.

We have also invested $200 million in the Canadian Television Fund, $30 million in magazines and community newspapers, and $28 million in new media. These are considerable amounts of investment.

I could go on and on. I am so proud of so many of the things that we did in this budget. Canada prizes is an example. Members of the opposition have questioned the Canada prizes. Let me tell the House what Canada Prizes is all about. It is about establishing a centre of excellence where the world will come and compete for these exclusive prizes here in Canada and Canadians will compete with them. We will put Canadians on an international stage where they will broadcast around the world and they will do it from Canada, establishing a cultural centre of excellence right here in Canada.

We know culture. We know the arts. We have incredibly talented people and we want the world to know it.