Canadian Heritage committee  I think it's a perfect time to invest in arts and culture, actually, because we're not using anything—only human resources, creativity, intelligence, development, and research. These are all the things that make us a great country.

Canadian Heritage committee  What I see in our province alone is that getting across the water to the rest of the country requires an exorbitant amount of money. Getting people to come in to see what we're doing and that kind of trade, i.e., Trade Routes.... For instance, the Australian market and the “Ten Days on the Island”...we identify a lot with that festival because we have found Australia and Newfoundland to be a lot alike culturally.

Canadian Heritage committee  Correct.

Canadian Heritage committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair and members of the committee. Thank you for inviting the Association of Cultural Industries to speak on behalf of the cultural community of Newfoundland and Labrador. I am Amy House, the president of ACI. I am a member of the advocacy committee for PACT and artistic animateur for the Resource Centre for the Arts theatre company in St.