Canadian Heritage committee  Up to this point, we had to apply for the labour market opinion. I believe it's now called the labour market impact assessment. That particular process took over six months, and there was a great deal of disparity in what the per-application fee was. In some cases it was up to $1

Canadian Heritage committee  We just used it, yes.

Canadian Heritage committee  What's better about it is that we do not have to go through a labour market opinion. We don't have to deal with Service Canada. All that we have to send to the particular visa offices are our contracts with the artists and supporting material about their own calibre and backgroun

Canadian Heritage committee  I'd like to echo what Kathi said, that 2017 is around the corner, and we certainly would like advance notice and some clearer direction or indication of what the government is planning for 2017, especially in the arts sector, so the sooner the better.

Canadian Heritage committee  Thank you. Yes, of course, it is a question of being able to diversify your support. There used to be trade groups and various other programs at Canadian Heritage that at one point supported international touring. That was withdrawn quite a few years ago, and now international

Canadian Heritage committee  Thank you, Rathika. That's an important question. Support right now for touring internationally comes directly from the Canada Council's international touring program, and as I said earlier, it's just not well-subscribed. The program just doesn't have the budget to respond to th

Canadian Heritage committee  Certainly. Thank you very much for that. I was going to speak about the importance of the dissemination of Canadian dance internationally. That's why Canadian Heritage's support to Canada Council for international touring is truly valuable. I recently sat on a jury, and it was

Canadian Heritage committee  Am I out of time?

Canadian Heritage committee  Good afternoon and I welcome this opportunity to speak today. I'm actually based in Mississauga and I'm the artistic director and founder of SAMPRADAYA Dance Creations. This year we celebrate our 21st anniversary as a company. At the same time, in 1990, I also established SAMPRA