Canadian Heritage committee  Okay, that's shorter so we're going to have rapid fire. Mr. Cardinal, thank you for joining us. Quickly, who are your funding sources? Who supported you financially to get to where you are today in all your success?

Canadian Heritage committee  Have you yet applied to the Canada Council for the Arts?

Canadian Heritage committee  Have you received anything from the Canada Council for the Arts?

Canadian Heritage committee  Did they tell you why you were ineligible?

Canadian Heritage committee  Okay, note to self. Ms. Somerville, thank you, and congratulations on your distinguished career. We're at 12% of the population, as Albertans; I rounded up. Eight per cent of Albertans are artists, 5% of the jurors at the CCA are from Alberta, and we get 5% or less of the fund

Canadian Heritage committee  What did CCA tell us that we would see happen across the country based on our doubling of their funding?

Canadian Heritage committee  Okay, and you've just said that hasn't materialized, so that's helpful. We heard from Monsieur Brault that there were about 1,400 applications from individual artists in British Columbia, and yet from Alberta, which has almost as many people, there were around 840 or 850. How do

Canadian Heritage committee  You and others were able to attend a meeting that brought arts groups together from Alberta almost a year ago in Edmonton. Minister Rodriguez attended. During that almost hour and a half at the Winspear Centre, you shared a very striking comment. It was a shocking comment. It was

Canadian Heritage committee  Are you telling us that you were told that if we just had better art in Alberta, maybe Canada Council for the Arts would fund us?

Canadian Heritage committee  How many times has an official of the Canada Council for the Arts been to Edmonton or Alberta, to your knowledge, in your historied career?

Canadian Heritage committee  Over how many years is that?

Canadian Heritage committee  That's two visits, amounting to about six hours in 25 years.

Canadian Heritage committee  What does this tell you about the kind of understanding the CCA might have about the reality of Alberta arts right now?

Canadian Heritage committee  Thank you, Mr. Brault.

Canadian Heritage committee  I want to extend an olive branch, because I think you're trying to do really important work and I want to see this resolved in my lifetime. On your tour, would you come to Edmonton and do a round table? I will sit next to you. I will moderate.