Canadian Heritage committee  I will speak to my experience specifically. From a core funding perspective, it hasn't made a difference. We have been at the same level of funding now with the Canada Council since 2013. On the project funding, which is task-specific or initiative-specific, we were contacted by the Canada Council and encouraged to apply for the digital strategy fund, which is one of the projects that they are really pushing, so we did.

Canadian Heritage committee  I would echo that I think it's a defensible position. It's one that the government could stand behind. As to how other provinces would react, I wouldn't be able to speak to that. I've lived in Alberta, and I've been employed in the arts in Alberta. What we in Alberta want is the opportunity to compete on an equal playing field.

Canadian Heritage committee  Thank you, Madam Chair. Let me read something for you: By 2021, Canadian artists and arts organizations will share their work with a larger and more diverse public, including youth — in person, in print, and online. Artists and arts organizations will have more resources to experiment and take artistic risks to create excellent work that is shared across the country and around the world.