Canadian Heritage committee  It's from the assessment jury and then from the executive who makes the final funding decisions.

Canadian Heritage committee  Oh, my reaction was that I can't wait, and I look forward to meeting him.

Canadian Heritage committee  Oh, absolutely, we see a drain of people following the funding. It's a famous thing. People will say, “I have to go to Toronto; I have to get this produced” or that there's just more work there. I think part of what Toronto is suffering from right now is a glut of migrated artist

Canadian Heritage committee  Obviously we hoped it meant an equalization of regional funding. We assumed our protests had been heard and that the council would use this opportunity to at least begin with doubling Alberta's funding and go from there. Of course we never saw it. The needle hasn't moved.

Canadian Heritage committee  That art would be made available to all Canadian artists.

Canadian Heritage committee  Absolutely. Many, many Alberta artists, career artists, have felt diminished by their inability to secure funding. Stewart Lemoine, a famous and highly awarded Canadian playwright who has 72 published plays has, in his 27 years, received two project grants 15 years ago, and he ga

Canadian Heritage committee  In short, I was sort of on a bit of a dialogue about my impassioned feeling about being an Alberta artist and I was cut off, and the person said, “You know, in the end, it's all about merit and excellence, so if you just continue to pursue your art, I'm sure eventually funding wi

Canadian Heritage committee  Yes, we've been told over and over again that it's about merit. It can't be regional. It can't be equitable. It's about merit and excellence. That is a disguise for resistance to change.

Canadian Heritage committee  I have been aware of two visits, and they were for three-hour workshops by junior-level bureaucrats.

Canadian Heritage committee  It's over the last 25.

Canadian Heritage committee  Yes. They're usually workshops to unveil new platforms and how to fill in forms.

Canadian Heritage committee  What it tells me is that the CCA is not interested in a relationship with Alberta. We want a relationship with the Canada Council for the Arts. We believe in the Canada Council for the Arts. What we want is our place at the table. We want to be taken seriously. We are tired of be

Canadian Heritage committee  Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you, everybody, for inviting me here today. I'd like to begin by saying it is tremendously important to me to be able to speak to the industry that has shaped my life. I want to acknowledge what a complex task it is to determine how funding is a