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Anik Bissonnette
View Anik Bissonnette Profile
Anik Bissonnette
2015-05-25 15:35
Mr. Chair and members of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, we would like to thank you for inviting the École supérieure de ballet du Québec to participate in your study on the importance of dance. I am joined today by Alix Laurent, executive director of our institution.
The École supérieure de ballet du Québec is proud to be here today to talk about dance in Canada, specifically the strategic role of training. In fact, the École supérieure is the only francophone institution in North America to provide world-class ballet training for almost half a century.
In 1952, Canada welcomed Ludmilla Chiriaeff, a Berlin-trained Russian dancer who founded Les Grands Ballets canadiens de Montréal, which became the École supérieure de ballet du Québec. Ms. Chiriaeff's passion, determination and pioneering perseverance helped dance to flourish in Canada in an unprecedented way. The École supérieure receives about 130 students who want to become dancers to its professional program. Because our institution has the exclusive mandate in Quebec for advanced training in classical dance, these 130 young people hail not only from Montreal and the various regions of Quebec, but also from other provinces in Canada, the United States, Europe, Asia and South America. They leave our institution with a strengthened knowledge of Canada's two official languages, and with a very high level of artistic skill.
Our professional program is spread out over 10 years. Our students do three to five hours of dance a day, five to six days a week, while pursuing rigorous general training. In fact, the École supérieure works with renowned academic institutions, including the Pensionnat du Saint-Nom-de-Marie, which is a secondary school. It is mentioned in Cambridge University's students' union's The Guide to Excellence, which lists the best schools in the world.
Our students have the opportunity to grow up in Montreal, which is a true cultural metropolis and one of the dance capitals of the world, which means that they are at the heart of an extremely stimulating and abundant environment. They live in a world of dance, and they are in constant contact with the most noted creators in the world. They are taught by some twenty outstanding teachers who have had great careers in the most prestigious dance companies in the world.
Every year, five to 10 students complete their advanced training in classical dance performance. Our graduates dance for Canadian companies, including Montreal's Grands Ballets canadiens, the National Ballet of Canada, Alberta Ballet, Ballet BC, and the Atlantic Ballet Theatre of Canada. Our graduates are also active abroad, including in Germany, the United States, France and the Netherlands.
Of course, the young people who pass through the École supérieure de ballet du Québec do not all become professional dancers. However, I can tell you that every single one of them, without exception, keep with them precious resources that will serve them throughout their lives. Learning classical dance responds to a flawless logic. It is methodical, structured and based on biomechanical principles structured around a language that has not stopped developing for over 300 years.
Our students learn rigour, respect and discipline, which are priceless assets on the labour market and essential in all job sectors. Furthermore, some of our graduates have become brilliant managers, others have careers in law, medicine and communications. All of them gained a dancer's mentality, which means that they made a habit of taking care of themselves, their bodies, their minds and their hearts, not to mention the natural altruism of all dancers, because this talent is hard-learned, and they know about giving back to the community. At once they are total artists and athletes, responsible citizens, and educated men and women. In fact, the practice of dance is an asset against dropping out of school, and it encourages the development of a structured way of functioning in society. Dance is a basic practice for a healthy society, even when it is a leisure activity, as is the case for the children and adults who register for our recreational program.
This program, which attracts nearly 1,000 individuals, generates nearly 20% of our revenue. The École supérieure has an annual budget of close to $3.5 million, with less than half coming from public funding. Our main funder is the Quebec ministry of culture and communications.
Last year, Canadian Heritage granted us $125,000, about 3% of our budget. This year, the amount was reduced to $115,000. No matter what the reason was for these cuts, this amount is still clearly insufficient to support the mission of an institution of our size, which is the only one in Quebec. It forces us to make disproportionate efforts to carry out our mission, and it is one of the main obstacles to our development, which is needed now more than ever because we have a major renovation project. Our spaces have become too small and no longer meet international standards. For about 30 years, we have been using the Maison de la danse, a building we share with the Grands Ballets canadiens de Montréal, which will be moving to the Quartier des spectacles in 2016. We are going to take this opportunity to get a construction site going so that we can have facilities worthy of the largest schools in the world. It isn't enough to give future professional dancers the best instruction; we must also meet their training needs in adapted fitness and rest areas. We also need to have equipment that is on the cutting edge of technology. To do this, financial support from governments is more than necessary.
For the dance sector to reach its full potential in Canada, it is more than urgent to solidify all the production steps for our discipline, particularly training, to ensure that these steps are in touch with the labour market. We must assure our graduates that they will be able to work here at the end of their studies. This is a crucial issue for an entire generation of young dancers. One solution might be to give dance companies in Canada specific funding so that they can hire strictly apprentices from the major Canadian schools, which are true hotbeds of talent.
I want to specify that this is not a pipe-dream for utopia, on the contrary; I am living proof that this method of transferring knowledge works perfectly because I, myself, benefitted from it. When I was 17, I was not ready for the professional stage. However, I was discovered by a company that took the time to refine my training as an apprentice, so much so that I danced all over the world and became the principal dancer of the Grands Ballets canadiens. In Canada, we are fortunate to have a pool of young future dancers with exceptional potential. Today, I hope with all my heart that Canada will allow them to have the same opportunities as those who allowed me to have such a great career. Lastly, generations of young Canadian dancers need to be able to continue to light up stages in Canada and around the world with their grace. Help us to train the ambassadors of the future.
Thank you for your precious attention.
View Pierre Nantel Profile
NDP (QC)
You were one of the recipients of a Governor General's award in 2014, along with Louise Lecavalier. The Canada Council of the Arts gives out these awards through the Governor General.
Do you have the feeling that there is a lack of recognition by the Department of Canadian Heritage of these institutions and associations? Beyond the artist and creator on the stage, there are associations and schools, as well. Do you have the feeling that there is an inconsistency here? You spoke about your funding. You lost—
Anik Bissonnette
View Anik Bissonnette Profile
Anik Bissonnette
2015-05-25 16:04
From Canadian Heritage, it is very low. The Quebec ministry of culture and communications provides us with reasonable funding. There's a problem at Canadian Heritage in terms of the training schools. Certainly, the École supérieure de ballet du Québec is not the only school in Canada, but it is the only francophone one. Many young people come to study with us so that they can also learn both languages. It is important that they learn French, not just in other provinces, but outside Canada.
View Terence Young Profile
CPC (ON)
View Terence Young Profile
2015-05-25 17:03
Thank you very much.
Kathi Sundstrom, I'm very interested in what you're saying. My daughter lives in Calgary now, so I'm extra interested in what you're saying.
Did you say you raised $23 million for a facility?
Kathi Sundstrom
View Kathi Sundstrom Profile
Kathi Sundstrom
2015-05-25 17:03
Yes. It's been very exciting and it's been a lot of work.
We did receive $1.9 million from the Heritage fund as part of that $23 million.
Patricia Fraser
View Patricia Fraser Profile
Patricia Fraser
2015-05-13 16:56
Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you all for the opportunity to speak with you today. I'm honoured by the invitation and I am heartened by your interest in the art form to which my colleagues and I are so dedicated.
I am the artistic director of the School of Toronto Dance Theatre, and like so many others you've already heard from already I share a passion and concern for the art form of dance. My purpose here is to provide you with some background information on the school, and to tell you about the issues that are specific to those of us who are training the next generation of dancers.
The school provides excellent training at international standards and prepares young dance artists for careers performing, creating, teaching, and directing. The school provides a quality educational experience that can serve them in any future career and prepare them for life. Through the training of new dance artists, the school plays a significant role in the development of contemporary dance in Canada and contributes to the articulation of a distinctive Canadian dance aesthetic.
The School of Toronto Dance Theatre serves all of Canada. Dancers in our program come from across the country and around the world. The 55 dancers currently in our program come from L'Acadie; Aizawl, India; Anjou; Ajax, Ayr, and Belleville in Ontario; and Bogota, Colombia. The recent winner of our tuition prize this year is from Burnaby, B .C. They come from Calgary and they come from Cancun, Mexico. We have a first nations dancer from Chilliwack. They come from Corner Brook to Cranbrook. They're from Edmonton; Freeport, Bahamas; Kingston, Kitchener, and London, Ontario; Madrid, Spain; Manilla, the Philippines; Moncton, New Brunswick; and Montreal. We have wonderful dancers from Oakville, Ontario. One of our dancers from Oakville just won our teaching prize by gaining 100% in her course work. They are unbelievable dancers.
Oakville, Orangeville, Oshawa, Ottawa.... There is a great program in Ottawa at the performing arts high school and that's a feeder school for us. They do fantastic work. They're from Penticton, Port Alberni, and Port Credit. They're from Prince George, Quebec City, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. They're from St. Catharines—our valedictorian this year is from St. Catharines—Saint-Hyacinthe; Saint John and St. John's; Sydney, Nova Scotia; Toronto; Utsunomiya, Japan; Varennes, Quebec; and Whitby, Ontario.
It's a real cultural melting pot in our school. These young people are learning at this age who they are, they're learning who they are as Canadians, and they're learning to tell their stories as Canadians. They're learning from people from around the world to tell their stories and learn from their stories as well.
A few of our dancers are going to India this summer with one of their fellow classmates. One is from Varennes and one is from Quebec City, and they're going to Mizoram, India, to teach, perform, and travel with their classmate. That classmate from India is going to join another classmate from London, Ontario, to enter the master’s program at the London Contemporary Dance School in England. It's a very prestigious program.
They will speak and tell their stories all over the world of what it is to be a Canadian. These students have made connections that will last them a lifetime, and they have opportunities to contribute to the Canadian artistic continuum. As you can see, we have a very strong pan-Canadian and diverse community in our school of which we are very proud.
We want to maintain that strength and search even further for talented students. Outreach to communities where there are dedicated teachers, like those Peggy spoke about, and gifted pre-professional dancers would provide incentive and encouragement to young dancers who might be drawn to a career in dance. A strong and vigorous professional field that provides inspiration to young dancers is absolutely critical. In order for our best dancers to remain in Canada once trained, the professional field must be robust and healthy. Support to the professional community is absolutely essential.
In addition to its own remit, the School of Toronto Dance Theatre is part of a like-minded consortium of five contemporary dance schools across the country. We are a very lean, organized institution staffed by very dedicated people. In terms of collaboration, I like to think of us as a very good news story. We work hard, and given limited resources, we have developed an extremely cooperative working relationship. We are engaged in developing young artists who are defining and expressing various aspects of Canadian culture, reflecting the society in which we live by telling Canadian stories.
One way in which we do this is to present our schools, individually and in collaboration, at the Canada Dance Festival here in Ottawa at the National Arts Centre theatre, where they are each able to express their artistic point of view in the national context, representing their regional signature and expressing their diversity.
This is a mammoth endeavour, but it's critical in helping our dancers to build a cross-generational network for the future, to meet directors and artists for future projects and potential employment, and to attend performances by companies and artists from around the country. Given the project’s importance and impacts, more support to this consortium of training programs for this undertaking would be extremely beneficial.
We understand that our job as trainers does not end with dance training. We help our students acquire the necessary transferable skills to enable them to forge many careers. These skills include commitment, compassion—all the things that Greg spoke of already—discipline, creative thinking, collaboration, being able to take direction and to lead, to learn how to learn. All of these will stand them in good stead in their careers and in their lives.
We're also keenly aware of a need for a broad education to complement the rigour and intensity of physical training. The members of our consortium are all colleges, CEGEPs, or have affiliations with university programs. Just to be clear, they are not grant-generating organizations—that would be the purview of the provinces—but we're affiliated with higher education.
These educational links provide a far-reaching foundation for these dancers. We also offer career planning and are assisted in this work by the Dancer Transition Resource Centre.
A witness in the earlier panel, Alexis Andrew, who is head of the research and evaluation section of the Canada Council, is a graduate of the School of Toronto Dance Theatre. A previous speaker you met via teleconferencing, Dr. Coralee McLaren, is an excellent example of the success of career transition planning provided by the DTRC. Dr. McLaren is also a graduate of the school. Both are a testament to the value of transferable skills learned in a dance training program.
Although the professional training program at the school is our priority, we also work very hard within our local community. The school provides classes for recreational dancers of all ages. These allow us to reach out to the general public, providing health benefits like Peggy has spoken of, artistic fulfillment, and joy in movement. Our young dancers program is focused on developing creative movement with children and young people, including those with mixed abilities, making dance more accessible and broadening its scope.
In closing, we're very grateful for the support of the Department of Canadian Heritage through the Canada arts training fund, and with their help we have built excellent training programs that develop young artists.
Thank you.
Peggy Reddin
View Peggy Reddin Profile
Peggy Reddin
2015-05-13 17:13
The Confederation Centre does receive funding from Canadian Heritage, so, yes.
Peggy Reddin
View Peggy Reddin Profile
Peggy Reddin
2015-05-13 17:16
Although the Confederation Centre of the Arts does receive funding from Canadian Heritage, we are about 35% federally or provincially funded and 65% self-generated. The arts education programs are actually self-sustaining, so I don't run deficit budgets. Honestly, it's the same principles that you put into any business, and you have to be very creative at times. But if I think back to when I was starting the school, it was important that we grew at an achievable rate. Sometimes with younger people coming into the industry, it's like they're going to get this great studio and they, unfortunately, find that they have put more money in than they are going to be drawing out. It's a step-by-step project. For a long time we rented space at Confederation Centre, so that's how we ended up becoming part of the program there. It helps if you do have that kind of connection to another arts centre.
Honestly, there are very few, because we are not a professional school. I can't apply for federal funds for our training programs. We are able sometimes to become involved in programs that are eligible for funding, which are beyond the day-to-day scope for the school. For example, last year when it was P.E.I. 2014 celebrations, we had a great partnership with L’École de danse de Québec, and Harold Rhéaume's company, so we were able to use that funding.
View Rathika Sitsabaiesan Profile
NDP (ON)
Okay. That seems to be also the average from the Department of Canadian Heritage statistics they gave us. It's about 26% government funding generally for dance companies, which are professional dance companies.
I had another train of thought that just left me. Yes, it totally left my brain.
Marc Lemay
View Marc Lemay Profile
Marc Lemay
2015-05-04 15:31
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
The Department of Canadian Heritage appreciates this opportunity to appear before the committee in the context of its study of dance in Canada.
Our objective today is to present committee members with an overview of the professional not-for-profit dance sector in Canada, and how it is supported at the federal level. We will be pleased, of course, to answer questions you may have for us, to the best of our knowledge.
Let's move directly to page 3 of the document that gives an overview of the professional arts sector. The arts in Canada encompasses a broad range of cultural activities that include the performing arts, the visual arts, media arts, and literature. Dance is one of the many disciplines in the professional arts sector. The work of Canadian dance artists and ensembles is created, produced, presented, and toured nationally and internationally by numerous organizations that directly provide arts experiences to Canadians in a large number of communities, while at the same time contributing to the economy.
If we turn to page 4, you will see that the Canadian arts sector is indeed an important contributor to Canada's economy: a contribution of $12.1 billion to the GDP, of which $1.9 billion relates to live performing arts. In 2011 there were 136,600 artists in Canada, 8,100 Canadians employed as dancers, and these people represented 6% of all artists in Canada. In 2012 there were 1,115 not-for-profit performing arts organizations registered in Canada, and 139 not-for-profit dance companies received public sector support in 2013-14.
Let's move on to page 5, which deals with the funding of professional arts organizations in Canada.
A diversified and balanced mix of public and private sector revenues is a distinctive characteristic of the Canadian arts sector. Professional Canadian arts organizations count on diversified revenue streams and enjoy support from the ticket-buying public, touring, the private sector and the three orders of government.
About three-quarters of the income of Canadian performing arts organizations is self-generated or comes from private sources. Government funding represents, on average, 26% of the revenues of these organizations. Of that public portion, the federal contribution typically represents about 8%. In the case of dance companies, more specifically, about two-thirds of their income is self-generated or comes from private sources, while approximately 14% comes from federal funding sources. The Statistics Canada performing arts survey reports attendance of more than 1.3 million at dance events at not-for-profit professional dance companies in 2012. According to this survey, attendance at dance performances has remained relatively stable since 2006.
The federal framework of support for the arts. Direct federal support for the arts is provided by complementary programs delivered by the National Arts Centre, the Canada Council for the Arts and the Department of Canadian Heritage. The National Arts Centre mainly focuses on the production and presenting of performing arts in the nation's capital. The Canada Council for the Arts mainly supports professional artists and arts organizations. It's principal focus is on funding artistic creation and production across all artistic disciplines.
Canadian Heritage is responsible for policy and legislation. It also delivers programs that contribute to strengthening business practices in the sector, improving cultural infrastructure, ensuring Canadians' access to professional arts experiences in their communities, and training Canada's future artists. Arts organizations also receive ad-hoc support for special projects from other federal institutions, most notably from Infrastructure Canada for their performances spaces.
I will now talk about the National Arts Centre.
The NAC co-produces and presents works that have toured nationally and internationally, especially in the realm of dance, as well as festivals, such as the Ontario Scene events, which are taking place right now, in May.
The Canada Council for the Arts invests primarily in the making of art by individual artists and arts organizations, and supports creation, production and touring activities. The Canada Council for the Arts plays a key role in supporting dance artists and the creation and production of dance throughout the country.
The Department of Canadian Heritage has four programs that support the non-profit professional arts sector. I would like to start with the Canada arts training fund. Through this program, Canada's most promising artists receive excellent training for national and international careers in the arts. Forty percent of this program supports dance training institutions.
A second program, the Canada arts presentation fund, invests in some 600 arts festivals and performing arts series in more than 250 communities each year, in almost every part of the country. Through the Canada arts presentation fund, 238 festivals and performing arts series with a dance component were supported in 2013-14.
Third, the Canada cultural spaces fund occupies a unique niche in federal infrastructure funding by providing support to smaller projects of non-profit organizations that improve the conditions for the creation and presentation of professional artistic work. Some 42 dance projects received support from this program since 2006.
Finally, in 2013-14,the endowment incentives component of the Canada cultural investment fund provided matching funds to 22 dance organizations for a total of $8.8 million, and the strategic initiative component provided assistance to four projects with dance partners totalling $1.5 million.
In conclusion, support for the creation of, and access to, Canadian artistic experiences, including dance, has been an objective of successive governments. The federal investment in the Canadian dance sector has improved access to professional dance performances for Canadians in all parts of the country. It has also made the dance sector more resilient and entrepreneurial. The funding priorities of federal arts programs promote pan-Canadian values of diversity, linguistic duality, and national-caliber excellence.
The challenge for policy-makers is to remain responsive in a world of rapidly changing conditions, so that artists and arts organizations can continue to contribute to the vitality of their communities.
I wish to thank you for your time today. My colleagues and I are available to answer any questions you may have.
View Pierre Nantel Profile
NDP (QC)
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I would like to thank our witnesses for being here because we don't talk about dance often enough.
Ms. Bowring, you clearly established the fact that dance contributes significantly to the creation of a heritage and that it is one of the issues. We are talking about quality of life, of course, but also the sense of identity and pride as Canadians.
I would like to ask the representatives from the Department of Canadian Heritage, Mr. Lemay, in particular, if they can provide us now or later with the percentages of the amounts allocated to the non-profit professional arts sector.
Could you give us a general idea of the percentage that dance receives compared to other disciplines?
Marc Lemay
View Marc Lemay Profile
Marc Lemay
2015-05-04 16:03
I could provide details later. Regarding the Canada Council for the Arts, we are talking about an investment of $18 million. That represents 12% of the amounts paid annually by the Canada Council for the Arts.
Jack Blum
View Jack Blum Profile
Jack Blum
2015-04-27 16:42
Thank you very much for having me.
My name is Jack Blum. I'm the executive director and co-founder, with my partner Sharon Corder, of Reel Canada.
We bring Canadian films to new audiences. We've been doing it for 10 years. We do that through three programs. We go into high schools and we reach new Canadians through their English classes—and we could do French as well. We deliver the program in both official languages.
Also, very recently we began celebrating National Canadian Film Day. We did that for the first time last year. The second National Canadian Film Day is in two days, on Wednesday. I hope you all take the opportunity to celebrate the country by watching a great Canadian film.
At the moment we're serving about 50,000 students a year through our various programs in every province and territory and, as I say, in both official languages.
For the sake of time, I'm going to restrict my comments to the English side of the industry. There's much to say on the other side, as well.
I'm really pleased to be here. I think our experience at Reel Canada gives us a really unique perspective, because we show Canadian movies directly to the audience that everyone else is trying to reach. We reach young people and new Canadians, and we have learned a lot about the relationship these films have with the audience they're intended for, and sometimes the relationship they don't have.
So I have good news and bad news. I think you're familiar with the bad news to some extent. There is very little awareness of Canadian film among the students and new Canadians we speak to. Not only is there little awareness among the students, but their teachers, principals, coaches, guidance counsellors and, frankly, parents have very little awareness of Canadian feature film. The hill we're climbing to raise awareness about Canadian feature film is extremely steep.
And in fact I'm not just talking about Canadian feature film, I'm talking about Canadian culture in general. Many of you will perhaps think that Canadian novels are still taught in high schools. Unfortunately, that's not the case. That's a much bigger subject, but I'm just mentioning that Canadian content in general in the education system is at a critical low.
As you know, culturally the world is increasingly borderless, and young people in particular are overwhelmed with the devices in their hands and the fact that content comes from everywhere. I don't think I'm saying anything you don't know if I say that competing in the commercial marketplace for their attention, particularly for the attention of young people, is virtually impossible.
But the news isn't all bad. I promised you some good news, and the good news is that, first of all—pace what some of the previous presenters might have been saying—the movies are getting better and better. They're actually fantastic. Also, when we introduce audiences to these movies in a way that is engaging, dynamic, innovative, and gives them room to participate, the response is overwhelming. This is why we have grown so quickly in the course of just 10 years to be a national program. The demand from teachers and the response from students have been overwhelmingly positive.
So when I talk about presenting it in a dynamic and innovative way, in particular I'm talking about a film festival setting. So high schools will speak to us and arrange for us to come in for a day, and the students themselves program the films we bring, and we may serve a whole school of 1,000 or 1,200 kids. They might see six films in a day spread out among them. They program the films from this book—and I have copies for any of you who would like to see it—and on the website where there are clips. Then after the screening there's a dialogue, sometimes with an actor and sometimes with a director, sometimes in person and sometimes via Skype. But it's an extremely exciting experience for them and, as I say, the response is really terrific.
In our experience, Canadians really want to see themselves on screen, and feature film is still the most powerful way of doing that, far more so than a two-minute video on YouTube.
So we're really glad you're looking into the feature film industry, and I want to say the feature film industry is really important, and telling Canadian films via features is really important. Nowhere was this more dramatically demonstrated than on National Canadian Film Day, which we sort of invented with a couple of months' notice last year. We are astounded by the response and the degree of participation we got. Last year, on about two months' notice, we had 70 screenings across the country.
In two days, on April 29, we're going to have more than 160 screenings in every province and territory. Libraries, restaurants, film clubs, and pubs are all showing Canadian films they have chosen, sometimes with our help. We also have broadcaster participation and the broadcasters agreed to schedule Canadian feature films. Many of you familiar with this territory will realize what a big deal that is. There are many online offerings as well. Indeed, even corporate partners rushed in. Cineplex, CBC, Scotiabank, and many others supported the day and it's growing very quickly.
It affirms for us that there really is an audience. There really is a hunger. There really is an appetite. There really is a demand. The issues are promotional. They have to do with awareness, as the previous presenters have been saying, and accessibility
Where I differ with some of those preceding me is that I think we have to look at alternative ways of reaching the audience. We have to look at innovative ways of reaching the audience.
In terms of recommendations, I'll speak to Telefilm for a moment under the leadership of Carolle Brabant. In recent years they have switched their orientation to promotion. I believe that their change of criteria to include international celebration of these movies is a very important and positive one. We have to get the attention of the audience any way that we can. I urge you to support Telefilm, to restore cuts, and to increase support.
We also get funding from Heritage Canada called Youth Take Charge, which is aimed at engaging youth in the culture of Canada. The allocation of the program this past year was cut by half. I can't imagine a more important investment for Heritage Canada to make than in a program like Youth Take Charge, which goes directly to youth and engages them and teaches them about culture.
If I have a minute left, I'd love to show the video—
View Gordon Brown Profile
CPC (ON)
Good afternoon, everyone. We will call to order meeting number 40 of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage.
We have appearing today the Honourable Shelly Glover, the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, along with a couple of her officials: Graham Flack, the deputy minister, and Andrew Francis, the chief financial officer.
Pursuant to Standing Order 81(4), today we will be studying the main estimates 2015-16, and we will vote on those. As well, we will study the subject matter of the supplementary estimates pursuant to Standing Order 108(2).
To start the meeting, Minister, you have 10 minutes.
View Shelly Glover Profile
CPC (MB)
Thank you very much.
Mr. Chair, I want to take a moment to express how much I've appreciated coming to your committee, and I want to thank the committee members.
This may in fact be one of my last committee appearances, so I did want to wish you all the best and thank you again for being so great at looking at these studies with a full view and trying to do your very best to maintain support, as we have as the Government of Canada, for arts, culture, and heritage.
I'm pleased to be here today with our deputy minister and of course our department's chief financial officer. I'm going to discuss a number of things, including what the committee has asked me to discuss with regard to the main estimates.
The committee has asked me to speak about the main estimates for the Department of Canadian Heritage and portfolio organizations in 2015-2016.
Let me begin by giving you some of the highlights of the department's main estimates.
For the 2015-2016 fiscal year, the department's budget is $1.25 billion.
The department's budget includes $173.7 million in operating expenses and $1.06 billion in grants and contributions. In total, this year's main estimates represent a reduction of $135.4 million from last year. This is mainly due to the fact that we have contributed most of the $500 million we committed to the Toronto 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games.
We will continue to provide funding for our cultural strategy for the Toronto 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games. And we have allotted $16 million to various commemorative projects to celebrate our history and our heritage as part of the lead-up to the 150th anniversary of Confederation in 2017.
The road to 2017 presents a great opportunity to help Canadians learn more about their history and the events that helped shape our country. And our museums play a major role in that regard.
Let me mention two exhibitions. At the Canadian Museum of History, we have “1867—Rebellion and Confederation”, and at the Canadian War Museum, we have the “Royal Canadian Legion Hall of Honour”, presented until December 2017.
Since 2012 our government has encouraged Canadians to get to know and celebrate the many milestones on the road to the 150th anniversary of Confederation. This anniversary will be a time to celebrate all that makes Canada a remarkable country, including our rich history. It will also be the ideal time to think about the ways in which we can give back to our communities and make our country even stronger and more united.
We consulted Canadians on how they wanted to celebrate, and we listened to them. Our citizens' spirit of initiative and the ability of our communities to build connections with one another will play a significant role in the 2017 celebrations. Canada's 150th anniversary belongs to all of us, and, together, we will make it a momentous occasion.
Canadian Heritage will work with all government departments to get Canadians involved in the preparations of our country's anniversary. We will help bring people with great ideas and initiatives together with funding partners, so that everyone benefits. We will facilitate and support the efforts of Canadians to organize celebrations in their communities.
To increase awareness as we approach 2017, we have launched a number of projects, celebrations and commemorations.
And over the next two years, we want all Canadians to learn even more about this country's history and be proud of our shared heritage. Next year, we will support commemorative activities for several historical events.
We're also helping raise awareness of important milestones. For example, in 2014 we created media messages to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Charlottetown and Quebec conferences. These were the conferences that led to Confederation. These messages were presented on television, on the web, and on social media. In fact, the Fathers of Confederation campaign had a reach of 48 million through social media counts, and videos for the campaign were viewed more than 480,000 times.
We have also highlighted other important events in our history. For example, in 2013 we marked the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 and the battle for Canada with the erection of a commemorative monument.
In 2014, we marked the 100th anniversary of the First World War and the 75th anniversary of the Second World War.
And this year, we celebrated the 200th anniversary of the birth of Sir John A. Macdonald, the very first prime minister of Canada, and the 150th anniversary of our national flag.
We are committed to our youth as well. With a budget of $17.7 million, the Exchanges Canada program is providing almost 12,500 young people with opportunities to learn more about Canada, connect with one another, and appreciate the diversity and shared aspects of the Canadian experience.
Also, on the road to 2017, we are celebrating our identity as a leading sport nation. As you know, 2015 has been declared the “Year of Sport” here in Canada. As you will note, we will be hosting a number of very important international sport competitions across the country. I hope you'll all take part.
The Year of Sport in Canada got off to an exciting start as Canada hosted the World Junior Hockey Championships. Other important moments in the Year of Sport are coming, such as the FIFA Women's World Cup from June 6 to July 5, the Pan American Games from July 10 to July 26 and the Parapan Am Games from August 7 to 15 in Toronto.
The Toronto 2015 Games will showcase our country's excellence in sport and leave a lasting legacy. They will also create economic, cultural and community development opportunities for southern Ontario and beyond.
The FIFA Women's World Cup also will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for our athletes, as well as for the host city. As a former women's soccer player and soccer coach, and of course as a proud Winnipegger, I'm looking forward to this event especially because some of it is going to be played in my home city of Winnipeg, but Vancouver, Edmonton, Ottawa, Montreal, and Moncton will also be enjoying this wonderful sport.
I encourage all Canadians to take part in the games and all sport events and to cheer on our athletes.
During the Year of Sport, we want to encourage people of all ages and abilities and communities across the country to get involved in sport at all levels, because sport and physical activity keep us healthy, as individuals and as members of communities. We want to celebrate all aspects of our great country as we approach our 150th anniversary—our history, our heritage, and also our thriving arts and culture scene.
Arts, culture, and heritage represent close to $50 billion every year in the Canadian economy and over 647,000 jobs across the country.
Our artists, creators, and performers are our pride. Their talent enriches our daily lives and enhances our country's reputation abroad.
Manitoba alone has produced such well-known artists as Daniel Lavoie—who Quebec adopted—and of course Chic Gamine, who come from my own riding. My province and my city are also home to a world-class symphony orchestra, which was invited to perform an all-Canadian program at Carnegie Hall in New York City last year.
Our commitment to arts and culture remain strong. Last year, we made funding permanent for programs supporting arts and culture. In the 2015-2016 main estimates, aside from Canadian Heritage, the portfolio organizations are receiving $1.8 billion in appropriations. The Canada Council for the Arts, for instance, receives $182 million. This includes the permanent renewal of an investment of $5 million per year.
We support Canada's creative sectors and we recognize the significant cultural and economic contributions they make. For example, in the audiovisual industry, we provide approximately $95 million to Telefilm Canada and close to $60 million to the National Film Board.
We're also proud of our musical sector. Canada is the third-largest exporter of musical talents in the world and the seventh-largest market in the world for recorded music. The Canada music fund gives Canadians and the rest of the world better access to Canadian music. In an average year, the fund helps support over 400 album production projects and 1,100 marketing, touring, and showcasing initiatives.
I am also delighted with the success of our audiovisual sector. Every year, we invest more than $660 million through Telefilm Canada, the National Film Board, Canada Media Fund and through tax credit programs. In 2013-2014, we disbursed $134.1 million through the Canada Media Fund, which has been renewed permanently.
Our support has resulted in some impressive successes. I have had the pleasure of participating in the presentation of the Juno Awards this year, as well as the Canadian Screen Awards, the ADISQ Gala and the Jutra Gala. I saw how much talent this country has, not only in music, but in theatre, visual art and film and video production.
In the fields of arts and culture, Canadians have a lot of choices. And I believe that it should also be true of their access to television.
Of course, we all know that in October of 2013 the Speech from the Throne reiterated our government's belief that “Canadian families should be able to choose the combination of television channels they want.” We said that we would “require channels to be unbundled”. Our commitment to providing Canadians with greater channel choice is just part of our government's plan to take action to ensure greater choice and competition that benefits consumers.
Canadians know that a consumers-first approach is good for everyone. Following the Speech from the Throne, the CRTC launched its Let's Talk TV review of the Canadian television system, a conversation with Canadians so as to examine the televison system in Canada. Our government wants to ensure that the television system fosters choice and flexibility in channel selection, encourages the creation of compelling and diverse programs, and empowers Canadians to make informed choices and have recourse in the case of disputes with their television service providers.
At our request, the CRTC produced a report last April on how to improve Canadian consumers' access to pay and specialty television services on a pick-and-pay basis. After a public process, the CRTC has now put forward the framework to require the industry to provide Canadians with more choice, including an affordable entry-level basic service and the ability to design their own television packages. Our government is pleased that the CRTC has taken into account the views of Canadian consumers in their recent decisions of March 19.
This decision is an important step toward ensuring Canadian consumers enjoy choice and flexibility in their television services. Our government will monitor the implementation of these measures, and we call on all industry players to deliver the choice Canadians deserve as soon as possible.
Mr. Chair and members of the committee, our government has accomplished a great deal in recent years to strengthen our arts and cultural sector, ensure an effective sport system and encourage Canadians to appreciate their history and heritage by learning more about it. We have many initiatives planned between now and 2017, and I am delighted about that.
I would now be pleased to respond to any questions you may have.
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