CHPC Committee Report

The Committee reaffirms the importance of the arts culture to the quality of life of Canadians. It is one of Canada’s essential economic drivers, and it contributes significantly to strengthening Canada’s social fabric. The arts and culture reflect the distinctiveness of the people of our country and give it its identity. On the basis of the evidence heard, the Committee feels that it is essential for Canada to maintain a strong international presence for our artists.

The Committee is concerned that the Strategic Review of Arts and Culture Program Expenditures has weakened this identity by undermining what has been accomplished by artists in Canada and abroad.

Because of its small population scattered over a vast expanse, the Canadian market offers limited prospects to Canadian artists. Performing arts companies emphatically argued that they needed to perform abroad to generate additional revenue. International exposure is also an excellent way to make other audiences aware of their creativity and talent.

Representatives from theatre, dance and other performing arts companies repeatedly used concrete examples to demonstrate to us how popular Canadian cultural productions are around the world. In their own way, these companies contribute to Canada’s diplomatic efforts. The witnesses were emphatic about the fact that it took years to build their reputation and credibility.

Several witnesses noted that strictly from an economic standpoint, the financial support received under the Arts Promotion and Trade Routes programs generated business for Canadian passenger and freight transportation companies. Given that these funds were re-injected into the Canadian economy, the cancellation decision is, to say the least, debatable.

Financial support under the Arts Promotion Program is also part of a bigger financial picture. The loss of this support will force theatre and dance troupes to make operating budget cuts in order to be able to go ahead in the short term with the tours that have already been planned. However, layoffs or a reduction in the number of creative works planned will be necessary. The worst-case scenario would compel a number of performing arts companies to cease operations.

Several witnesses told us about the dire repercussions of the Strategic Review on film, video and the media arts, particularly in the field of training. The Canadian Independent Film and Video Fund would disappear, and the INIS would lose part of its funding. A key component of audiovisual, communications and entertainment professional training is thus in jeopardy.

It is difficult for the Committee to comment on the cogency of the decisions made by the Department of Canadian Heritage in its Strategic Review of programs. The evaluation reports sent to us were out of date,and the Department’s analyses are confidential documents.

The Committee also believes that the arts and culture community ought to have been consulted beforehand to identify the potential repercussions of the Strategic Review of Expenditures on their activities. This would have made it possible to identify ahead of time which decisions might potentially jeopardize their performances in Canada and abroad, their operations, and indeed, their very survival. Accordingly, the Committee has reached the following conclusions:

• That cuts to arts programming, particularly the loss of the Department of Heritage’s Trade Routes and Department of Foreign Affairs PromArt had major negative impacts on Canadian arts organizations;
• That the cuts were announced with no apparent deliberation on the impacts that they would have on the long-term budget planning of organizations. None of the organizations undergoing a strategic review by the department and the minister were consulted or engaged, nor were they advised of the cuts that they were going to receive;
• That the coordinated decision to cut two key programs in two different departments that were dedicated to promote Canada’s arts industry in international markets left the impression that these cuts were ideological in nature;
• That the Minister’s department provided no relevant or credible information to explain why these programs were no longer justified; underscored by the decision to withhold all departmental reports used in their deliberations, and by submitting exceptionally outdated reviews to the committee in the place of anything useful;
• That the cuts have had a serious impact on the ability of Canadian arts organizations to continue the development of export markets and are likely to have profound negative implications for the ongoing development of Canada’s arts sector;
• That the Heritage Committee fully rejects the Minister’s decision and calls on the government to reinstate the programs, directly or through the Canada Council for the Arts, or establish new programs with similar objectives.