January 30, 2009 FEDERAL BUDGET 2009
$335M for arts and culture; $60M for culture infrastructure With the release of the Conservative government's 2009 stimulus budget, it appears that arts and culture groups have been heard. A total of $335 million in support for culture and the arts has been provided for in the document, with $60 million tied to infrastructure-related funding program for culture, including small museums.
Under the heading of Tourism, $100 million has also been designated over two years for marquee festivals and events, and Parks Canada will garner $150 million on a cash basis for improvements and enhancements to visitor facilities, for upgrades to national historic sites, including a number of sites connected with the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812, as well as national historic places owned by not-for-profit groups.
All in all, these funds represent pretty good news for the Canadian arts and culture sector, but there is disappointment also. No additional moneys have been earmarked for Canada Council, no stimulus has been allocated for investment in the promotion of Canadian arts and culture abroad (e.g. Trade Routes and PromArt) and there is no long-term funding providing for the continued sustainability of museums.
The day after the budget, Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore was quoted as saying that he is happy with the budget, while noting that "This is a stimulus budget. A lot of this spending is short term, it's temporary stuff, but, of course, we recognize [the importance of] investing into arts and culture in a short-term way to have a long-term benefit."
It is clear that cuts to culture cost the Conservative party in the last election, particularly in Quebec. But immediately following his appointment, new Minister Moore tried to reverse public opinion, criss-crossing the country, renewing ties with cultural sector leaders and reassuring the culture sector that there would be no cuts to important programs.
Finance Minister Jim Flaherty's new Stimulus Budget provides over $335 million in support for culture and arts - recognizing the importance of our artistic institutions and the role they play in Canadians' lives. The budget's cultural section notes that: "Culture reflects who we are as a nation, how we see ourselves within our country, and how we appear to the world... While resilient in many ways, the cultural sector is plainly also vulnerable to economic shocks. The Government wants to help ensure as much stability as possible for the sector at a time when the sector is facing difficult challenges."
There are six specific areas for cultural spending:
• The new Cultural Spaces Canada Program, provided through the Department of Canadian Heritage, will see an increase of $60 million over two years, in support of infrastructure-related costs for local community cultural and heritage institutions such as local theatres, small museums, and libraries. Examples include the Toronto Public Library revitalization project, Toronto's Famous PEOPLE Players, la Maison du Festival de Jazz in Montréal and the Confederation Centre of the Arts in Charlottetown. This support will be provided through Canadian Heritage programming. Unlike other infrastructure programs, this money will not require matching funds from cities and provinces.
• The National Arts Training Contribution Program has been renewed with an increase of $7 million for this coming year and a budget of $13 million for the next fiscal year.
• Funding for community newspapers and magazines has been provided $30 million over two years. This program replaces the Postal Subsidy previously provided by Canada Post.
• A new initiative called Canada Prizes for the Arts and Creativity, in which significant cash awards will be given to new artists and a media-based curriculum will be established for schools nationwide. This program is allocated $25 million to establish an endowment.
• Funds for the Canada New Media Fund, administered by the Department of Canadian Heritage remains at a consistent level of funding with $28.6 million over the next two years, followed by an annual budget of $14.3 following that, and the Canadian Television Fund is maintained at its 1996 funding level, with $200 million for the next two years.
Read the full budget here
Marie Lalonde
Ontario Museum Association
oma@museumsontario.com
416-348-8672
or toll-free in Ontario 1-866-OMA-8672
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