The Creative Industries Coalition is pleased to note that Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland’s second federal budget, while fiscally prudent, includes some further financial support for the live performing arts sector, including $50 million to “compensate Canadian arts, culture, and heritage organizations for revenue losses due to public health restrictions and capacity limits.”
The Coalition has worked hard to share the message, the live performance industry cannot just flip a switch, turn the lights on, and go back to work. Continued support for the arts sector is critical in its recovery and this program aims to provide engagers with the confidence required to produce in the current climate. The hope is that additional funding will encourage more production and larger scale projects, and ultimately, create more work opportunities for arts workers across the country.
A further $22.5 will be provided over the next five years to the Canada Arts Training Fund, that will hopefully assist in the retention of artists in the industry and encourage the next generation of Canadian artists. Additionally, this fund will directly support Indigenous and racialized arts training organizations to address historical inequities and increase the participation, promotion, and representation of historically underserved communities.
Created in response to the pandemic, the Creative Industries Coalition is a live performance lobbying collective comprised of Equity, IATSE, the Canadian Federation of Musicians (CFM) and the Associated Designers of Canada (ADC).
A copy of the complete budget is available
here. Included in the document are other areas of specific supports that may address the circumstances of some artists, including subsidized dental care, support for affordable housing, and a number of diversity and inclusion initiatives.