Ottawa, March 27, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Commissioner Calls on Canadian Heritage Minister for a New Vision for Arts and Culture
The Commissioner of Official Languages, Graham Fraser, is calling on the Minister of Canadian Heritage, Josée Verner, to outline a long-term vision of the government’s plans for the development of the arts and culture in official language minority communities. The Commissioner made this recommendation in a study on Federal Government Support for the Arts and Culture in Official Language Minority Communities, released today.
“Federal institutions that have a mandate related to the arts and culture have made great strides in taking the needs of these communities into account,” said Mr. Fraser. “There are more tools and programs available, and more dialogue and more systematic consultations are taking place. Still, the government must have a clearly articulated, long-term vision of how it is going to support artists and their organizations in official language minority communities.”
Artists and their organizations in official language minority communities face particular challenges. In Quebec, minority artists have to deal with demographic decline, and many Quebec artists find it difficult to increase their visibility outside of Montréal and in the rest of Canada. For Francophone communities, the main challenges are remoteness, insufficient provincial support and infrastructure, and limited opportunities for cross-Canada visibility. Visibility issues are partly due to a lack of initiatives to foster cultural dialogue between the English and French communities throughout Canada.
“Federal institutions must examine linguistic duality issues, foster understanding between the cultures and suggest how federal programs can better support these objectives,” said the Commissioner. “English-speaking and French-speaking artists have something unique and powerful to contribute to the national conversation.”
The 2003 Action Plan on Official Languages showed how a coordinated effort by government departments based on well-defined objectives can bring about positive and concrete results for communities. Unfortunately the arts and culture were left out of this plan. “The arts and culture are inextricably linked to linguistic and cultural identity, and should be a part of the comprehensive initiative that will replace the current Action Plan,” said Mr. Fraser. “Federal institutions must commit to working together and with communities to contribute to the development of the arts and culture. Injecting new resources into the system and showing a renewed commitment to supporting the arts and culture will help showcase the many talents in Canada’s official languages communities and will enhance their vitality.”
The Commissioner emphasized the need for stable, adequate funding of the arts and culture and equality of access to federal programs; better community representation in federally-funded organizations and improved infrastructure to support cultural activities. Mr. Fraser issued a total of 17 recommendations to the federal government and to federal organizations involved in the arts and culture to identify ways to improve support to artists in official language minority communities.
Please consult the study and the backgrounder for further details.
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For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Robin Cantin
Manager, Media Relations
Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages
Telephone: 613-995-0374
Cellular: 613-324-0999
Toll-free: 1-877-996-6368
E-mail: robin.cantin@ocol-clo.gc.ca
