CCA Bulletin 4/11 - From the Desk of Alain Pineau: Members of Parliament return to the Hill

With January already behind us, politicians are back in Ottawa today to resume their legislative business. All this in the midst of increasing speculation that the life of this Parliament may come to an end as soon as the Minister of Finance stands up in the House of Commons to deliver the budget speech. Speculation will likely continue for the next eight to 10 weeks. 

As it happens, the CCA will be very active around the Hill this week with a number of events. Here are some key activities to look out for.

Copyright Bill C-32 hearing

The CCA will appear before the legislative committee on Bill C-32 tomorrow, February 1, at 11 am (EST) .  We will be on the same panel as Bill Freeman of the Creators' Copyright Coalition. Tune in on Parlvu to hear us discuss why we believe that as it now stands, Bill C-32 is not in the best interest of artists and creators and detrimental to Canada’s global competitiveness. The main criticism that will be raised by the CCA is that the bill proposes a “one-size-fits-all” approach which clearly satisfies the big players and international business interests, but which is totally irrelevant to the majority of Canadian musicians, writers, actors, painters and other artists and cultural creators.  In its current form, C-32 sets the stage for the destruction of the collective system of rights management. As an alternative, the bill offers an unworkable remedy of implementing digital locks and relying on litigation, two options artists neither want nor can afford. Worse still, the bill takes away recognized rights and revenue – over $ 126 million a year and counting - in exchange for vague promises of a better future. (more)

CCA Bulletin 3/11 – Nothing like a CRTC submission to start the year off right!

Just the facts

On February 1, the CRTC will begin hearings on the application by Bell Canada Enterprises Inc. (BCE) to acquire full control of CTVglobemedia Inc. (CTVgm) and its licensed broadcasting subsidiaries. The Canadian Conference of the Arts (CCA) has filed a short brief in which it presents its position on the two fundamental issues raised by BCE’s application, namely: the necessary public benefits package to be included in this large transaction and the impacts of the ever increasing conglomeration of broadcasting and media platforms in Canada

There is little doubt that the transaction will be approved, as in late October, the Commission approved the takeover of Canwest properties by Shaw Communications. Interestingly enough, the same day it authorized the Shaw/Canwest deal, the Commission announced it would hold a hearing to examine the implications of such a mega-acquisition. Chairman Konrad von Finckenstein was quoted as saying, “The broadcasting industry is being significantly reshaped by a series of major transactions. As a regulator, it is only prudent that we study the implications to ensure we have the right tools to deal with competitive concerns as they arise." (more)

CCA Bulletin 2/11 - The US government turns up the heat on cultural diplomacy: Can we hope that Ottawa will do the same?

Just the facts

For the past four years, the Canadian Conference of the Arts (CCA) has deplored the fact that the federal government no longer has a coordinated strategy for the promotion of Canadian artists and cultural works to national and international audiences and markets. Beyond the purely economic aspects, we have also expressed concerns about the fact that Ottawa has all but abandoned cultural diplomacy as part of its foreign policy. This is why we were particularly interested in examining our neighbours south of the border, where the concept of cultural diplomacy seems to be enjoying a revival after having been somewhat cast aside after the end of the Cold War.

On Friday, January 7, the United States Embassy in Ottawa hosted a livestream viewing party and discussion on cultural diplomacy. The presentation, titled “Culture in Diplomacy: A New Era for Arts & Cultural Relations,” was led by Ann Stock, Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, and broadcast from the annual conference of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP) in New York City. The panel included the Quebec Minister of Culture and Communications, Ms. Christine St-Pierre.(more)

CCA Bulletin 01/11- From the Desk of Alain Pineau: A nice way to start the year!

I hope the holiday break was great for all of you! It sure was for the CCA secretariat and frankly, it’s a good thing because we have a very busy calendar ahead of us! On the policy front, Bill C-32 and copyright are major priorities, but there are also the upcoming CRTC hearings regarding the purchase of CTVglobemedia by BCE. We are in the final stages of preparation for our third Thinking Culture forum (on copyright on January 25). Internally, the secretariat is organizing the upcoming election of CCA board members and is in the process of planning the new board’s first strategic session in June. We have also launched a call for nominations for the 2010 CCA awards. And of course, there is the possibility of a federal election in the spring which could throw a wrench into the works!

I returned to work last week to a piece of good news. The Department of Canadian Heritage has published the results of the five-year summative evaluation of the Arts, Culture and Diversity Program under which the CCA and the Coalition for Cultural Diversity (CCD) are funded. Since we are the only two recipients of this program, its evaluation amounts to a third party appraisal reviewing not only how the program fits in with the government’s priorities, but also how well the two organizations deliver through their contribution agreements with Heritage. This report is therefore critical to the future funding of the CCA and the CCD. As you will see below, the report also includes conclusions of interest for the whole arts, culture and heritage sector. (more)