CCA Bulletin 11/11 - 2011 federal budget from the arts and culture perspective

Just the Facts

After releasing the 2011 Main Estimates several weeks ago, the Hon. Minister of Finance, James Flaherty, today tabled a much anticipated 2011 federal budget. Titled: The Next Phase of Canada’s Economic Action Plan: A Low-Tax Plan for Jobs and Growth, this is the first budget following the end of the government’s Economic Action Plan.

According to the government, the recession has ended, and thus, the economy no longer requires stimulus funding. The big question was whether the budget would offer enough goodies to at least one of the opposition parties to keep the government in power and avoid an election. As it turned out, all three parties, including the NDP, rejected the budget immediately and it is evident that Canadians will soon go to the ballot boxes.

Today, the CCA provides a first blush review of how the 2011 federal budget would have impacted Canada’s arts, culture and heritage sectors had it been passed.

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The general thesis of the 2011 budget claims that the government will build on the success of the Economic Action Plan. Support for the creative economy in the Economic Action Plan amounted to $335 million in investment. According to the government, the next phase’s low-tax plan for jobs and growth will lay the foundation for long-term prosperity by supporting key drivers of economic growth – innovation, business investment, families, communities, education and training – in a responsible manner that preserves Canada’s fiscal advantage (59). (more)