CCA Bulletin 20/10 - The Long-Form Census Controversy and the Arts

Just the Facts
On June 26, as Canadians were focused on the G-8 and G-20 meetings in Toronto, the government discretely announced its decision that the long-form census would no longer be compulsory. The census, which is sent every five years by Statistics Canada to a fifth of Canadian households, would be replaced by a voluntary survey of a full third of Canadian households. The short version of the national census, which contains only eight questions, remains compulsory and protected by the Constitution.

Statistics Canada was not consulted on this decision but simply asked to provide alternative solutions, none of which, they recognize, will provide the same quantity and quality of information. While no solution can adequately compensate for the change in methodology, the extended voluntary Household Survey will cost Statistics Canada an estimated $ 30 million more to administer a system which all statisticians describe as faulty. (more)

CCA Bulletin 15/10 - Amending the Copyright Act: What’s in it for Artists?

Analysis

Yesterday, the Conservative government tabled for first reading in the House of Commons Bill C-32, an Act to modernize the Canadian Copyright Act. This much awaited piece of legislation has been the object of much speculation and concern from both sides of what has been, and will no doubt continue to be a hot public debate.

The document has 65 pages of references for changes to the current Act and the deciphering of this information has started in various offices across the country. Some amendable deficiencies have already been identified by both sides of the great divide between copyright holders and copyright users/consumers. C-32 is the most recent attempt – and the third one in five years - at bridging this divide for at least for five years. One of the most interesting aspects of C-32 is that it makes for a quinquennial mandatory revision of the Copyright Act.(more)

What are your thoughts on copyright reform? Comment below!

CCA Bulletin 14/10 - Harmonized Sales Tax: What does it mean for the arts?

Just the Facts

In December 2009, the Ontario legislature and the House of Commons and Senate enacted legislation for a harmonized sales tax (HST) to be implemented on July 1, 2010. Bill C-62 received Royal Assent in the House of Commons on December 15, 2009 and laid out the Provincial Choice Tax Framework Act.

This legislation replaces Ontario’s retail sales tax (RST) with the HST. The HST will have a combined sales tax rate of 13% (combining the existing 5% federal goods and services tax (GST) and 8% from Ontario). All businesses currently registered for GST will automatically be registered for the Ontario HST on July 1, 2010. British Columbia is also set to merge its 7% provincial sales tax with the GST on July 1, 2010. (more)

Comment below and let us know what you think about the implementation of HST.

CCA Bulletin 13/10 - Towards a Canadian national digital strategy?

Just the facts

The federal government launched this week a nation-wide consultation, on the development of a national digital strategy. The announcement was made jointly by Ministers Clement (Industry), Moore (Heritage) and Finley (Human Resources and Skills Development) at the Canada 3.0 Conference on digital media.

Minister Moore is quoted as saying that “Our government is committed to ensuring that creators, inventors and entrepreneurs have the incentives to innovate, the confidence to take risks and the tools to succeed. We recognize the important role the digital media and content sector plays in the digital economy, and we intend to develop a long-term plan that will stand the test of time.” (more)

What factors need to be taken into consideration when developing a national digital strategy? What issues matter to you most? Read the rest of our bulletin and post your comments below!

CCA's 2010 Federal Budget Analysis

Here is our executive summary of the 2010 Federal Budget:

The 2010 Budget includes stable funding to arts and culture with no cuts, but also yields no new investments into the creative economy. The CCA sees no investment towards cultural infrastructure, or funds for promotion abroad and audience development. It is encouraging that charities are given more flexible means to conduct business, and research granting associations will have an increased ability to fund higher education within the knowledge economy. Moving forward, some concerns include administrative reforms, freezes on departmental operating budgets, and changes to strategic reviews. These measures may not be viewed as cuts at the moment, but may lead to financial difficulties for the arts sector down the road.

To read the whole analysis, go to our website, then post your comments here - we'd love to hear from you!