Heritage Committee calls for reversal of cuts to diversity program

OTTAWA – Government cuts to the Canada Council should not only be reversed but the council should receive a funding increase, says a report by the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage tabled today in the House of Commons.

The cuts to the Canada Council's Grants for Specialized Music Sound Recording and Grants for Specialized Music Distribution had been previously announced by the Government.

The Committee heard in-person testimony from a wide range of witnesses, including representatives from the Heritage department; Canada Council for the Arts; FACTOR; Musication; Le Conseil québécois de la musique; and a host of independent musicians, producers and other stakeholders from a variety of disciplines. The committee also received dozens of written submissions from those who weren’t able to appear in person during the committee’s brief study.

New Democrat critic for Heritage and Culture Charlie Angus ( Timmins-James Bay) said that the testimony heard by the committee clearly showed the need to reverse the damaging cuts.

“For whatever reason, the Conservatives made an awful decision here, and this committee’s report outlines, in detail, why the government should reverse these cuts,” said Angus. “The evidence we heard overwhelmingly illustrated how important these grants were, how little consultation there was with those who knew the most about the grants and how a relatively small amount of funding goes a long way with the Canada Council grants.”

The report reflects the testimony of the overwhelming majority of witnesses, who signalled their support for the Musical Diversity Program. Angus said that the report gives the Conservatives an open field to make up for their reckless decision to axe the grants.

“The Committee went step-by-step through the benefits, costs, and impact of the Musical Diversity Program, and came to the conclusion that any reasonable person would: that this program is important to the future of Canadian music,” he said. “The only reasonable explanation for inaction from the government at this point would be political considerations; it’s clear what the practical policy decision should be.”

The report also praised the work of FACTOR, Musicaction and the Canada Music Fund, and pointed out that there was no compelling justification found for the cuts to the diversity program in the first place.