CHPC Committee Report

Introduction

Conservative members for the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, and indeed, our Conservative Government, strongly support Canadian artists and Canada’s music industry.

As the Minister of Canadian Heritage has said on numerous occasions, the digital age creates countless opportunities for innovation and creativity. Conservative members of the Committee strongly support ensuring the presence and visibility of Canadian music on a wide variety of platforms. In fact, it is essential to the long-term growth of Canadian music.

Our Government has taken concrete steps to allow Canadians to benefit from the new and exciting possibilities of the digital era. This Conservative Government will continue to support Canadians who love music and earn their living making music.

Earlier this year, the Minister of Canadian Heritage announced a renewal of the Canada Music Fund, investing $27.6 million per year for the next five years. In total, this investment provided $138 million to ensure Canadian creators are well equipped to seize the opportunities offered by new technologies in the 21^st century.

The announcement was praised by Canada’s arts and culture community. Pierre Rodrigue, President of MUSICATION, congratulated our Conservative Government “for the confidence you are displaying in the Canada Music Fund. This announcement (…) is essential.”

Heather Ostertag, C.E.O., of FACTOR, said “we are fortunate to have strong leadership and vision from our current government, which recognizes the importance of supporting (…) Canadian identity.”

Renowned Quebec artist Boom Desjardins praised the announcement, thanking the Government “for having confidence in your artists and believing in the Canadian music industry.”

With regard to the changes made to the Canada Music Fund, this government consulted widely, hearing from artists and creators from across the country. Conservative members of the Committee fully support the changes made. 

As the Minister of Canadian Heritage said, and witnesses who appeared before the Committee indicated, these changes will:

• help independent artists and small label operators gain more access to market development of their music than ever before;
• ensure Canadian creators are well equipped to seize the many opportunities offered by digital technology;
• maintain thousands of jobs in these uncertain economic times;
• ensure that a wide variety of Canadian music is accessible on multiple platforms; and reduce bureaucracy and increase the popularity of Canadian artists in Canada and abroad.

The Conservative members of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage have actively participated in a non-partisan way on the committee study of the Canada Music Fund with regard to the Canadian Musical Diversity Component. 

We did so by working with the opposition, by hearing from a number of witnesses and industry professionals closely tied to the program, such as FACTOR, and MUSICACTION, as well as individual artists which the Canada Music Fund impacts directly. The Committee also heard from Canadian Heritage officials who oversee the program and its components.

Our participation included hearing from witnesses invited by all parties. However, it is the opinion of Conservative members of the Committee that many of the statements and assumptions made were misleading, inaccurate, and at times, completely false. As a result, many of the report’s recommendations are also misleading and not supported by Conservative members. 

Conservative Party members of the Standing Committee do not agree that the summary of evidence provides a full enough picture of what was presented during the study, nor do we agree with the recommendations made in the Standing Committee report. We are, therefore, submitting this dissenting report.

Summary of Evidence

In our view, summary of evidence contained in the Committee’s report fails to provide the full scope of testimony that was presented. Too often, the report presents specific examples of witness testimony which, in many cases, excludes the testimony of other witnesses, and does not give a fair or accurate picture of the testimony as a whole.

The reality is that the Government consulted widely, hearing from artists and creators from coast to coast about the proposed changes to the Canada Music Fund. This announcement was lauded by Canadian artists, and during testimony before the Committee, continued to be praised by those in the music community.

Unfortunately, while including many of the views of those opposed to the changes, the Committee report fails to include the widespread views of those who support the Government’s commitment to Canada’s music industry.

This includes Mr. Christophe Papadimitriou, President, L’OFF Festival de jazz de Montréal, Conseil québécois de la musique who stated his group “has nothing against these subsidies and an extension of the funding. We are in complete agreement with that.”

It also includes Alain Pineau, National Director, Canadian Conference of the Arts who re-affirmed “the CCA has publicly rejoiced in the fact that the government has committed to a five-year renewal of the Canada Music Fund. We welcome the fact that the Minister of Canadian Heritage has recognized the need to increase the money available for digital and international market development. Those two sectors of activity will certainly benefit from the increased money they will receive through FACTOR and MUSICACTION.”

Bob D’Eith, Executive Director, Music BC Industry Association had many positive things to say about the decisions made regarding the Canada Music Fund, none of which appeared in the Committee’s report. 

Mr. D’Eith applauded “the government for renewing the Canada Music Fund for five years at full funding levels. This commitment to stability and growth of Canadian music regionally, nationally, and internationally is exactly what the music industry needs.”

Mr. D’Eith also applauded the Government’s outreach to the music community: “many in the industry were consulted,” he said, “on the need to renew the Canada Music Fund and this message was received and acted upon. Making the renewal for five years will allow the industry to plan for the future in order to make real progress in the continuing growth of the music industry.” 

Recommendations

The Committee report makes recommendations which call on the Government to change components of the Canada Music Fund, and in particular, “that the Government restore, in its entirety, the Canadian Music Diversity Project within the Canada Music Fund.” The report also states, falsely, that the Department of Canadian Heritage failed to consult with Canada’s arts community prior to the changes being made.

The renewal of the Canada Music Fund earlier this year was made by our Government with the intention of creating new ways of producing music and making it more accessible for Canadians.

As the Minister of Canadian Heritage stated, “our Government sees the potential that technology offers. We’ve been updating our policies and taking concrete action to benefit from the numerous possibilities of the digital era.”

This was the basis for the decisions that were made regarding the Canada Music Fund.

Conclusion

Our Conservative Government understands the value of arts and culture to our communities, our identity, and our economy. That is why we have made unparalleled investments in this sector – investing more dollars in arts and culture than any Government in history.

In Canada’s Economic Action Plan, our Government announced that we would invest more than half a billion dollars on arts and culture, and in June, we renewed financial programs dedicated to the arts.

In fact, for the first time in history, our Conservative Government committed $504 million over the next five years, bringing our total investment to $1.5 billion over that period.

The renewal of the Canada Music Fund is yet another example of our Government’s support for Canadian artists.

As Conservative members of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, we fully support decisions taken by our Government to deliver support Canadians who love music and make their living making music.

We will continue to work with those in the arts community to ensure Canadians benefit from the new and exciting opportunities of the digital era.