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e-5061 (Culture and heritage)
E-petition
Initiated by Andrew Ferguson from Cambridge, ON, Ontario
Original language of petition: English
Petition to the Government of Canada
Whereas:
- Arts and artists enhance community health and well-being by promoting social inclusion, improving mental health, and supporting underrepresented communities through advocacy, visibility, and intercultural dialogue;
- Arts and culture contributed $54.8 billion to Canada’s GDP and 914,000 jobs, representing 4.4% of all Canadian workers in 2021;
- Consistent, reliable, and long-term funding empowers organizations and artists to better strategize and plan for their future endeavors;
- Public data reveals substantial regional inequities in federal funding provided through the Canada Council for the Arts;
- The Regional Development Agency model has proven successful in other areas of government funding, and could serve to ensure a more equitable geographic distribution of federal resources;
- Artists from underrepresented and equity-deserving groups face numerous barriers in accessing funding, and public funding is integral to their success.
We, the undersigned, citizens of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to 1. Restore the Canada Council for the Arts' granting budget to $500 million annually to ensure a more equitable distribution of resources while maintaining existing funding commitments.
2. Amend the Canada Council for the Arts Act to adopt the use of the Regional Development Agency model to ensure equitable regional funding.
3. Meaningfully consult with diverse and historically underfunded communities to ensure equitable regional funding nationwide is balanced with increased funding accessibility for artists and arts organizations from underrepresented and equity-deserving backgrounds.
- Open for signature
- July 19, 2024, at 11:45 a.m. (EDT)
- Closed for signature
- October 17, 2024, at 11:45 a.m. (EDT)
