Culturescope.ca - Canadian Cultural Policy 101 <br><i>September 2006</i>

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Look out for future editions in the Canadian Cultural Policy 101 series that will take a closer look at the key elements of Canadian cultural policy creation and implementation at the provincial, territorial and municipal levels.

Table of Contents

Section 1: Canadian Cultural Policy 101: An Overview of the Federal Role in the Cultural Ecosystem

Fundamental Values and Ideals
Section 2: The Evolution of Federal Cultural Support

Section 3: Developing and Sustaining Cultural Expression and Shelf Space

Benchmarking Cultural Policy
Strengthening the Sector
Partners

Section 4: On the Horizon

Section 5: All Resources

Special thanks to Keith Kelly, the Canadian Conference of the Arts, the International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies, and the Strategic Policy, Planning and Research Branch of the Department of Canadian Heritage for their cooperation in the development of Canadian Cultural Policy 101 In Focus.

For a more complete examination of Canadian cultural policies, please refer to the Observatory's Timeline of Federal Cultural Policy Milestones and the Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe and Canada.

Section 1: Canadian Cultural Policy 101: An Overview of the Federal Role in the Cultural Ecosystem

Federal Canadian cultural policy is founded on legislative instruments created through the consultative advice of provincial and territorial governments, municipalities, the private sector, civil society, and finally the creative sector itself, all of which remain key partners in cultural policy’s continued development and implementation. The common elements of the many dimensions of Canadian cultural policy include the following:

Canada's broad canvas of values and ideals;

the legislative infrastructure designed to actuate these ideals through a regulatory and financial support framework for content development and ownership relating to cultural industries and the management of intellectual property;

specific measures designed to address the needs and realities of individuals and defined groups within Canadian society who play a role in the sustenance and development of Canadian cultural expression; and,

ensuring maximum cultural choice for all Canadians given the close proximity to the United States, the largest exporter of cultural goods and services worldwide.

Each of these elements will be examined to assess where Canadians have been, where we are now and what the shape of Canadian cultural policy may be in the future.

Fundamental Values and Ideals

The exploration of federal cultural policy in Canada begins by examining the British North America Act (1867) and other components of the Canadian Constitution. The essence of Canadian cultural self-awareness is embedded in this legislation, the key elements of which recognize:

French and English as the official languages of Canada, and provisions to ensure that they remain keystone elements of Canadian history and identity;

the aboriginal peoples as integral to understanding the Canadian experience;

the multicultural nature of Canada; and,

freedom of thought, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication, as enshrined in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Throughout its history, Canada has placed a special value on a distinct multicultural Canadian identity and ensuring maximum cultural choice. Federal support for these ideals can be found in the 1947 Canadian Citizenship Act, the establishment of the 1963 Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism that issued a six-volume report between 1967 and 1970, and the Canadian Multiculturalism Act and the Official Languages Act, which were enacted in 1985. The government has sought to ensure these values not only domestically, but also internationally. In 2005, Canada became the first nation to accede to UNESCO’s Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Contents and Artistic Expressions, in whose conception and development of which Canada had played a catalyzing role.

As a defined key group within Canadian society that plays an integral role in the development and sustenance of Canadian cultural expression, policy makers have created specific initiatives attempting to safeguard Aboriginal peoples’ interests. Cultural participation for Aboriginal people is quite high relative to the overall Canadian population and a variety of specific measures have been designed to enable wide distribution and maximize the contributions of Aboriginal creators and their creative expressions. These include the Northern Native Broadcast Access Program, the Aboriginal Languages Initiative, and the Aboriginal Peoples Collaborative Exchange composed of the National and International Grant Program, the Aboriginal Peoples Music Program, the Aboriginal Media Arts Program, and the Artists and Community Collaboration Fund.

The Supreme Court has also played an important role in redefining and defending some of the aforementioned constitutional components of the Canadian cultural framework. The Judiciary has been called upon to decide the acceptable limits on freedom of expression (Butler decision and the Sharp decision), the rights of intellectual property owners and rights of official language minority communities.

Guides & Case Studies

PDF Version - Canadian Cultural Policy 101: An Overview of the Federal Role in the Cultural Ecosystem

Federal Canadian cultural policy is founded on legislative instruments created through the consultative advice of provincial and territorial governments, municipalities, the private sector, civil society, and finally the creative sector itself, all of which remain key partners in cultural policy’s continued development and implementation.
Creator(s): Canadian Cultural Observatory | Date Published: 2006-09-14

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culturecanada.gc.ca

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