Section 4: On the Horizon

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

Section 4: On the Horizon

There is nothing static about the creative drive and the imagination. The rapid rate of technological change, globalization and changing demographics all have implications on the cultural ecoystem; for this reason, cultural policy is a work in progress.

Technological change, that has brought such innovations as wikis, blogs, podcasts, MP3 players, and peer-to-peer file sharing, to name only a few, means that Canadians can now create, distribute and receive cultural and artistic products through a variety of media that were unimaginable ten years ago. In June 2006 at the Banff World Television Festival, the Minster of Canadian Heritage, Beverly Oda, stated that: “All of our [cultural] industries need positive solutions or risk being left behind. Other nations began to build the policy framework for the new digital world decades ago."

The historical linear production cycle no longer applies as the “do it yourself” approach and access to new technologies allows individuals to create, collaborate, promote, distribute and access new ideas and products independent of traditional gatekeepers found in creative industries. However, the advent of new technologies and almost unlimited access to content are changing the cultural sector in terms of intellectual property, access and distribution rights as “shelf-space” is now unlimited. The challenges that stem from these technological changes have the potential to profoundly affect the rules for Canadian content in broadcasting media, copyright law, and the nature of the support system that has developed over the years.

The rate of technological change has contributed to the equally rapid rise of globalization and its implications for federal cultural policies. Challenges include navigating international trade agreements to guarantee the promotion and distribution of Canadian content and to ensure that workers in the Canadian creative sector remain competitive. Increased levels of connectivity and trade inevitably lead to cross-fertilization of cultural ideas and experiences, leaving Canada, a nation built on immigration, with its policies of diversity and freedom of expression, ideally positioned to take advantage of a multicultural, creative and educated population.

In recent years, the demographics of Canadian society have significantly changed, requiring corresponding shifts in outreach, audience expansion, and sustainable strategies. Canadians of non-European descent, and Aboriginal peoples, now constitute a growing percentage of our population, especially in Canada’s major metropolitan areas. Across Canada, arts groups are adapting to these changes in demographics by testing new approaches to expand audiences from and into these diverse communities. In Ottawa, the Director of English Theatre at the National Arts Centre (NAC) has expanded the education outreach program to include both Aboriginal and Canadian theatre. Another community outreach experiment in Toronto, by Tapestry New Opera Works, mounted a Canadian opera based on the experience of the Chinese workers who built the first national railway. The Iron Road engaged local citizens from the Chinese Canadian community in every aspect of the production, from technical support, to the chorus and soloists. The enthusiastic participation of the community turned this experiment into a major box office success. Similar experiments in other parts of the country recognize that arts programming must be relevant to the interests of a diverse audience in order to remain sustainable.

Canada’s diversity is defined not only along cultural identity lines, but also includes more traditional demographic factors like age. Currently, Canada’s labour force is aging across all sectors, including the arts. The pioneer generation of artistic directors and founders of arts and cultural organizations is facing retirement in the next several years. One challenge for the sector will be the development of a succession plan to provide for the transfer of knowledge to the next generation of cultural managers.

Canadians have a long and enviable history of achievement in cultural policy within an adaptable system, founded on the Canadian “canvas of values and ideals.” Despite technology, globalization and demographics, the key partners—the arts and culture sector, the people of Canada, and their governments (federal, provincial, territories and municipalities)—value a vibrant and inclusive cultural life. This collaboration may, in fact, be an art form in itself—one that encourages everyone to contribute to the ongoing creation of our cultural life.


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