The National Culture Summit kicked off the first night of activities Monday night at the National Arts Center in Ottawa. For the occasion, there were cultural sector leaders from all over the country. Also on hand was Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, where he gave statements.
Trudeau confirmed that the Canadian Performing Arts Worker Resilience Fund, launched in February, will provide $ 50 million to independent arts workers affected by the pandemic.
Mr. Trudeau also praised Canada’s richness in terms of its cultural diversity. He recalled the importance of art to the economy, especially its positive effects on other businesses, such as restaurants, he underlined.
The cultural sector represents 726,600 people working in Canada, including 158,100 professional artists. The cultural gross domestic product (GDP) recorded its fifth consecutive increase in the third quarter of 2021; this is 97% of the pre-pandemic level. At the same time, live performance GDP lagged behind and reached 53.4% of its pre-pandemic figures.
A report more people with governments
Union des artistes president Sophie Prégent noted that performing arts artists are the people who have suffered the most from the health crisis. He made a point to highlight the positive effects of the pandemic on the cultural community, including the creation of tools salutary to save the artists and a report more people with governments.
Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez said last month’s budget allocated $ 12 million for the National Arts Center to support Canada’s commercial and non-profit productions.
The National Culture Summit is primarily intended to help the arts and culture sectors recover from the pandemic. This is an opportunity for art leaders to discuss ways to support their own recovery.
The event also addresses the role of digital platforms in the arts, culture and heritage sectors.
The National Culture Summit runs through May 4 at the National Arts Center also in virtual form.
Source: Radio-Canada
