Question Period Note: Support to the Festivals and Live Events Sector

Recent Government of Canada supports provided to sustain the festivals and live events sector.

Our government remains focused on the growth and competitiveness of the arts, culture and heritage sectors in all regions of the country.

Budget 2024 announced $79 million in funding to the Department of Canadian Heritage in support of festivals and live performance:

$31 million for the Canada Arts Presentation Fund;

$23 million for the Toronto International Film Festival;

$15 million for the Shaw Festival Theatre in Niagara-on-the-Lake;

$10 million for Harbourfront Centre in Toronto.

In addition, $20 million in funding has been provided to PrairiesCan to support performing arts organizations based in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.

We have been and will continue to be there for Canadian artists, creators and audiences.

We will continue to provide targeted support to help ensure these sectors can continue to showcase Canada’s vibrant cultural heritage, help artists develop and grow, attract tourists, and improve our quality of life.

Supports announced in Budget 2024 - PCH

$31 million over two years for the Canada Arts Presentation Fund to help support organizations that professionally present arts festivals or performing arts series. A portion of this funding will be used to support the following: La TOHU (Montreal), to support the Festival Montréal Complètement Cirque; the Festival TransAmériques (Montreal); the Sherbrooke Film Festival; the Festival des traditions du monde (Sherbrooke); the Vancouver Fringe Festival.

$23 million over three years for The Toronto International Film Festival, which attracts leading filmmakers and actors from around the world, playing an important role in Toronto’s entertainment and tourism industries.

$15 million in 2024-25 for the Shaw Festival Theatre in Niagara-onthe-Lake, Ontario, which showcases plays by George Bernard Shaw and his era. Funding will support their ambitious All.Together.Now expansion campaign.

$10 million over two years, starting in 2024-25, to support Harbourfront Centre’s ability to make critical capital repairs.

Supports announced in Budget 2024 – other

$20 million over three years proposed for PrairiesCan to support performing arts organizations based in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.

Past support

Funding for festivals and live events at Canadian Heritage has primarily been provided through the Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage (BCAH) program, Canada Arts Presentation Fund (CAPF), Canada Music Fund (CMF), and Celebration and Commemoration Program (CCP).

Since 2020, the following time-limited supports were made available through these programs, all of which concluded by March 31, 2023:

2020-21: Funding from the broader $500 million Emergency Support Fund (over one year) through BCAH ($4.5 million), CAPF ($10.5 million allocated) and the CMF ($32.9 million allocated).

2021-22: The Support for Workers in Live Arts and Music Sectors Fund (one-year) through BCAH ($4.5 million), CAPF ($20 million allocated) and the CMF ($15 million).

2021-22: Budget 2021 included $50 million for the CMF for the Canadian-owned live music sector to weather the pandemic.

2021-22 and 2022-23: Funding from the broader $300 million (over two years) Recovery Fund and $200 million (over two years) Reopening Fund announced in Budget 2021 through BCAH ($16.4 million), CAPF ($35 million allocated) and the CMF ($7 million in 2022-23).

2022-23: The Canada Arts and Culture Recovery Program delivered through CAPF ($4 million allocated) and the CMF as Support to Music Venues and Concert Promoters ($14 million allocated).

The recovery supports outlined above were provided in addition to the following supplemental funds also provided since 2019-20 through various Budget announcements.

CAPF: $8 million in supplemental funds since 2019-20 through various Budget announcements.

CMF: $10 million in supplemental funding to support its program modernization, which, in part, provided expanded funding to recipients’ live music activities.

BCAH: $7 million was provided in supplemental investments for its Local Festivals component from 2019-2020 to 2023-24, and renewed in Budget 2023, which provided $14 million over two years.

CCP: Budget 2021 renewed funds initially committed in Budget 2019, which sunset on March 31, 2024.

In addition, key Canadian Heritage Portfolio partners, such as Telefilm Canada and the Canada Council for the Arts, have complementary funding mechanisms.

Outside of Canadian Heritage:

Recovery support for festivals and live events (with annual revenues of $10 million or more) was provided by Regional Development Agencies through the Major Festivals and Events Support Initiative announced in Budget 2021, at a level of $200 million over two years.

Budget 2023 provided $50 million to Destination Canada over three years to attract major international conventions, conferences, and events to Canada, and $108 million over three years to create the Tourism Growth Program to assist communities, small and medium-sized businesses, and non-profit organizations to develop tourism projects and events.

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