The ED Report, November 2020

Dear friends and colleagues,

I imagine November finds many of us disheartened with the resurgence of COVID-19 and the ongoing uncertainties of the future, but I encourage you to continue to reflect that it is also a time of opportunity.

This week, I attended one of the Canada Council’s Strategic Planning Community Dialogue sessions (that’s a mouthful) along with 60 colleagues from across the country. Director Simon Brault was in attendance, asking for feedback about the sustainability and relevance of their current investments.

The feedback they received from their recent online survey indicated that stakeholders want the Council to: make a stronger commitment to anti-racism and anti-discrimination; increase the income of artists; and ensure the equitable distribution of funding. The expectations of the Council for the next five years are for continued support, increased funding, demonstrated leadership in diversity and inclusion and new models of funding. It was encouraging to hear that the Canada Council is committed to being more inclusive, is eager to address the legacy of colonialism and intent on shaping a future that supports a green and equitable world.

The discussion covered a range of topics, and we were encouraged to offer concrete examples of how the Council could remain sustainable when there is so much need for recovery funding and the sector is seeing a shift to digital creation and dissemination. 

I spoke about the need for our sector to become more relevant to the well-being of our communities by addressing the issues of inequity that have been laid bare by COVID-19. I suggested that one way to do that was to broaden our understanding of professional artistic practice to encourage cross-sectoral partnerships with health care, education, social justice and climate change.  

I also talked about the connection between sustainability, relevance and accessibility. If you subscribe to UNESCO’s concept that the right to participate in cultural life and the right to freedom of expression is a basic human right, then the barriers which deny everyone access to the arts should be scrutinized.

I feel grateful that I had the opportunity to hear from others and I applaud the Canada Council for their willingness to consult with their stakeholders. If you have ideas about how the Council can make their investments more sustainable, please take the time to share your opinions by emailing plan@canadacouncil.ca before November 16.  

Let’s take the opportunity we’ve been given to make our voices heard.

Take care,

Brenda Leadlay
Executive Director
BC Alliance for Arts + Culture