A. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The arts and culture are inextricably linked to linguistic and cultural identity, and offer us a way of looking at theworld—through a set of lenses that enable us to see more clearly who we are. Participation in the arts and culture, whether as creators, performers, cultural workers or consumers, engenders a sense of belonging. In addition, the arts and culture play a crucial role in the vitality of official language minority communities (OLMCs) and in fostering astrong sense of linguistic and cultural identity. To many members of official language minority communities, being able to fully enjoy a dynamic artistic and cultural life is as important as having access to a good education system.

The measures taken by the federal government to promote the arts and culture of OLMCs should therefore be seen as a crucial element of the overall initiatives to foster the development of these communities.

As a result, the objective of this study was to determine whether the measures taken by the federal government to support the arts and culture in OLMCs are sufficient to ensure that this sector can fully contribute to the vitality of these communities. The measures taken by the federal government to encourage cultural dialogue and linguisticduality through the arts and culture were also examined.

The two fundamental objectives set out in Part VII of the Official Languages Act, community vitality and linguistic duality, provide the framework for this study. Section 41 of the Act reads as follows:

1. The Government of Canada is committed to
   
   
1. enhancing the vitality of the English and French linguistic minority communities in Canada and supporting and assisting their development; and
   
   
2. fostering the full recognition and use of both English and French in Canadian society.
   
   
2. Every federal institution has the duty to ensure thatpositive measures are taken for the implementation of thecommitments under subsection (1). For greater certainty,this implementation shall be carried out while respectingthe jurisdiction and powers of the provinces.

As a result, this study attempted to answer the following questions:

• Concerning the vitality of OLMCs 
  
  
• Are the measures taken by the federalgovernment to promote the arts and culture inOLMCs adequate?
  
  
• Do OLMCs receive their fare share of the moneyavailable through cultural funding programs? 
  
  
• Do artists from OLMCs face particular challengesor barriers that hinder their careers?
  
  
• Does the culture sector have enough support tocontribute to the vitality of OLMCs?
  
  

• Concerning linguistic duality

• Is the federal government making sufficient use of the arts and culture as a means of fostering exchange between the two official language groups?

B. SCOPE OF THE STUDY

Canadian Heritage, the Canada Council for the Arts, the National Arts Centre, the National Film Board and Telefilm Canada are some of the key federal organizations that have a mandate related to the arts and culture. The purpose of the study was to assess the support these departments and Crown corporations provide to OLMC artists and organizations. The study also reviewed two independent organizations that have a mandate from Canadian Heritage to administer funding from the Canada Music Fund: the Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent on Recordings (FACTOR) and MUSICACTION.

The study sets out to examine the issues in a broad manner rather than in relation to individual art forms. While some issues are specific to particular disciplines (some of which are commented on later in the report), the goal of the study was to identify issues that are generally common to artists and arts organizations active in OLMCs.

Excluded from the study are CBC/Radio-Canada and the Canadian Television Fund. The Commissioner of Official Languages is analyzing these two institutions separately. The results will be released in the coming months. This will help complete the picture of the measures taken by the federal government to support the arts and culture in OLMCs.

Also excluded are the National Gallery of Canada and other national museums. According to anecdotal reports from Francophone artists, they may not be equitably represented at the National Gallery of Canada in the various exhibitions, but the Office of the Commissioner nevertheless decided not to examine this situation. It was felt that more complex factors were at play given the mandate of this museum as a showcase not only for Canadian art, but also for art in general, art from around the world and art from all eras. A separate study may be necessary to examine the complex issue of the importance given to Canadian artists from different backgrounds at the National Gallery of Canada.

Other areas of activity in the arts and culture, namely support for periodicals and initiatives to put Canadian culture on-line, were excluded to limit the scope of the study. Instead, a focus was placed on programs that directly affect artists: the ones that give grants to artists, organizations, infrastructure, cultural events, etc.

C. CONTEXT OF THE STUDY

The Official Languages Act was first enacted in 1969 and its purpose is to recognize that English and French are Canada’s official languages and have equal status, and to promote the linguistic duality that is at the heart of Canada’s identity. The Act was amended in 1988 and the amendments included the addition of Part VII, which stipulates that the federal government commits to promoting the vitality of the Anglophone and Francophone minorities of Canada. The goals identified in Part VII entail various obligations for federal departments and agencies.

When it introduced the Action Plan for Official Languages in 2003, the government gave new momentum to the federal policy on official bilingualism. Endowed with an initial budget of $751.3 million, the goal of the Action Plan is to enhance the vitality of Anglophone and Francophone minorities. It addresses health services, immigration issues and access to education in the minority language, literacy and post-secondary education. Unfortunately, it does not include the arts and culture—an omission that was deeply disappointing to the artistic and cultural community in OLMCs, which was left feeling vulnerable. To many people, this omission is symptomatic of a deeper problem, namely that the federal government is not sufficiently aware of the crucial importance of the arts and culture for the vitality of OLMCs.

D. STRUCTURE OF THE REPORT

This study begins with a description of the methodology that was adopted and a description and an analysis of the different programs offering assistance to OLMC artists and organizations. This is followed by the findings from the interviews and the literature review and, finally, the recommendations.

Notes