Culture and Heritage Priorities Discussed at Annual Meeting of Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers Responsible for Culture and Heritage

ST. JOHN'S, NL, July 13, 2022 /CNW/ - Federal, Provincial and Territorial (FPT) Ministers Responsible for Culture and Heritage and heads of delegations held their annual meeting to discuss common priorities for 2022–2023. The meeting was co-hosted by Steve Crocker, Minister of Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation for Newfoundland and Labrador, and Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Canadian Heritage.

As agreed in 2021, cooperation between federal, provincial, and territorial governments at this forum focused on three strategic priorities:

• Strengthening the creative economy;
• Strengthening the resources of the culture and heritage sectors; and,
• Strengthening engagement and promotion in the culture and heritage sectors.

The focus of this year's meeting was on recovery of the sector from the COVID-19 pandemic. FPT Ministers Responsible for Culture and Heritage discussed strengthening the creative economy, considerations related to resale rights for visual artists, best practices to help advance equity, diversity and inclusion within the culture and heritage sectors, and possibilities for collaboration on the preservation of heritage. FPT Ministers and heads of delegations also had an informal discussion on the profound impact and evolving nature of online disinformation in Canada.

At a roundtable on recovery, FPT governments exchanged information about their respective initiatives and priorities. The lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the emergence of variants negatively affected the livelihoods of artists and cultural workers. At the same time, Ministers are encouraged by the resilience and innovation they have seen and are looking to the future with optimism.

Ministers received a presentation on data insights that provided high-level analysis of key data and trends for culture and heritage, especially those observed since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest provincial and territorial data indicate that the nominal GDP for Canada's culture sector broadly speaking decreased 6.0% to $55.5 billion between 2019 and 2020, and that jobs fell by 10.6%. Notably, all provinces and territories posted culture job losses in 2020. Nevertheless, the sector has been showing signs of recovery since the fourth quarter of 2021, with its nominal GDP having increased for a sixth consecutive quarter.

Artists play an essential role in the social and economic fabric of Canada. The Ministers agreed that Canada should have a resale right for visual artists and that it is an important step toward improving the economic conditions of Canadian artists, by enabling them to financially benefit from their growing reputations and secondary sales as their careers progress. The Ministers also recognized that ongoing engagement between the federal government and provinces and territories will result in a better understanding of the challenges artists face to make a living from their works and will support the future implementation of a resale right for artists.

Ministers discussed opportunities for collaboration on the conservation of historic places, as well as best practices for advancing equity, diversity and inclusion in the culture and heritage sectors. To that end, they also reaffirmed their respective commitments to help strengthen support with respect to diversity within the sector in an appropriate way to their unique situations, thereby making it more meaningfully inclusive, responsive and relevant to all communities.

Before the FPT meeting, Ministers met with leaders of National Indigenous Organizations. Discussions noted the importance of ongoing dialogue and exchange of information, and all parties stressed the importance of advancing reconciliation.

Ontario will host the next Ministers' meeting in 2023.

Quotes

"As the world is changing, we face many challenges. The arts, culture and heritage sectors have shown remarkable resilience—we must continue to support them. That is why we are also working to make Canadian stories accessible, support a free and independent press, and ensure that Canadians are able to express themselves freely online without fear of harm. Through our combined efforts with provinces and territories, I am confident we can support a strong and vibrant cultural industry here in Canada."

—Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Canadian Heritage

"Newfoundland and Labrador is known throughout Canada and around the world for its unique cultural identity and artistry. It has been a privilege to host the FPT Ministers Responsible for Culture and Heritage right here in Newfoundland and Labrador. I hope you have enjoyed your time in our province and have had the opportunity to experience just some of what we have to offer. These meetings have reinforced our collective commitment to keep collaborating on mutual goals and has presented opportunities for us to work together and explore future initiatives that will benefit our industries as they continue to recover."

—Steve Crocker, Minister of Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador

Quick Facts

The culture sector was severely impacted during the pandemic. The provincial, territorial and federal governments moved quickly and effectively to provide adequate support to help the various culture subsectors recover.

The culture sector supports approximately 677,448 jobs, rising 1.3% since the fourth quarter of 2021.

Gross domestic product (GDP) for culture recorded its seventh consecutive increase in the first quarter of 2022. Nominal culture GDP increased 2.5% to $16.0 billion during the first quarter of 2022, with GDP steadily rising since the third quarter of 2020. The culture sector continued to gain jobs, led by increases in the visual and applied arts (+3,953 jobs or 2.6%) and live performance (+3,027 jobs or 4.9%) subsectors.

While 6 of 9 subsectors have returned to quarterly GDP totals above pre-pandemic levels, others continue to struggle. The live performance subsector saw GDP decrease by almost half (-45.4%) in the second quarter of 2020 and has yet to fully recover. This subsector's GDP and jobs are currently sitting at 10.3% and 12.3%, respectively, below pre-pandemic levels.

Despite lagging other subsectors, live performance has shown some of the fastest GDP growth by rising 46.8% since the fourth quarter of 2020. The Live performance subsector has posted three consecutive quarterly increases in both GDP and jobs since the second half of 2021, as restrictions loosened and people felt more comfortable attending large indoor and outdoor gatherings.

SOURCE Canadian Heritage

(media only), please contact:Laura Scaffidi, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage, [email protected]; Tina Newhook, Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, 709-729-4570, 728-2837, [email protected]; Media Relations, Canadian Heritage, 819-994-9101, 1-866-569-6155 [email protected]