On Tuesday, October 2nd, 2018, over 100 arts advocates from across Canada traveled to Parliament Hill to deliver the messages of the Canadian Arts Coalition and to encourage continued investment in our vibrant and creative sector. Teams of advocates met with Parliamentarians in order to have productive discussions about our growing industry while expressing our specific and current needs from the Minister of Canadian Heritage and the Minister of Finance.
The Coalition’s messaging this year was focused on addressing weak links in the creative value chain. In order to create synergies with previous federal investments, Arts Day delegates sought support in three areas:
- Arts presentation in Canadian communities;
- Training and internships; and,
- Charitable donation incentives.
In total, we had 94 meetings with 104 delegates representing 77 arts organizations. These messages were well received by 75 MPs of the Liberal, Conservative, NDP, Bloc, Green parties as well as 2 independent MPs and 17 Senators. We met with Ministers and/or staff from Canadian Heritage, Small Business and Export Development, National Revenue, Indigenous Affairs, Indigenous-Crown Relations, Refugees, Citizenship and Immigration, Tourism and La Francophonie, Environment and Democratic Institutions. Meeting highlights of the day were connecting with the Leader of the Green Party, advisors to the Leader of the Opposition and NDP, Heritage Parliamentary Secretary and Opposition Heritage critics for NDP and Bloc Quebecois.
