Equity

in the Arts:
identities lost, found or rebuilt. These narratives
are Canada’s inconvenient truths. They are a
reminder that we still have to do better.
Opening the Doors
Anyone who knows me knows that I am

for a Better Future

convinced that the arts can lead us on a pathway
to a better future. And that the Canada Council,
as a public arts funder has a role in ensuring this
happens. This is the impetus behind the large-
Keynote Address: Opening Gala – Prismatic scale transformation that his now underway at
Festival the Council.
Pier 21, Halifax
September 21 at 7 pm But before we talk about our immediate future,
let’s take a look at our past.
Good evening.
Council then and now
It’s a pleasure and honour to be here with you In 1957, Pier 21 welcomed ships carrying close
this evening. It has already been a full and to 1.2 million passengers from abroad. These
moving day in my first visit in Nova Scotia in an men, women and children would go on to create
official capacity as Director and CEO of the new lives, but often in the face of great hardship
Canada Council for the Arts. and discrimination.

We are, of course, in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and That same year, Mi’kmaq children were living at
unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq People. This the Shubenacadie Indian Residential School, far
afternoon I went to the Mi’kmaw Native from their families, forbidden to speak their
Friendship Centre to visit the exhibition This is language, and subject to other prejudices. This
What I Wish You Knew. It’s a project funded tragic experiment in cultural cleansing was
through the Canada Council’s {Re}conciliation carried out across the country until as recently
program created in partnership with the Circle as the 1990s with deep consequences that
on Philanthropy and Aboriginal Peoples and the endure today.
J.W. McConnell Family Foundation. If you haven’t
seen the exhibition yet, I encourage you to do so. Also in 1957, Halifax’s North Shore Development
It is a strong statement about cultural identities Plan called for the removal of Africville. Despite
and just how defining, complex and multifaceted the protests of its residents, everyone was forced
they can be. to leave; their homes destroyed. The
neighbourhood remains a symbol of Black
Just a few hours ago I had the opportunity to oppression.
tour this building. I was impressed by the sheer
numbers and the personal stories of men, Meanwhile… that same year, back in Ottawa,
women and children who arrived at Pier 21 work has being done to nurture Canada’s
throughout the 20st century. And I’m very fledgling identity. In that post-war era it was felt
conscious of the fact that we are minutes away that Canada had something unique to offer the
from Africville, settled by Black Nova Scotians world – and that the arts could play a valuable
who came here as freed slaves and refugees from role. The Canada Council was established to
the War of 1812. foster the growth of the arts at a time when there
was a lack in infrastructure and support.
These sites speak the many cultures that
comprise Canada. But above all they speak to The Council’s mandate was – and remains –
experiences of tragedy and resilience; highly relevant. In hindsight, however, we can
discrimination and marginalization; and

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see that the Council in 1957 was still very much essential part of our belonging – to a community,
a product of its time. country, society and to humanity itself. includes
clear commitments and actions that will create
The selection of disciplines eligible for funding more opportunities for emerging artists and new
was informed by a Western European vision. The audiences in a way that empowers and gives
Council’s legislation mentioned “architecture, the voice to the full range of creative expression in
arts of theatre, literature, music, painting, our country.
sculpture, and the graphic arts and other similar
creative and interpretative activities” Because a vision alone is not enough. We need a
clear path to achieve it. The courage to face
Over the years, these disciplines would change. adversity. The wisdom to partner with the most
Their boundaries would expand and merge. So progressive forces in society. And the money to
did our understanding of the relations of art to back it up.
society and human development. In the 1990s,
the Council began groundbreaking work to A major step in our transformation is a profound
recognize certain marginalized groups. It created restructuring of our granting programs. We call
an Equity Office and an Aboriginal Arts Office this our New Funding Model. We announced the
which did extraordinary work with the modest first outlines of the programs in the spring.
envelopes of funds that they administered. But We’ve been finalizing the guidelines throughout
still, their sphere of influence remained too the summer, and we’ll be ready to launch them
limited in the larger context of Canada’s in 2017.
professional art sector.
We built this new funding model based on years
In recent years, it has become obvious that the of feedback from the arts community. It is
discipline-based funding structure no longer comprised of 6 national non-disciplinary
works. Globalization, changing demographics, programs. These replace the more than 140
digital technologies. These are all powerful programs that had built up in an organic but
drivers of change in society – and in the arts. somewhat ad-hoc way over the decades. It has
They are challenging the Council to be more been designed to be more inclusive. To give us
inclusive, agile and relevant. more flexibility to adapt to trends as they
emerge. And to give us a greater capacity to react
At the same time, artists like you – from to social shifts in a strategic and timely way.
culturally diverse and Indigenous communities –
still face systemic barriers to the Council’s Then, last spring, just as we were about to
funding. Our applicant base, and Canada’s wider announce the new funding model, the first step
arts sector, still isn’t indicative of the rich in our transformation, the new Federal
diversity of cultures represented in our Government announced an unprecedented
population. reinvestment in the arts. It committed to double
our budget over five years. This represents 550
We have to do more. And we are doing more. million dollars. We have pledged that 88 percent
And I’m here to talk about how we will do it. of that money will go directly to artists and
artistic organizations. This is an increase of a
Seizing an historic moment scale that has never been seen in the history of
I firmly believe that this is an unprecedented the Council – one that makes us a rarity amongst
historic moment for the Council and for the arts arts council’s worldwide.
in Canada. One that we must seize.
At the federal level, momentum for public
Last spring we released our strategic plan support of the arts is high. I realize that’s not the
Shaping a new future 2016-2021. I’m proud of its situation in some of our provinces and cities –
ambitious vision. It positions the arts as an

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but it is still a point of leverage in your work at This is a pivotal time in history when the
the community level. relationship between Indigenous Peoples and
the Canadian state has been called, by John
For example, over the past months, researchers, Ralston Saul, the defining issue of our times.
economists, civic leaders and policymakers have For example, this territory is covered by the
made strong, high-profile statements about the “Treaties of Peace and Friendship” which the
role of public funding of the arts. It has been seen Mi’kmaq and Maliseet people first signed with
as a way to optimize Canada’s diversity, the the British Crown in 1725. The treaties did not
socio-economic benefits of the arts, and the deal with surrender of lands and resources but
power of Canada’s cultural exports in the in fact first recognized the title of these peoples
country’s influence on the world stage. and established the rules for what was to be an
ongoing relationship between nations. And that
This discourse was taken up by the Minister of is what we are trying to do at the Canada
Canadian Heritage, Mélanie Joly and many other Council.
members of the Cabinet, not to mention Justin
Trudeau himself. In fact, right now as I speak, the We know that Indigenous arts hold tremendous
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Stéphane Dion, is potential to change the tide in this relationship
hosting a panel discussion at the United Nations for a common future.
General Assembly in New York. The
topic: “Diversity is Strength.” The conversation As a public arts funder, the Canada Council is
is focused on how we can work together to conscious – in a way we weren’t 60 years ago
leverage the economic, social, cultural and civic and even quite recently – of the deliberate
benefits of diversity and inclusion. attempts throughout our country’s history to
eradicate the cultures and languages of First
It’s obvious that a new social contract, a post- Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. Recognizing the
national state and cultural diplomacy are very existence of a cultural genocide in our own
much at the forefront – all with a strong country can only lead to bold decisions about
relevance for us in the arts. arts funding.

So – all of these factors are coming together. We’ve asked ourselves: How can we turn this
Everything is in place. There will never be a around? How can arts funding contribute to a
more opportune time to be ambitious about the cultural renaissance in the nations that survived
arts in Canada. I want to make sure we don’t this period and are reclaiming their full self-
miss this opportunity for the Council – and for all determination.
of us here – to step up to the plate and make a
lasting impact on the state of the arts, and on the We have an obligation and a responsibility to act;
destiny of our country. to transform the Council to better support
Indigenous artists and communities, on their
In order to do this and to be truly focused on the own terms; to invite the arts to fulfill a
future, we have to create more opportunities for significant role in a journey of conciliation and
those who have traditionally faced barriers to decolonization.
our funding.
One of the most powerful ways we will fulfill this
Indigenous arts and reconciliation – an issue commitment is through what we’ve named the
of nationhood Creating, Knowing and Sharing Program – one of
Communities that urgently deserve much better the six programs under the new funding model.
include First Nations, Inuit and Métis – the
Indigenous Peoples of this land. The program will take a unique approach
informed by the notion of self-determination and
the aspiration of self-governance. This means it

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will be guided by Indigenous artists’ values and When I say the phrase “opening doors,” it
worldviews, administered by staff of Indigenous reminds me of a quote by Rosemary Brown, from
heritage. British Columbia, who as you may know, is the
first black woman to be a member of a Canadian
This program is designed to respond specifically parliamentary body. She wrote:
to the unique communities it serves. For
example, unlike any other Council grant “We must open the doors and we must see to it
program, some funding for small-scale projects they remain open, so that others can pass
is available to non-professional – or aspiring through.”
artists.
Ms. Brown’s statement also applies to the arts.
Applications to the program will be assessed by We recognizing that complex historical, systemic
Indigenous artists and experts. Its impacts will and cultural barriers exist in our society and by
be reported on in an Indigenous cultural and extension in our arts ecology and public
artistic context. It will both inform and be institutions.
informed by global movements for Indigenous
rights. To advance equity in the arts, we need to open
the doors so that all artists have opportunities to
And this fundamental change in thinking is create and disseminate work.
backed by a significant financial commitment.
Over the next 5 years, we intend to almost triple We need to open the doors so that citizens of all
our investments to Indigenous artists and arts backgrounds can access art, engage with it and
organizations. see themselves in it.

I’m also immensely proud to be able to honour a And if we recognize that Canada, as one of the
personal commitment I made when I arrived at most diverse countries, has great cultural
the Council. That is, to create, for the first time, treasures, unique practices and excellent artists
an Executive leadership position for a person of to share with the world… Then, as the national
Indigenous heritage. public funder, the Council has a role in fulfilling
this potential and capacity for the benefit of all
To sum it up in a phrase, I would say that we’ve Canadians.
approached our support of Indigenous arts is an
issue of nationhood. But for the Council, equity isn’t just a principle.
It’s a process. We realized that to have a greater
We see our approach to supporting equity in the impact in terms of equity and diversity –
arts as an issue of inclusion. An issue of building especially in the context of a doubled budget –
the sustainability of the arts in Canada. And it we need to move beyond a purely vertical top-
must be intrinsically tied to advancing diversity down approach. We want to take a more
within the professional arts sector, and the horizontal approach where equity is made a
audiences that we want to engage with. reality – and diversity becomes a non-negotiable
priority that we are all accountable for. Not just
Equity – an issue of inclusion for one section of the Council. But across all our
For the Council, equity and diversity is about programs and activities. And not just informed
empowering and “opening the doors” to artists from the top down, but rather from the ground
and audiences from communities that have been up.
marginalized and disenfranchised because of
race, age, disability, economic status, genre, or This means that rather than concentrating our
sexual orientation. interventions in a small set of programs run by
one office, we want to have an impact across all
programs through strategic mechanisms and

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measures. We want equity and advancement of “composite grants.” This will allow these groups
diversity to be a priority across our organization. to access adequate funding that covers multiple
And more importantly we want it to be projects at one time. At the same time, it
embraced by the wider professional arts recognizes the diverse organizational structures
community asking for more public funding. This in which artists are currently working.
is where we can have a greater and a more
sustained impact. Some of you have previously accessed our grants
as “cultural connectors.” You play a key role as
As I said from the beginning, our transformation movers and shakers in your communities and we
is not about leaving anyone behind – especially will continue to offer project funding for this
not the artists and groups that have been important work.
historically disadvantaged. We are transforming
to become more inclusive. To break down We are introducing new policies for our peer
barriers. To scale up our impact. assessment process. This will help us to optimize
the expertise of our peers by focusing their time
Artists, like many of you who have accessed our on the qualitative evaluation of grant
targeted programs in the past, will continue to applications. Council, on the other hand, will be
be well-served by our new programs. But we responsible – in a fully transparent way – for
hope they will give you even more opportunities making the budget decisions in line with the
and funding options. And for those of you who peer assessment. Some of you have served on
have never before applied to the Council, we our peer assessment committees – and I hope
hope that you will now find some entry points to you will continue to bring your expertise and
our programs. insights on diverse arts practices to this vitally
important process. We’ll be launching a call for
Here are a few concrete ways that we’re making peer assessors in December. I encourage you to
this happen. apply.

We know that arts organizations are key There are also other changes and interventions
partners is building community and in nurturing pertaining to the new funding model that will be
arts practices. That’s why we will be asking particularly interesting for many in this room.
organizations that ask for core (or operational)
funding to be more accountable and to take bold Take note of this commitment because it is
steps to advance equity and reflect diversity. It’s extraordinary: we will invest twenty-five percent
not just a matter of checking off a box on an (25%) of our new funds to first-time grant
application form. The funding criteria will call on applicants. This will open doors to many young,
them to be sure that their leadership, staff, culturally-diverse and deaf and disability artists
programming and outreach reflect the diversity who haven’t yet sought out Council funding. I’m
of their community. thrilled about this direction and look forward to
seeing the exciting work that will come out of
I’m really excited about this change. We are the this major investment in emerging artists.
only arts council I know of that is doing this by
providing the opportunity to access significantly Equity-seeking groups have been some of the
more funding. most innovative in promoting and advancing
non-traditional art-forms. Our new funding
We also know that some of the groups doing the model recognizes more fields of practice
most exciting work in culturally diverse and Deaf (including circus arts, Deaf and disability arts,
and disability arts communities are not digital arts, music and “sound” arts). And it
organized around the non-profit model that the builds in flexibility to more easily support
Council has unintentionally favoured for so long. emerging fields of practice as they develop.
That’s why we are introducing what we call

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Many of you are doing fascinating work in the This global approach to advancing equity and
digital realm – or you may be looking for more diversity is perfectly aligned with the Council’s
ways to reach a broader audience. We are larger goals – to have the arts play a larger role
developing a digital strategy in order to better in creating the policies that will shape our future.
support innovation. We will be releasing the And that’s where I want to end this evening…
results of a survey we conducted recently to get
input from the arts community. And I invite you Equity in the arts = a better future for us all
to watch for details on a digital summit we will
be hosting in Montréal in March 2017. These will Worldwide, it’s obvious that the gap in
guide a very substantial investment we’ll be understanding and empathy between cultures is
making in a Strategic Fund we’re calling “Arts in only growing. We can certainly observe this in
the Digital World” which will complement and the ongoing electoral campaign south of our
support our 6 new funding programs. boarder. In Europe, this summer alone the
public discourse was full of heated, often
Finally – I want to flag another opportunity. It’s misinformed and racist rhetoric around Brexit
not a program under the New Funding Model, and burkinis. Running deep beneath these
but it is the first special initiative we’ve launched debates are issues around cultural rights and
with our new budget allocation. This one-time empowerment. Addressing these issues is key to
program we call “New Chapter” has been set up coming together as a society.
to mark the 150th anniversary of Confederation.
I see equity and diversity in the arts as a way of
For this program we’re looking for projects that reimagining and revitalizing the concept of
interpret Canada in 2017 and envision our Canadian citizenship at home and abroad. A
shared future. We’re looking for powerful, daring healthy and diverse arts milieu can help counter
and exceptional projects. This is an opportunity fragmentation and disenfranchisement. It can
for you to take greater risks and think big. The stimulate engagement amongst communities and
final deadline is October 31. I invite you to find generate a refreshed sense of belonging.
out more about New Chapter on our website.
Because if we want a society that is creative and
Now, I want to take a moment to look beyond altruistic, resilient and peaceful, harmonious and
granting programs… because the Council’s prosperous. A society where each person is able
commitment extends to all of our activities. to express themselves fully and freely. Then we
have to encourage the most authentic and wide-
The Equity Office has done exceptional work ranging engagement of citizens with the arts,
over the years. It has built the Council’s internal culture and heritage.
capacity to understand and appreciate diverse
arts practices and the unique challenges of For me personally – and for all of us at the
artists in marginalized communities. It has also, Council, if in 10 years, we see the same
within the scope possible given its limited distribution of funds, it will mean that we failed
budget and resources, helped artists and to seize this moment in history to make real
organizations like you to build your capacity. change on the equity front, to make real change
in the arts sector and in Canadian society. We are
Now, rather than administering small funding determined to make real change.
programs, Equity Office will take a more
strategic role within the Council. It will develop Recently the celebrated philosopher and
the framework, policy and measures that will intellectual Achille Mbembe was interviewed on
allow us to set, meet and report out on our the state of cultural conflict around the world.
ambitious goals across the organization and in What he said inspired me – and makes me think
the wider professional arts sector. of the Rosemary Brown quote I cited earlier…

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He said: We have to open the doors and windows.
We need a bit of air in these tense and stuffy times.
This era is putting us to sleep while preventing us
from dreaming. We have to give dreams and
poetry a chance. We have to find new ways to
fight – this time on a truly global scale.

I want to close by recognizing the vital work that
you are all doing – often in the face of great
obstacles.

When I began my speech I mentioned the history
of settlement in Halifax… over time these waves
of settlement have led to the renowned and
diverse art scene that this city now enjoys. You,
and your many vibrant arts practices, have built
this art scene. And you’ve do so, despite a history
of segregation and disenfranchisement. Despite
the real public funding challenges in the
region. And despite feeling outside of the
funding culture.

I urge you to continue to push against doors and
windows. Now is the time to be ambitious.

Equity is everyone’s concern. Diversity is an
absolute condition to a viable society. It’s time to
be bold. And the Canada Council is right here
with you.