CAPL Input to Canada Council Strategic Plan

The following is the CAPL input to the CLA submission for the Canada Council Strategic Plan. CLA will be compiling their submission Thursday June 14 for submission on Friday June 15, 2007

Thank you to those of you who sent in comments.

Susan McLean,

President, CAPL

Questions about the Council’s support of the arts:

1. What do you believe the Council does best?

2. How important do you think a national arts council is, and why? In what ways would you like to see the Council be a “leader”?

• A national arts council is a vital infrastructure as support for the development of the arts in Canada. It is important that the Council be a leader in supporting the ongoing development of public access to, and appreciation of, the arts in Canada. Strong community dialogue and involvement in the arts improves the lives of Canadians and increases public support for the arts. Art, in all of its forms, needs to be an integrated part of Canadians lives.
• Canada Council funding allows libraries in urban, suburban and rural areas to offer access to the arts in a forum that is unique in the community. Canada Council grants offer citizens the opportunity to see, hear and appreciate the unique Canadian qualities that make up our culture and way of life.- Funding of programs such as writers in residence offer the opportunity for local creative writers to receive personal guidance and instruction from some of the best of local authors. Public libraries are accessible locations to provide access to these services in virtually every community across Canada. - Funding also allows for partnering and nurturing of local arts/literary awards such as the Hackmatack Children’s Choice Book Awards

3. Is there anything the Council does that it no longer needs to be doing or that could be done by others? If so, what is it and who should do it?

4. Is there an important environmental trend that should be added to the list in this paper? What is it? Why?

• Organizations are under increasing amounts of demand to provide services which respond and anticipate the needs of their communities. This is all done with little or no increase to resources. The positive effects are an increased focus on community development, partnerships and streamlined means of providing service. The Canada Council granting processes need to reflect these trends. Granting processes need faster turnaround, streamlined processes and more flexibility to respond to community specific circumstances.

5. What are the two most important things the Council could do to improve its support of the arts?

• Develop a more flexible/streamlined granting structure to support Canada Council author readings and access to the arts in general across the country.
• Expand the grant structure to develop new ways of engaging Canadians in the arts through partnerships with community based services across the country such as public libraries. Public libraries offer: community based services in communities across the country; infrastructure to develop, manage and deliver services which provide access and engagement of the public in the arts; are adept at partnerships; offer the potential for strong partnerships to develop innovative ways of engaging all segments of the community in the arts.- Expand the grant guidelines to include a focus on youth. Public libraries are increasingly reaching out to community youth and make excellent community based partners in these initiative.

6. Where should the Council be spending more of its resources? Where should it be spending less? (see Appendix B for facts on the Council’s funding)

• Increased funds for youth, Aboriginal and diversity related activities. Additional funds need to be allocated to ensure the flow of new artists and to provide access to their work.

Questions about values:

1. What do you value most about the Council, whether it’s on the list above or not - what do you want to preserve and nourish no matter what other changes take place?

• believe in government investment in the arts as a public good enabling the arts to contribute to peoples’ lives, encouraging arts development across Canada, and freeing art from complete reliance on the marketplace
• Developing and encouraging public involvement with and appreciation of the arts. Making the arts in Canada accessible to the public in order to engage people, enrich their lives and build an understanding of the importance of the arts in our lives.
• support freedom of artistic expression from control or dominance by external forces such as governments and markets, a value reinforced by the arm’s length relationship respect Canada’s official languages and recognize the need to support professional artistic activity by both French- and English-speaking Canadians.
• respect the regional diversity of Canada and recognize the need to support professional artistic activity in all parts of the country.
• respect the histories, traditions, languages and contemporary practices of Aboriginal Peoples and seek to foster the development of Aboriginal artists and organizations.
• respect artists and arts organizations from diverse cultural and racial backgrounds and traditions and seek to develop the work of these artists and organizations.

2. Is there a value on the list that is no longer relevant? What is it? Why?

3. Is there a value that is missing from this list? What is it?

4. Make any further comment you want on values.

• Government funding to provide access to the arts through such means as the Canada Council author travel grants is important to providing profile and access to Canadian Authors. It is also important to develop new opportunities for public access to the arts. This needs to be done in partnership with community based services such as public libraries. Public libraries are providing services in urban, suburban and rural areas across Canada and are a vital community based/community learning link to the public

Questions about priorities:

1. Do you agree with these priorities? Which in your view is the most important? The least important?

• Dissemination and public engagement is one of the most important priorities. Public engagement not only builds necessary support for the arts, it also enriches the arts themselves by providing dialogue with the community and integrating the arts in a very rich cultural life for Canadians
• Emerging practices is also crucial. As a country we need to develop the next generation of artists and arts leaders. It is essential that funding for emerging practice reflect the diverse nature of the Canadian population

2. If the Council’s parliamentary appropriation were to decrease below its 2005-06 base of $151.7 million, what specific activities should receive less support?

3. If the Council’s budget were to remain the same as its 2005-06 base of $151.7 million, where should it be spending more money? How much more? As a result of this, where would you suggest it spend less?

• Grants to support author visits need to be increased to reflect increases in costs. Present levels of funding do not reflect the actual costs. As a result libraries are increasingly unable to support author visits to their communities.
• It is becoming increasingly more difficult for Public Libraries to afford travel costs for authors to carry out literary readings. This is due to the substantial increase in airfares and in the price of gasoline. This is also due to the fact that Canada Council has not made corresponding changes in the amount of money that is approved for the transportation of authors.
• Suggestion: That Canada Council increase the amount of money approved for transportation of authors from $400.00 to $600.00 and increase the per/km allotment from .32/km to .40/km. Likewise, to support the Council’s core priority regarding dissemination and public engagement, consideration might also be given to increasing the amount of travel dollars given to the less populated parts of the country like Atlantic Canada. Here there are fewer authors available locally and fewer opportunities for cost sharing with other organizations.

4. How should the Council allocate new resources if it received the following increases to its base of $151.7 million?: a) $30M in new funds;b) $100M or more in new funds

5. Thinking beyond 2008-11, what do you believe should be the Council’s longer-term vision?

6. Make any further comment you want on priorities.

• Review the guidelines and procedures currently in place for grants for author reading to facilitate the capacity of the grant recipient to plan for, publicize and effectively deliver a program. While it is recognized that accountability for the funds is imperative, part of this accountability must include procedures that facilitate the capacity to maximize the opportunity provided with the funding. Suggestions for change follow:
• Due to the extensive period of time between the submission of requests for literary readings and the Canada Council approval of readings (often three months), libraries are left with very little time to make travel arrangements for authors, produce publicity pieces, meet media and promotions deadlines, etc.
• Suggestion: That Canada Council shorten the period of time between the submission of requests and approval of requests to 4-6 weeks so that libraries have time to make travel arrangements for authors and to meet publicity deadlines. Due to its very nature, the public library is in a position to support the Council in its interest of “bringing the arts to the people” and “promoting the value of the arts to Canadians”. However, the Council needs to be flexible and timely enough so that promotion to the public can take place.
• Due to some restrictions set down by Canada Council, the libraries often cannot get approval for particular high-interest authors. The restrictions on non-fiction authors and on co-authors eliminates a number of possible readings that the public are interested in attending. Restricting a writer to only one Canada Council supported reading with one organization in a two-year period has also lessened our choice of authors.
• Suggestion: Due to the changing and expanding nature of non-fiction and due to the popularity and availability of some writers who have co-authored books, Canada Council ease its restrictions in these areas. That Canada Council change the restriction of return visits by authors from two years to one year. Once again, this supports the Council’s core priority regarding dissemination and public engagement.
• Obtaining information from and communicating with Canada Council seems unnecessarily difficult. The late notice of approved authors is one example already mentioned. Others include: the lack of an explanation as to why particular authors are not approved; the lack of an online application process; the difficulty of using the website to find information.
• Suggestion: Streamline the application and approval process so that communication is improved. The availability of a regional Council representative or board in each of the areas of the country to guide organizations through the process would enhance communication and improve the timeliness of selection.
• Due to the strict guidelines, procedures, and time lines set down by Canada Council, libraries are left with very little flexibility in developing annual plans for programs and promotions. There is also little flexibility should an author or authors have to cancel readings - in this case we often go without a program and are required to return the money.
• Suggestion: Libraries be given a lump sum of money per year for literary readings and writing events and a list of potential authors. Libraries would determine how the budget is spent and would be accountable through a reporting system. This lengthens the planning and promotions time and allows the use the funds at another time of year when listed authors are available. This is not unlike the process accepted by many other granting agencies who partner with libraries. Since public libraries are known to have a strong infrastructure and support systems in place, accountability for the funding will be provided.