Social and Economic Benefits:
Canada’s Cultural Policy Toolkit
March 21, 2013
Cultural Policy Context
 Canadians enjoy one of the most open markets for cultural
products in the world
 Our geography, and small official language francophone
population and aboriginal communities, creates special policy
challenges
 The mandate of Canadian Heritage – which includes culture,
heritage, sports and official languages - draws on universal
rationales about the social and economic benefits of arts and
culture
2
Policy toolkit
 Canada's broad cultural policy goals – that Canadians have
access to a rich and diverse range of Canadian cultural
expressions – is delivered through a range of cultural policy
instruments, that evolve over time
 Legislation and Regulation
 e.g. Copyright Act, Broadcasting Act, Official Languages Act
 Financial support through departmental programs or arms-length funding
agencies, such as the Canada Council for the Arts and Telefilm Canada
 Tax incentives
 National institutions
 e.g. National museums, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Library and
Archives Canada
 Current priorities, in addition to hosting the Pan Am and
Parapan Am Games in 2015, include:
1. Taking advantage of digital technology
2. Investing in our communities
3. Celebrating our history and heritage
3
Current project – Integrated Policy Framework linking
programs to Socio-Economic Outcomes
 In the 2012 Budget, the Government of Canada stated that:
“Canadian Heritage will move to a more
integrated policy framework that focuses on the socio-economic
benefits that their programs offer to Canadians and their
communities.”
 Canadian Heritage is now engaged in an exercise to ensure
that our work on policies and programs have links to
effective socio-economic benefits
 The following pages outline some OECD-category metrics we
are currently considering to link our programs with socioeconomic outcomes
4
1. Social Capital
 Participation
 Opportunities to participate in sport, culture and community life
 Identity
 Pride in, attachment to, and understanding of Canada
 Inclusion
 Meeting the particular opportunities to participate in sport and
culture and community life
 Democratic life
 Access to news, information; opportunities for civic
engagement, and stewardship of Canadian symbols and
institutions
5
2. Human Capital
 Improved personal prospects
 Opportunities to learn and develop talents, creativity and skills
 Creative talent in the knowledge economy
 Developing the talent of those working in culture, heritage and
sport
 Excellence
 Supporting high achievement in culture, heritage and sport
6
3. Economic Prosperity
 Creative economy
 Employment, trade and investment in innovative and
competitive enterprises in culture, heritage and sport
 Magnet for talent and investment
 Cultural, heritage and sport offerings help Canadian
communities attract foreign investment and skilled workforce
 Tourism
 Cultural, heritage and sports offerings make Canada an
attractive tourism destination
7
4. Well-being and Quality of Life
 Enrichment
 Experiences in culture, heritage and sport that are meaningful to
Canadians in their diverse identities enrich their quality of life
 Choice
 Having access to a rich diversity of experiences in culture,
heritage and sport contributes to a high quality of life
 Health
 Participation in sport, culture and community events contributes
to physical and mental health
8
Some recent initiatives on how we are using cultural
policy to objectives related to economic prosperity and
social inclusion:
Digital
Economy
Strategy
Arts
Programming
Official
Languages
Roadmap
Cultural
policy
initiatives
with
socioeconomic
objectives
Modernization
of the
Copyright Act
Audio-visual
co-production
strategy
9
Resources

Digital Economy Strategy www.digitaleconomy.gc.ca

Canada Media Fund www.cmf-fmc.ca

Copyright Modernization in Canada www.balancedcopyright.gc.ca

Audiovisual Co-production strategy www.pch.gc.ca

Official Languages Roadmap www.pch.gc.ca

Canadian Heritage Canada Cultural Spaces Fund www.pch.gc.ca
Gordon Platt
Senior Director,
Strategic Policy, and International & Intergovernmental Affairs
Department of Canadian Heritage
[email protected]
819-997-8525
10