Speeches
Canada Music Fund
Montréal, Quebec
July 31, 2009

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Ladies and Gentlemen, 

I am delighted to be with you here today on behalf of Prime Minister Stephen Harper and our Government. To begin, I'd like to acknowledge all the music lovers who have come together for the 21st annual Francofolies de Montréal: the Francophone music artists, the people who support them, and the people who come to their shows and listen to their music on one platform or another.

I personally use my travels as an opportunity to discover the immense talent of our Francophone artists. In fact, many of them are on my iPod: Sylvain Cossette, Urbain Desbois, Pierre Lapointe, Mes Aïeux, to name just a few. 

Today, I have good news for all Canadians who love music or earn their living from it.

Music brings so much to our society. In addition to enriching our life, it promotes job creation and tourism and stimulates the development of digital technologies.

The digital age creates countless opportunities for innovation, creativity, communication, and access. We've all listened to music on digital platforms. Many of you here have probably listened to music clips on the Francofolies website or read blogs and Twitter to see what's been happening at the festival in real time.

Not to mention the new ways of producing music and making it more accessible.

In this age of YouTube, online shopping, and live memberships and webcasts, ensuring the presence and visibility of Canadian music on a wide variety of platforms is critical.

Our Government sees the potential that technology offers. We've been updating our policies and taking concrete action to benefit from the numerous possibilities of the digital era.

Earlier this year, I announced the creation of the Canada Periodical Fund and the Canada Media Fund, two programs that were modernized and simplified to encourage innovation.

Our Government knows the value of arts and culture to our communities, our identity, and our economy. That is why we will continue to make unparalleled investments in this sector.

In Canada's Economic Action Plan, our Government announced that we would invest more than half a billion dollars on arts and culture. This includes investments that go directly to our nation's artists and cultural organizations, to arts training, and to repair or upgrade theatres, concert halls, and museums.

Last month, we renewed our financial programs dedicated to the arts. We earmarked $504 million over the next five years, bringing our total investment to $1.5 billion over that period. This means that the recession will not affect government investment in the arts.

I also had the pleasure of announcing in April that our Government is investing $4.3 million in 12 organizations in Montréal and the surrounding area, matching the donations of private donors.

We also created the Musical Showcase Program, an initiative that will give artists from official-language minority communities better access to musical shows in their own language, while promoting their artists. 

And today, I have some more good news to share with you: our Government is renewing the Canada Music Fund, investing $27.6 million per year for the next five years. This is another example of how we are providing stability to the arts.

We are also simplifying the structure of the Fund to reduce the administrative burden and increase the visibility of Canadian music on digital platforms and in international markets.

The Fund already has components that support these two objectives, but by investing more money more effectively, we are ensuring that Canadian creators are well equipped to seize the many opportunities offered by digital technology. 

Our Government is stabilizing resources dedicated to Canadian music in order to:
  • maintain thousands of jobs in these uncertain economic times;
  • ensure that a wide variety of Canadian music is accessible on multiple platforms; and
  • increase the popularity of Canadian artists in Canada and abroad.
Before I wrap this up, I want to take a moment to acknowledge MUSICACTION, FACTOR, and the SOCAN Foundation, which are all partners in the Canada Music Fund. I would also like to highlight the financial contributions of Canada's private radio broadcasters to Canadian content development.

Thank you for your ongoing cooperation and efforts. And thank you to the millions of Canadians nationwide who encourage our artists by buying their music and coming to see their shows.

Enjoy the Francofolies!

© 2009 James Moore - All rights reserved
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