Ottawa, April 19, 2021
CMA Applauds New Federal Investments in Heritage, Arts, and Museums Sectors
Budget 2021 Snapshot
The Government of Canada unveiled Budget 2021 in Ottawa yesterday afternoon in Ottawa by Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Finance, Chrystia Freeland
Budget 2021 included $101.4 billion in new spending, with a focus on economic recovery through the on-going COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. And importantly for CMA members: Budget 2021 included new and significant federal investments in Canada’s heritage, arts and museums sectors.
These include the following:
- $300 million over two years to Canadian Heritage to establish a Recovery Fund for Arts, Culture, Heritage, and Sport Sectors.
- $200 million through Canadian Heritage to support cultural tourism through, for example, local museums, local festivals, community cultural events, outdoor theatre performances, and heritage celebrations.
- $49.6 million over three years to Canadian Heritage for the Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage Program, the Canada Arts Presentation Fund, and the Celebration and Commemoration Program.
- $15 million to Canadian Heritage for the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund to help arts and heritage institutions upgrade their facilities to meet public health guidelines.
- An additional investment in the Museums Assistance Program of $23M over three years for the digitisation of information and collections by non-national museums and heritage institutions.
- And an extension of the federal wage subsidy program to September 25, 2021.
Next Steps: CMA Advocacy
The CMA applauds the federal government for their commitment to our sector. These investments will serve to benefit our members across the country, while helping to advance our work on a revised National Museums Policy, among other strategic priorities.
Further details on Budget 2021 — including specifics on the above-noted initiatives — will emerge in the coming days.
To this end, the CMA will immediately be proactively engaging with Heritage Canada and its Government of Canada partners to continue our advocacy efforts, while seeking clarity on these new investments and related program details.