The federal government of Canada has announced significant budget increases for the Canada Arts Presentation Fund (CAPF), the Canada Music Fund and community arts and culture programmes over two years.

CAPF is to receive a budget increase of CAN$16 million and the Canada Music fund of $20 million. $24 million will go to the Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage and the Celebration and Commemoration programmes.

The Canadian Live Music Association (CLMA) says the changes to the CAPF program may positively impact many of its not-for-profit members, expanding opportunities for artists and audiences.

The national industry body says “we applaud the Honourable Pablo Rodríquez, minister of Canadian heritage and multiculturalism for his commitment to live music in Canada.”

“CAPF plays a vital role in promoting Canadian talent, and in turn, Canada’s ability to shine internationally,” comments CMLA president and chief executive Erin Benjamin.

“The Canada Arts Presentation Fund plays a vital role in promoting Canadian talent, and in turn, Canada’s ability to shine internationally”

“Thanks to the programme, our members ensure “homegrown talent” can be discovered, in our own backyards. Export strategies rely on that career growth that comes from domestic touring and local audience development. The touring landscape in Canada is an important breeding ground for the creation and dissemination of Canadian content, ” says Benjamin.

The association states that the government is signalling its growing understanding of Canada’s touring ecology and the importance of the people behind live music. CMLA urges the government to continue to collaborate and seek ways to broaden its support of Canada’s live music stakeholders.

The Canada Music Fund is not accessible to CLMA members.

Canada’s national industry association, previously known as Music Canada Live, has had a busy few months. The association rebranded for 2019 and appointed Benjamin – formerly executive director – president and chief executive.

Earlier this week, CMLA joined a coalition of Canadian music organisations in signing the country’s Creative Industries Code of Conduct, signalling its commitment to prevent harassment, discrimination and bullying within the industry.

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A coalition of Canadian music organisations has signed the country’s Creative Industries Code of Conduct, an industry-wide initiative dedicated to preventing and reducing harassment, discrimination, bullying and violence.

Canada’s creative industries launched the code of conduct in 2018, following the widespread bullying, harassment and discrimination allegations made in the wake of the #metoo movement.

On Saturday 16 March, it was announced that 42 music community groups are now signatories of the code at the Allies in Action event, hosted by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) in London, Ontario.

The newly rebranded Canadian Live Music Association says it is “proud to join our allies in the music community” in signing the behaviour code, which commits signatories to improving and implementing policies to enhance safety and wellbeing within the music community.

It was also announced that Unison Benevolent Fund has committed to hosting education and training resources on its website free of charge. The resources are intended to enable community members to identify, confront and prevent harassment, bullying and violence in any workplace.

“Signing the Code is a way for Canadian music community groups to affirm our dedication to our shared values, and to reinforce those values with action”

“Signing the Code is a way for Canadian music community groups to affirm our dedication to our shared values, and to reinforce those values with action,” says Jackie Dean, chief operating officer of CARAS. “Through the work of the Education, Training and Safe Support Committee, I’m very pleased that we will be able to offer all members of the Canadian music community the resources to help make all of our workplaces safer.”

“Canada’s live music industry is doing its part to ensure that every live music space is a safe place through our recently launched Raising the Bar program,” comments Erin Benjamin, president and chief executive of the Canadian Live Music Association.

“Raising the Bar addresses safer spaces, harm reduction and event safety at live music events, and will work to complement both the ethos and practical implications of the Canadian Creative Industries Code of Conduct. We are all in this together, and we are vigorously working to supplant systemic issues with positive change.”

Terms of the code of conduct in both French and English, as well as additional resources, can be found on the readthecode.ca website, launched in June 2018. More information regarding names of signatories and how to sign up to the code is available here.

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