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The Canada Council for the Arts is Canada’s public arts funder, with a mandate to foster and promote the study and enjoyment of, and the production of works in, the arts.

The Canada Council would like to thank all the artists and arts organizations who contributed images to this video.
View the artists and artwork featured in the video.

Join the Team

The Canada Council offers competitive salaries, excellent benefits and the chance to work in a dynamic team passionate about the arts in the sustainable new headquarters in Performance Court, just steps from Parliament Hill.

View current opportunities

Governance

The Canada Council, a federal Crown corporation, is accountable to Parliament through the Minister of Canadian Heritage and is governed by an 11-member Board. The Board consists of a Chair, Vice-Chair and nine other members from across Canada. Along with the Director and CEO, they are appointed by the Governor in Council for fixed terms. The Board meets at least three times a year and is responsible for the organization’s policies, programs, budgets and grant decisions.

Jesse Wente, Chair Photographer(s): Ian Thorpe

Public Accountability

A member of the public asks a question during the 2023 Canada Council for the Arts APM. Photographer(s): Kamara Morozuk

The Canada Council reports to Parliament through the Minister of Canadian Heritage. It submits regular reports to several other government departments in line with schedules and regulations set by legislation and the departments.

Those reports include action plans or updates on meeting the requirements of:

the Official Languages Act
the Canadian Multiculturalism Act
the Employment Equity Act
the Access to Information Act and Privacy Act

An Annual Public Meeting is held early in each calendar year, usually in the Ottawa offices. Members of the public and the arts community are invited to participate in person, or via livestream and social media channels.

Canadian Commission for UNESCO

The Council operates the Canadian Commission for the UNESCO (CCUNESCO). The Commission oversees UNESCO activities in Canada, serving as an independent forum for consultation and reflection on the opportunities to build a peaceful, equitable and a sustainable future. It is managed by a 17-member executive committee composed of representatives of government departments, academics and other experts in education, culture and world heritage. It helps governments, organizations and individual Canadians share information and makes recommendations to the federal government on UNESCO programs and budgets.

Read more about the Canadian Commission for UNESCO

Art Bank

The Canada Council Art Bank interior Photographer(s): Martin Lipman

The Canada Council Art Bank makes contemporary artwork available to a wide public across the country through our three programs: corporate art rental, loans to museums and outreach. With more than 17,000 artworks by over 3,000 artists, the Art Bank has the largest collection of contemporary Canadian art anywhere. It houses paintings, sculptures, drawings, photographs and prints by emerging and established artists, including a significant number of Indigenous artworks. The collection is accessible to all through its website artbank.ca.

Explore the Art Bank collection

Âjagemô

The 3,000-square-foot Âjagemô exhibition hall at the Canada Council offices is a display and performance space for contemporary Canadian art. Taking its name from an Algonquin word for “crossroads,” Âjagemô gives the public an opportunity to see works from the Art Bank collection and to experience other art events.

Âjagemô exhibition hall Photographer(s): Brandon Clarida