A Letter to the Arts Community from the Director and CEO

The arts community is being heard

This past year, you delivered a strong, unified message to leaders across the country: the arts matter. You showed how your work connects Canadians, strengthens Canadian unity, fuels the economy and makes Canada stronger. And you made it clear that public support is essential to having this impact.

Now, we’re seeing the results: last week, with Budget 2025, the federal government signaled its support for the arts and the Canada Council. Notably, the Government announced that it will invest $6 million in the Canada Council, over the next three years, to support professional artists and arts organizations. I assure you that every dollar of this new funding will go directly to supporting the arts. We will share more details on this funding as soon as we can.

In addition, the Canada Council is not included in the list of organizations in Budget 2025 that must meet up to 15 percent in savings targets over the next three years. As such, the Canada Council’s budget remains stable so that we can continue to deliver our full suite of programs and services to the arts community with efficiency and effectiveness.

Your efforts are making a difference.    

Thank you.

Playing our part

The Canada Council is committed to supporting you as you communicate your impact. 

That’s why we recently partnered with Business / Arts to commission a report from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce titled Artworks: The Economic and Social Dividends from Canada’s Arts and Culture Sector.

The report’s findings are powerful:

• Canada’s arts and culture sector contributed $131 billion to Canada’s economy and supported 1.1 million jobs across the country in 2024.
• Over the past three years, the arts and culture sector’s GDP has grown nearly 8%, outpacing an overall economic growth of 4%.
• Arts and culture generated an estimated $17 billion in federal and provincial tax revenue.

This report also offers a compelling case for continued investment in terms of the sector’s social and cultural contributions. For example, arts and culture participation enhances social cohesion and accelerates newcomers’ sense of belonging and civic connection.  

The Canada Council will continue to gather and promote this kind of information for you.

What’s next?

This is a critical moment to keep building the momentum we’ve created together.

Without a doubt, our leaders have heard the arts more clearly and more powerfully than they have in a long time. We’ve expressed our gratitude to the Government for its trust in the Canada Council with Budget 2025. But this is not our destination; it’s a turning point.

It’s crucial that we sustain and amplify our shared voice, promoting the impact of the arts as a prominent and ongoing part of our work together.

You should feel encouraged and energized in this moment. The arts unite us, shape us, empower us, lift us and move us. By continuing to share this message, the arts can have their greatest impact for Canada yet.