Parliament Names Visual Artist Laureate

Summary#

This bill creates a new position called the Parliamentary Visual Artist Laureate. The Laureate is an officer of the Library of Parliament and has a 2‑year term. The role is to promote the arts in Canada through Parliament. The bill also fixes a wording error about the Canada Council for the Arts in the section on the Parliamentary Poet Laureate.

• Creates a Parliamentary Visual Artist Laureate as an officer of the Library of Parliament (Clause 1(1)).
• Selection by the two Speakers from a confidential list of three candidates reflecting Canada’s diversity, proposed by a committee of cultural leaders (Clause 1(2)).
• Term up to two years, held at the pleasure of the two Speakers (Clause 1(3)).
• Mandate to promote the arts; powers to produce art for state occasions, sponsor exhibitions, and advise the Library on cultural holdings (Clause 1(4)-(5)).
• Defines “arts” to include drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, design, crafts, photography, videography, and filmmaking (Clause 1(6)).
• Corrects the English title “Chair of the Canada Council for the Arts” in the Poet Laureate selection clause (Clause 2).

What it means for you#

• Households and visitors

  • More public art events and exhibitions in Parliament buildings, as the Laureate may sponsor events and produce works for occasions of state (Clause 1(5)(a)-(b)).
  • Increased public visibility of Canadian visual arts through Parliament communications and events (Clause 1(4)-(5)).

• Artists and arts professionals

  • A new national role for a visual artist with a term up to 2 years (Clause 1(1), 1(3)).
  • The selection committee must submit a list of three candidates that reflects Canada’s diversity (Clause 1(2)).
  • Possible commissions or collaborations, since the Laureate may “produce or cause to be produced” artistic works and sponsor exhibitions (Clause 1(5)(a)-(b)).

• Cultural organizations

  • Potential partnerships with Parliament for exhibitions or events sponsored by the Laureate (Clause 1(5)(b)).
  • The Laureate may advise on Library of Parliament acquisitions, which could affect institutional loans or purchases (Clause 1(5)(c)).

• Federal institutions and Parliament staff

  • The Library of Parliament will host and support a new officer position with defined cultural duties (Clause 1(1), 1(4)-(5)).
  • The Speakers of the Senate and House of Commons may request works and assign related duties (Clause 1(5)(a), 1(5)(d)).

• Local and provincial governments

  • No direct mandates or requirements. Data unavailable on indirect effects.

Expenses#

Estimated net cost: Data unavailable.

• No fiscal note identified. Data unavailable.
• The bill creates a new officer position but does not set salary, staffing, or operating budget (Clause 1).
• No explicit appropriation, fee, or tax is included in the bill (Clause 1; Clause 2).
• The Laureate may sponsor events and produce artworks at the request of the Speakers, which implies program spending, but amounts are not specified (Clause 1(5)(a)-(b)).
• Revenue impacts: Data unavailable.

Proponents' View#

• Promotes public knowledge and enjoyment of Canadian visual arts by giving Parliament a formal role and voice for the arts (Clause 1(4)).
• Enables creation of official artworks for state occasions and public events, building a shared cultural record (Clause 1(5)(a)-(b)).
• Uses an expert, arm’s‑length selection process that includes leaders from the National Gallery, Canada Council for the Arts, Official Languages, and the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (Clause 1(2)).
• Requires the candidate list to reflect Canada’s diversity, which can improve representation and access (Clause 1(2)).
• Imposes no mandates on the public and creates no fees or taxes (Clause 1; Clause 2).
• Corrects the Poet Laureate clause to name the “Chair of the Canada Council for the Arts,” improving clarity (Clause 2).

Opponents' View#

• The mandate to “promote the arts” is broad and lacks defined outcomes, performance measures, or reporting requirements (Clause 1(4)).
• Powers to sponsor events and commission works have no stated budget cap, which could lead to unclear or variable costs (Clause 1(5)(a)-(b)).
• The selection list is confidential, which may limit transparency and public accountability in appointments (Clause 1(2)).
• The defined list of art forms may exclude other practices not named in the bill (Clause 1(6)).
• The term is short and “at the pleasure” of the Speakers, which may reduce continuity and perceived independence (Clause 1(3)).
• The role could overlap with existing federal bodies that already promote and fund the arts, such as the Canada Council for the Arts and the National Gallery (Clause 1(2), 1(5)).