National arts declaration and action plan

Summary#

This bill would affirm a national declaration on the role of artists and creative expression and require the Minister of Canadian Heritage to create, table, and publish an action plan to carry it out (Bill Sections 3–4; Schedule). It sets timelines for a national conference, an action plan, and annual public reports to Parliament (Bill Sections 4–5). The text does not create new enforceable rights, programs, or funding on its own.

• Requires the Minister to convene a conference within 180 days of the Act coming into force to help shape the action plan (Bill Section 4(4)).
• Requires an action plan within 2 years of the Act coming into force, with tabling in Parliament and online publication shortly after (Bill Sections 4(5)–4(7)).
• Mandates wide consultations, including other federal ministers, provinces, artists (including French‑speaking, Indigenous, and diverse artists), and arts bodies (Bill Section 4(2)).
• Lists areas the plan must consider, such as access to arts, youth learning, intellectual property, cultural appropriation, accessibility for artists with disabilities, and investment in the arts (Bill Section 4(3); Schedule).
• Requires annual public reports to Parliament on implementation, starting on the second anniversary of royal assent (Bill Section 5).
• Includes no new taxes, fees, or explicit funding in the bill text.

What it means for you#

• Households

  • The declaration recognizes everyone’s right to take part in and access the arts and heritage, and to engage in creative activity (Schedule). This is an affirmation, not a new legal entitlement or benefit.
  • The action plan must consider ways to increase public access to collections, heritage sites, and artistic events, especially for children and youth (Bill Section 4(3)(b)–(c)). Any specific programs would be set later in the plan.

• Artists and creative workers

  • The Minister must consult artists and arts organizations, including French‑speaking artists, Indigenous artists, and artists who reflect Canada’s ethnic, racial, and other diversities (Bill Section 4(2)(g), (g.1), (g.2), (h)).
  • The plan must consider improving artists’ ability to benefit from their intellectual property and to be free from cultural appropriation (Bill Section 4(3)(d); Schedule). The bill itself does not change copyright or create enforcement tools.
  • It must also consider removing barriers for artists with disabilities or who are deaf, including access to stages, galleries, studios, and digital spaces (Bill Section 4(3)(f); Schedule).
  • No direct wage, benefit, or grant changes are set by the bill. Any future support would depend on the action plan and later funding decisions.

• Arts organizations and businesses

  • You may be invited to the initial conference and later consultations (Bill Section 4(2)(e), (g)).
  • The plan must consider encouraging greater investment in areas related to artists and creative expression (Bill Section 4(3)(g)). The bill does not mandate new funding.
  • Public tabling and online publication of the plan and annual reports will signal federal priorities and may guide future program design (Bill Sections 4(6)–(7), 5(2)–(3)).

• Indigenous peoples

  • The preamble and consultation requirements recognize the diversity of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis identities, cultures, languages, and knowledge, and their artistic traditions (Preamble; Bill Section 4(2)(h)).
  • The plan must consider measures tied to social justice and reconciliation (Bill Section 4(3)(a)).

• Local and provincial governments

  • Provincial representatives responsible for artists and the arts must be consulted (Bill Section 4(2)(f)).
  • The bill does not impose mandates on provinces or municipalities. It establishes a federal action‑plan framework.

• Timing

  • Conference: within 180 days after the Act comes into force (Bill Section 4(4)).
  • Action plan: within 2 years after the Act comes into force; then tabled and posted within set timelines (Bill Sections 4(5)–(7)).
  • Annual reports: begin on the second anniversary of royal assent (Bill Section 5).

Expenses#

Estimated net cost: Data unavailable.

• No explicit appropriations, taxes, or fees in the bill text (Bill text).
• Required activities with likely administrative costs: national conference; multi‑party consultations; drafting, tabling, and publishing the action plan; annual reporting and publication (Bill Sections 4–5). Data unavailable.
• Any future program spending would stem from the action plan and would need separate funding approvals. Data unavailable.
• No official fiscal note identified. Data unavailable.

Proponents' View#

• Establishes a clear federal framework and timelines to recognize and implement the role of artists, rather than ad hoc policies (Bill Sections 3–4).
• Requires broad, inclusive consultations across governments and communities, including French‑speaking and Indigenous artists, which can surface barriers and solutions (Bill Section 4(2)).
• Focuses the plan on practical access and participation, especially for children and youth, by considering arts learning and skills (Bill Section 4(3)(b)–(c)).
• Seeks to strengthen artists’ economic position by considering measures on intellectual property and protection from cultural appropriation (Bill Section 4(3)(d); Schedule).
• Improves transparency and accountability through required tabling in Parliament and annual public reporting (Bill Sections 4(6)–(7), 5(1)–(3)).
• Encourages attention to accessibility for artists with disabilities and to increased investment in the arts ecosystem (Bill Section 4(3)(f)–(g)).

Opponents' View#

• Primarily symbolic: the bill affirms “rights” in the Schedule but creates no enforceable legal rights, penalties, or dedicated funding; outcomes depend on a later plan (Bill Sections 3–4; Schedule).
• Vague commitments: key terms like “cultural appropriation” and “economic security” are not defined, which may create uncertainty for implementers and stakeholders (Bill Section 4(3)(d); Schedule).
• Overlap and burden: federal action in areas like arts access and youth learning may overlap with provincial roles, while consultations add workload for provinces and organizations (Bill Section 4(2)(f), 4(3)(b)–(c)).
• Administrative costs and staff time for the conference, plan, and annual reporting are unfunded in the bill, with no cost cap or estimate (Bill Sections 4–5). Data unavailable.
• Timelines may reduce accountability: the report requirement starts two years after royal assent, the same outer deadline for the action plan, which could delay public assessment of progress (Bill Sections 4(5), 5).