Opinion
Arts and artists need a ‘new deal’
By Deanna Horton January 5, 2021
Supporting the arts as part of the creative class that is essential to innovation and economic development does not require the costs of building hard infrastructure, and the impact may be intangible.
Red Sky Performance dancers, pictured on Sept. 30, 2019, at the Honouring National Day for Truth and Reconciliation ceremony at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Que. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade
The government has recognized the necessity of fiscal stimulus not only to revive the economy, but also to support the most vulnerable. Artists and the arts sector are at serious risk during the pandemic. For example, a recent Nordicity report noted a survey of live music which indicated that 96 per cent of surveyed venues were at risk of failure—only one sector of the arts spectrum, many without access to enough government support.
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