On August 14, Orchestras Canada submitted a brief to the federal Standing Committee on Finance, as part of the pre-budget consultation process. The Standing Committee asked those submitting briefs to respond to two questions:

1. What federal tax and program spending measures are needed to ensure prosperity and a sustainable future for Canadians from an economic, social and/or environmental perspective?

2. What federal stimulus measures have been effective and how might relatively ineffective measures be changed to ensure that they have the intended effects?

In our brief, we proposed the following initiatives for the Committee’s consideration:

1. That the Government of Canada increase the annual base budget of the Canada Council for the Arts to $300 million by fiscal year 2012-13, a permanent increase of $40 million per annum in each of the next three years to the Canada Council’s current allocation;

2. That the Government of Canada increase the charitable tax credit from 29% to 39% on gifts between $200 and $10,000, to stimulate the flow of charitable gifts from middle income Canadians;

3. That the government invest in a $25 million Market Access and Development program that will help connect Canadians to arts and culture and help export-ready Canadian cultural products reach the global marketplace.

We also noted that “the most effective stimulus measures have worked when funds have been administered using existing programs, through agencies with a strong track record of accountability, transparency, commitment to ongoing program evaluation, and industry knowledge and insight.”

If you would like to learn more, please visit the new Advocacy Tool-kit page on the Orchestras Canada website, where you will find copies of the brief, an informative case for support for Canadian orchestras, tools and letter templates that will help you tell your orchestra’s story to your MP.  You can find it here.