Proceedings of the Standing Senate Committee on
Foreign Affairs and International Trade
Issue No. 38 - Evidence - Meeting of February 8, 2018
OTTAWA, Thursday, February 8, 2018
The Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade met this day at 10:34 a.m. to study on the impact and utilization of Canadian culture and arts in Canadian foreign policy and diplomacy, and other related matters.
Senator A. Raynell Andreychuk (Chair) in the chair.
[English]
The Chair: Honourable senators, we’re ready to proceed the Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade. We have a technical difficulty. All senators have to wear their earphones because the audio is not working correctly. Normally we use it only if we want the translation, but you’re going to need it for both languages, so I am putting mine on and you’ll have to as well. That’s the only way we will be able to hear our guest this morning.
I’m Senator Andreychuk, chair of the committee. I will ask the senators to introduce themselves starting on my right.
Senator Greene: I’m Senator Greene from Nova Scotia.
Senator Housakos: Leo Housakos from Montreal.
Senator Oh: Victor Oh from Ontario.
[Translation]
Senator Saint-Germain: Raymonde Saint-Germain from Quebec.
Senator Massicotte: Senator Paul Massicotte from Quebec.
[English]
Senator Bovey: Senator Bovey from Manitoba.
[Translation]
Senator Dawson: Dennis Dawson from Quebec.
[English]
The Chair: Thank you. Our guest today is Mr. André Lewis, Artistic Director, Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet.
The committee has been authorized by the Senate to study the impact and utilization of Canadian culture and arts in Canadian foreign policy and diplomacy, and other related matters. Under this mandate, we’re very pleased to have Mr. André Lewis, Artistic Director, Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet.
Mr. Lewis is appearing by video conference from Winnipeg. Mr. Lewis, we don’t refer to the biography because it is extensive and very complete. The senators have had the biography and we don’t want to detract from the time that we have with you. You have been advised of our study. We’re very pleased you are one of our first witnesses. Senators love to ask questions, so after your presentation we will turn to questions. Thank you for appearing before us. The floor is yours.
André Lewis, Artistic Director, Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet: It’s my pleasure, thank you very much. My name is André Lewis, Artistic Director, Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet. We were approached a few days ago to attend this important session. We are honoured to appear before the Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade.
The Royal Winnipeg Ballet has worked with Foreign Affairs and International Trade for many decades and is well positioned to offer thoughts on the importance of cultures in the ministry.
Culture is one of the three pillars of a strong Foreign Affairs and International Trade ministry.
First, allow me to provide some context with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. The organization was founded in 1939 and is Canada’s oldest ballet company and among one of the oldest in North America. In 1953, the company received its royal charter, the first granted in the Commonwealth by Queen Elizabeth II.
Since the 1950s, the RWB has been a cultural ambassador for Canada. The company has toured to 44 countries and 581 cities around the world. The RWB has a long history of representing Canada and its values overseas working with the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. With this support, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet achieved a series of Canadian firsts; the first Canadian ballet company to cross the iron curtain, the first Canadian company to perform in Israel, Cuba and Latin America. With that same support, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet visited, among many countries, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and many more.
The Royal Winnipeg Ballet has also partnered with the federal government and provincial government on trade missions to the U.S., China, Japan and other countries. Our presence proved to be a catalyst for meetings, engagements and connection.
With the reduction in Foreign Affairs and International Trade support, the RWB has increasingly relied on its own means to maintain our presence, unfortunately at a reduced rate. That is unsustainable. However, to this date, we continue this long-standing tradition by representing Canada and putting Winnipeg, Manitoba and Canada on the map.
The outcome of Foreign Affairs and International Trade support has provided opportunities to perform in other countries and bring talented artists, choreographers and students to our city, province and country raising awareness of Canadian culture.
The RWB is sought after in many other ways as well. We are routinely engaged to set work on companies abroad. Recent examples include Hong Kong Ballet, Nice, Orlando, Athens, Marseilles and Florence. These international partnerships extend beyond exporting ballets to include creations of new work. We are currently co-producing new full lengths with West Australia Ballet and Queensland Ballet.
We have been able to achieve this exemplary track record in dance because of the deep and meaningful impact of the arts. Dance transcends language and builds bridges between countries and economies. We bring people together, and through these connections we create new opportunities, collaborations and relationships.
The RWB is proudly Canadian. Canada’s interests and our Canadian national identity and values travel with us. In return, we see a worldwide interest in Canada and have a celebrated history of bringing the world to Winnipeg, Manitoba and Canada.
International artists we invite to join the RWB choose to stay in Canada. We have seen other positive outcomes as well. The Royal Winnipeg Ballet School is a renowned training institution for aspiring professional artists and teachers. In the last five years, between 18 to 22 per cent of the RWB School professional division students are international students from all over the world. This is, in part, because of us having visited those countries.
Canadians are also finding success abroad. We see Canadians like Reid Anderson, Artistic Director of the Stuttgart Ballet; Matthew Golding, Principal Dancer at The Royal Ballet, who trained in our school; and Liam Redhead at the Royal Danish Ballet, among many others who are working in the world of dance.
We applaud the government for this renewed commitment to the arts, a Renaissance of sorts. We strongly advocate the restoration of Foreign Affairs funding for the arts and culture, and any efforts to build back the deep network of cultural attachés across the world.
Despite retrenchments of these crucial support systems over a decade ago, we have continued to serve as cultural and artistic ambassadors on behalf of Canada because of our unwavering belief that the arts contribute to fostering business and trade. We have observed the results of the many cultural trade missions we have engaged in over the years. The RWB was part of the trade delegation to China in 1999, a Manitoba trade mission in 2013 and many more. Both opportunities were followed by tours throughout China.
Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet is deeply honoured to represent our country and participate as a delegate for the Canada-China Joint Committee on Culture and a creative industry trade mission to China this coming April.
In the end, our mission is to enrich the human experience by teaching, creating and performing outstanding dance. This is a mission without borders that has the potential to build global economic opportunities, without limitations, and ties all over the world.
In conclusion, these comments are not simply about the Royal Winnipeg Ballet but all parts of the Canadian cultural mosaic. Arts and culture contribution to developing a better world and a greater Canada. To achieve these aims, investments and commitment on the part of the arts and the government is required. Foreign Affairs and Trade can and should be a key player in supporting the presence of Canadian arts and culture abroad.
The Chair: Thank you for your statement.
Senator Massicotte: Thank you, Mr. Lewis. I must admit, I may have a conflict where many years ago, maybe before you were born, I was the auditor for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet for several years. I knew the company well. I also did the Ballets Canadiens in Montreal.
The purpose of our discussion is cultural diplomacy. In other words, using our cultural elements, advantages and organizations for the sake of branding, if you wish, what Canada means to the outside the world, a selfish agenda that influences positively what people think of us; therefore, they trust us more, they maybe trade with us more, but develop a better relationship with the rest of the world.
You made reference to that. Could you be more specific? You said you went overseas and your company was successful. Give me some examples of how it helped shape what they thought or how they could think of Canada, and how that helped the brand of Canada with your representation with individuals and so on. Could you give us a bit more information there?
Mr. Lewis: I am pleased to do this. It was interesting. We had a trade mission in 1995. I believe we were actually with the provincial government, also associated with them. It was this belief that Canada was just about snow and mosquitoes, essentially. They weren’t really fully aware of the incredible artistic breadth that this country has to offer.
You heard from a lot of people that it was primarily about snow. But it certainly showed a very strong reckoning, if you will, of what Canada has offered beyond some of the basics we might all know about.
I remember speaking at the time to one of the delegates on the Canadian side being very positive about this being such a catalyst. They made deals at the intermission. That’s when they break the barriers and connect together between the delegates and with trade and things of that nature. That’s one I remember very well.
I remember one with Premier Doer. We went to the USA. Again, there was this recognition maybe there is a lot more in Canada than would first meet the eye. I remember, at the time, Premier Doer was very positive about the influence and ability the RWB had to open doors.
Senator Bovey: Thank you, Mr. Lewis, for being with us today. The RWB banners are all over the NAC right now. There is interprovincial cultural diplomacy.
I know the RWB was the first dance company to go behind the Iron Curtain and, as you said, first in Israel and Cuba. Could you expand on why you agreed to go and what you felt about how that affected world relations?
Second, we have had former programs at Global Affairs, and we’re at a time of being able to perhaps offer new structuring for culture in global affairs. What structure do you think that should take? Do we need cultural attachés everywhere, or are there better ways of helping a company like yours make those connections?
Mr. Lewis: Thank you, Senator Bovey. Thank you for inviting me to present to this committee.
I would suggest that détente was one of the primary interests from a foreign affairs perspective to take us to Russia in the 1960s, and to Cuba. I think it had a positive effect. For the RWB détente is a nice thing, but certainly it was not the foremost thought of the dancers at the time.
My teacher, David Moroni, went to Russia. It was the exchange of ideas, thoughts and ways of dancing with the Russians that was really exciting. It also presented what Canada can be, that we have something to offer. We have something we should be extremely proud of. Not just the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, of course, but we were the first ones to go there. We were the first ones to go to Cuba. I remember when the company went to Australia. It created this incredible buzz, and it brought the name of Canada because we are Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet. On that aspect, it was important. It broke some barriers between the countries. I think it still could do it.
Recently, we were with Dracula, which is coming to the NAC in April, I believe. We were just in the United States presenting Dracula. I opened the performance by making some comments about the incredible friendship between Canada and the United States. We have probably been to every single state and most of the cities, and that’s appreciated by the Americans.
I think it has a profound effect on building bridges where the spoken word is not the primary aspect but the movement, which speaks about emotions. So it has done extremely well for us.
On your second point about the processes by which we can help, or the foreign affairs department — DFAIT, we used to call it, when I was a younger dancer — there used to be significant funding resources. I asked my people if they had the number. I think it was $350,000 we could count on several years in advance in order to plan a tour. There were several organizations that had an ability to touch on those funds, but we knew it was there. Essentially, we got it every third year, and for many years we were able to do this and really expand the values and society of Canada abroad.
Having that kind of basic fund, which I do not believe exists today — we don’t know the numbers because that was done in the days when an 8-track was the main system for video playing, so it’s all in hard files. We’ll have to find that because we didn’t have time. We will.
Having that significant basis for which to start planning so we know — and, of course, we do fundraising now. When we recently went to China, Israel and all of those places, we essentially had to do the fundraising all by ourselves. The danger is sometimes if the fundraising isn’t quite right, we could collapse. We go there and we lose our shirts. An organization can only sustain this for so many years.
So having something, a basis to start with, I don’t know how that is done. I would have to reflect on that, but I would be happy to continue the conversation.
Senator Bovey: With your collaborations as well, the new works that you’re doing — for instance, the full-length ballet you did of The Handmaid’s Tale, which was a collaboration, of course, built on the work of a Canadian author, you’re doing more of that kind of work to take Canada abroad?
Mr. Lewis: Yes, we are. We’re also doing a creation with the choreographer from Hong Kong Ballet. I staged Romeo and Juliet in Hong Kong. We created a connection. We also created connections with Washington Ballet, Pittsburgh ballet and West Australian Ballet. Strategic alliances is the way we need to go, and we are going in that direction, but that alone is not enough to create a sustainable model. It’s like suggesting that we do not have any grants for anything. Then the industry would collapse, essentially.
But those collaborations beyond and sometimes within our borders are very healthy for building bridges between countries so that we are healthy, essentially.
The Chair: Mr. Lewis, you touched a chord when you said DFAIT and then you talked about the old systems that we used. That’s my era too. So much has changed now in how we cross borders. I was interested to hear you say that you want to reflect and think about what we could and should do. I want to encourage you to reflect and provide us either in written form or advise our clerk on some suggestions. That would be very helpful to us. We’re starting the conversation with you.
Just following up on that, it used to be it was business here and culture there. There is a lot of cultural business now. I was intrigued that you are collaborating more with other ballet companies, going into other countries, doing workshops and all of those things. Are the funding patterns in the countries you’re visiting changing, or are they the traditional supports from governments? Or do you know?
Mr. Lewis: Well, I would say I know some of it. Let’s say I was talking to someone in Holland, which has a lot of support for the Dutch National Ballet to tour. I know it’s similar in France and in many of the European countries where there is the ability to go outside. Certainly with France I remember speaking to the ambassador, so it’s a way of promulgating the French language and French arts outside of France.
I know there is more support, but the specifics, I am happy to study that and find out what they could be.
The Chair: Has it affected the way you collaborate? We know some are direct subsidies in countries and some are business supports. Some are the creative sales of issues. Before you bought a ticket, but now you can buy so much more. You can enter into more understanding. I can see the Royal Winnipeg Ballet coming to Saskatchewan, where I am, but I can also reach out in different ways that I couldn’t before.
Are the collaborations taking into account modern technologies? Are business ventures more involved with that?
Mr. Lewis: Certainly there is a reaching out to the business community as sponsor, supporter, essentially underwriter of a production or a part of the production, things of that nature. This is now done much more. I see it across the Canadian spectrum of dance companies. We are no longer just an island where we create everything within our organization. It’s more work. It’s more challenging. There is more planning that must happen, but it is a way to help.
It’s everything that makes it happen. At the end of the day, it’s the business community being on board. It’s the artistic community being on board. It’s the funding bodies being on board and understanding the regional realities of Canada; we are not a single, pan-Canadian, underlying concept. All of those put together creates the work of art that I think will be lasting testaments of what Canada has to offer.
Senator Oh: Thank you, Mr. Lewis.
Multiculturalism is our strength in Canada. We have hundreds of ethnic communities in Canada. Are some of these communities involved in collaboration with you in your international initiatives?
Mr. Lewis: So your question is about the representation of ethnicities? Is that what you’re asking?
Senator Oh: Yes, the ethnic communities throughout the country, our multiculturalism and the diversity of our country.
Mr. Lewis: I have always felt the world of ballet, certainly the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, is not ethnically based and should not be ethnically based. It should represent everyone who lives in Canada and everyone who lives abroad.
I’ll give you a perfect example. He is a senator now. Justice Murray Sinclair was very instrumental in the creation of our work called Going Home Star: Truth and Reconciliation, which is about the residential school story, which the Truth and Reconciliation Commission had undertaken. It had never been done before, and we felt it was an underrepresented portion of the population.
This is not based on ethnic lines but on the fact there are different people in this country. It has changed enormously, and we want to reflect that diversity. I think the granting agencies or bodies are now asking us or suggesting that we represent the reality of what Canada is today, not the Canada of 30 years ago.
Senator Housakos: I have a supplementary question.
The Chair: Mr. Lewis, did you want to add something?
Mr. Lewis: Yes. I just wanted to say we also have a diversity of dancers within the organization from different countries, such as Asia, Europe, South America or continental America, so it’s not a single entity of dancers.
Senator Housakos: My follow-up question to Senator Oh’s is not so much of the representative diversity within the RWB and cultural communities, but has there been an effort made to communicate with the various cultural communities? Sometimes you need to have that extra effort to reach out to them because they’re not always — especially some of the new arrivals — easily touched upon by the mainstream English and French lines of communication because we are a diverse country.
What efforts are being made to expose them to the beautiful art of what the Royal Winnipeg Ballet has to do and cooperate with them in various Canadian events that large communities host, be it in some of the older communities like the Italian community or some of the newer communities like the South Asian community?
Second, have you tapped into those communities enough to have them participate in opening doors internationally for your organization and other cultural organizations? That’s a question I’ve always had. Obviously cultural communities in Canada serve as a bridge for trade with their home countries. They serve as a bridge to create political connections. However, I don’t think our Canadian artistic community does enough to utilize them in order to build further bridges.
I don’t know if that was part of Senator Oh’s question, but could you elaborate on those points?
Mr. Lewis: On the first point, it’s ultimately about messaging to a certain degree. Obviously ballet does not try to represent just a single ethnicity. It represents a multiplicity of them. Messaging, in order to bring people to the world of ballet, is what we try to do. We’re just making baby steps towards this. There’s so much more we need to do. In order to do this, of course, you need resources and time. To make it happen takes time. To draw people in or use the people within the organization and send this message the RWB believes in is important.
In terms of Going Home Star, there were a large number of people from the indigenous community who came to the performance. We had to reach out to them because it’s not necessarily what they would have thought of doing at first sight. We had a wonderful work in the 1970s called The Ecstasy of Rita Joe, based on a play that at the time the Manitoba Indian brotherhood had commissioned the RWB to do. It’s to reach out to all people who have an interest in seeing the art form and hopefully bring a diversity of messages and works that reflect the Canadian mosaic.
I’m not sure if that answers all of the queries you had, but this is how we look at it.
The Chair: To follow up on the second point of Senator Housakos, as you reach out to other countries and as you’re involved in fundraising, et cetera, part of the question is if you’re going to China, we have a huge business community who have contacts in that country and this country that may be a valuable resource for you. Have you utilized that kind of approach to begin with your constituency in Canada saying how can you help us because we want to go to a particular country and we would like to go beyond the ballet company, with the ballet company there. We’d like to reach a broader community that would be helpful to the ballet company in that country and to yours. It’s somewhat looking at bridging all of the aspects of foreign policy together.
Mr. Lewis: You always want to start with what you have at home to expand on this. We’re talking about Minister Joly going on this trade mission to China. We have some dancers of Chinese origin who have deep connection to the Chinese community here in Manitoba, in Winnipeg, and in Canada. You reach out to the various business people. It’s all about contacts ultimately and making the work happen.
Absolutely, you want to reach out on every level you can. You don’t want to simply rely on the government alone. However, I believe the government has a responsibility to be a partner in this, not just the business community or the funding agencies.
The Chair: Can I go in a little different direction? I’ve been rather enamoured with the fact that various parts of the arts and culture community have had to adapt to modern times to bring in the modern tools. I’m doing virtual tours for museums where I used to have to go to the museum or the art gallery. I see the Metropolitan Opera utilizing our theatres, where I would either have to go to Minneapolis to see the opera or to the Met in New York, and that’s a very limiting factor. I can now book a local theatre and see the productions.
There is the use of support tools, when there’s a new travelling show then there are all of the books and the paraphernalia. That is a way of reaching and sustaining the broader audience.
Is there an experience where you’ve had to adapt, change and be creative to sustain your base of work? It would be interesting to know how you’ve done that. Is it transcending borders or is it more still in Canada?
Mr. Lewis: I will first say ballet is a live art form and a live experience is obviously the best part, it’s the strongest, but there have to be other ways to reach out to people. In your comments you mentioned the opera. We go see the Metropolitan Opera at the theatre here. It’s a wonderful experience but it’s not quite the same.
We have to live in this time and there is live-streaming today. We have started to do this with rehearsals and performances coming online, as well as coaching and staging works that we now do from a digital perspective. That’s a reality. You look at all the other industries such as medicine, which is utilizing digital operations. It’s so much more ingrained in us.
We have to remember also, ballet is an over 200-year-old art form that has been primarily living in the moment and an on-the-spot art form. It is changing, however, and I would say for all of my peers across Canada, in the U.S. and overseas, this is something to which we need to bring more focus. We are doing that, we are understanding and exploring possibilities in teaching through the Internet or some forum of that nature, and all of the connections we make. It’s certainly foremost in our minds.
Senator Saint-Germain: Thank you, Mr. Lewis. I’m pleased to learn that you are Québécois. You were born in Gatineau, so from a Québécoise, congratulations on your wonderful work.
You said a few minutes ago that government has a responsibility to be a partner and not only its funding agencies. I’d like to hear more about your thinking on that. What else can the government or should the government do, especially from an innovation perspective, in the field of promoting arts and culture?
[Translation]
Mr. Lewis: Although I was asked to speak in English because of technical problems, I would like to continue in French if possible since it is my first language.
[English]
The Chair: In this committee you can do either language if the technical capabilities are there. There is no precluding. Please choose the language in which you’re comfortable.
[Translation]
Mr. Lewis: Innovation is very important and it is something we do every day. Could you be more specific in your question?
Senator Saint-Germain: In answering the second question from Senator Housakos, you said earlier that the government should be a partner...
[English]
The government has a responsibility to be a partner and not only its funding agencies.
[Translation]
Those are your words. I would like to know more about the nature of this partnership with the government, and specifically in 2018, as regards innovation, doing things differently, and competition and new technologies, as our chair also pointed out.
Mr. Lewis: In addition to receiving money, we also receive support from embassies when we go to other countries, and that is very important. We also have to reach out to the community in those countries, and we can take steps to get more support from them. Sometimes it is easier to say that a company such as the Royal Winnipeg Ballet is coming here, post it on your website, engage with people and constantly get the message out. Those are things that do not cost very much, but that are important and can help. Things like that are not financially onerous, but once again, I would like the chance to think about it because it takes some time to think it all through.
Senator Saint-Germain: I am sure our chair will invite you to do that because it is very interesting. I also understand that you want the support of Canada’s diplomatic network for promotion, marketing and networking. Thank you for clarifying that.
[English]
Senator Bovey: If I may, I want to follow up on this. Having been in the field myself, we’ve worked with what was; and then there wasn’t, and it was a little bit of quicksand. I don’t know whether you’ve experienced what I experienced over the years. It didn’t matter whether it was a lot of money that came from the then Department of Foreign Affairs, but the fact any money came was the platform to allow the organization to get buy-in from the other supporters. Once going away, the cultural attachés were really important. As the chair has said, we’re now living in a different era. Partnerships are put together differently.
My question is — and if you can’t answer it now, I would really like your thoughts on it, because you are around the world a lot — does one size fit all? Do we recommend that foreign affairs go back to the concept of cultural attachés everywhere? Or given that you’ve been to Cuba, the States, South America and Australia, do you feel that different mechanisms are required in different places to respond to their realities to be able to connect with yours?
We’re trying to figure out how to go forward. You’ve discussed the impacts, the substance, the opening doors and the soft diplomacy. How do we go forward to make sure those impacts are greater, the paybacks are greater and the understanding of Canada is greater? How do we build on going forward?
Mr. Lewis: I’m never comfortable with one-size-fits-all. In the past cultural attachés were pivotal in making this happen. I would love to be part of a longer conversation on how to move forward. I have toured. For the last 40 years, I have been part of this continuum. I know it well, I’m very comfortable in it, and I think I could certainly provide a lot of feedback and framework on it.
Essentially, it depends what the goals or objectives are for the Government of Canada. This is a government ministry that would support, so they would potentially have goals they want to achieve. Exactly how you do that is you relate to some of the strategic initiatives a government would want to do.
Certainly I’m not in a position today to give you a whole lot of feedback, other than I know cultural attachés have been good. However, there may be better ways to do this today — to communicate, connect and put it in a streaming way so people are made aware of our coming there. Then, ultimately, it’s about measurements. You have to measure the impact, but you have to do it in order to know if it’s actually working.
We were recently in the U.S. with Dracula and we sold out the house, and the people left feeling very positive. They were basic measurements we took. We did the same thing, but across Canada, with Going Home Star. We tried to get a sense of this, but the government would have to say, “Okay, does this benefit Canada as a whole?”
I think what we have done in the past and what DFAIT has done in the past has had a very positive influence on Canada, on Canadians, on the arts in Canada, and also in terms of recognizing Canada as a great place to live and do business.
Senator Bovey: Mr. Brault of Conseil des arts du Canada has said that while cultural attachés are great, different places perhaps require different answers. I think it would be very beneficial to our work and to Global Affairs if you can come up with some experiences and specificities in terms of what you need if you go to a place like Cuba versus Paris. Those are obviously quite different. We would appreciate your insight, because you are one arts organization that’s around the world on a continual basis.
Mr. Lewis: I will just say that, yes, we will certainly provide commentary. We are in the trenches. We do those tours a lot. We understand them. The response and the way forward, I think we could certainly provide benefit to foreign affairs.
Senator Cools: I’d like to thank our witness for giving of himself and revealing to us some of the aspects of art, especially the art that covers the human body and the human form, which is really what dance is. Perhaps it’s one of the reasons why so many people like to dance. I want to tell you that, in my retirement, I want to learn to do the tango properly, very properly, just like the Argentinians.
Senator Massicotte: What about ballet?
Senator Cools: I did that when I was younger.
What I’m trying to say to you is of all the arts, I think dance is the one that speaks most to people, and most readily. I had the great privilege when I was a young woman to see performers like Galina Ulanova, Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn. I saw all of them. These were the big giants at the time. But I’m also aware that, for years and years, people like Celia Franca worked hard trying to establish ballet. I raise her name so that we do not forget her. Many have now forgotten her.
I want to put a question to you. Taming the human body and training it to do exactly what you need it to do is no easy venture. I’m wondering if you could share with us a little bit about how you master techniques to teach dancers how to use their bodies. I wonder if you could share that with us a little bit.
The Chair: I don’t know how quickly you could answer, but perhaps you could give us a reflection. Thank you.
Senator Cools: It’s a real skill. It’s a real talent.
Mr. Lewis: I’ll be brief. Obviously, the basic training of ballet has not changed significantly. The turnout, pirouettes, the arabesque, all of those are very important, and that’s done in a studio.
How you deliver the message and training is changing. There are ways to do this today that didn’t exist when Celia Franca or Gweneth Lloyd and Betty Farrally of the RWB were the founders of their companies.
But absolutely, there are ways to do things. At the same time, we have to respect the ballet is an art form that’s about the body.
The Chair: That’s a good note to end on. Thank you, Senator Cools, and thank you, Mr. Lewis. I think you’ve started a conversation with us. We’re inviting you to continue it. Please send any other reflections that you may have to our clerk. We may reach out to you for more advice.
On behalf of the senators on the committee, thank you for sharing your thoughts and bringing this perspective from Winnipeg today.
Honourable senators, for our new witness, my name is Raynell Andreychuk and I am the chair of this committee. I’m going to ask senators to introduce themselves to our witness, starting on my right.
Senator Greene: Stephen Greene, Nova Scotia.
[Translation]
Senator Housakos: Senator Leo Housakos from Quebec.
[English]
Senator Oh: Victor Oh, Ontario.
[Translation]
Senator Saint-Germain: Senator Raymonde Saint-Germain from Quebec.
[English]
Senator Cools: Anne Cools, Toronto.
[Translation]
Senator Massicotte: Paul Massicotte from Quebec.
[English]
Senator Bovey: Patricia Bovey, from Manitoba.
Senator Dawson: Dennis Dawson, Quebec.
The Chair: To our witness, were you able to hear us?
[Translation]
Julie-Anne Richard, Director General, Réseau indépendant des diffuseurs d’événements artistiques unis: Yes, I can hear you, but there is a delay.
[English]
The Chair: We do apologize. We are having some technical difficulties today and we’re going to try to overcome them as best we can.
I am pleased the committee has been authorized to study the impact and utilization of Canadian culture and arts in Canadian foreign policy and diplomacy, and other related matters. Under this mandate, I am now pleased to welcome by video conference, should it work, Julie-Ann Richard, Director General of Réseau indépendant des diffuseurs d’événements artistiques unis.
We have had the policy in this committee not to speak about the biographies of people. We circulate those as best we can in advance so we can maximize the time with our witnesses.
Ms. Richard, the floor is yours. I know you are going to contribute to our study, and then senators will have questions. Welcome.
[Translation]
Ms. Richard: Thank you very much, Madam Chair. In July, I was appointed director of RIDEAU, the Réseau indépendant des diffuseurs d’événements artistiques unis.
Our network has 170 members in Quebec and in francophone communities across Canada. The members we represent are primarily multidisciplinary presenters, performance venues for dance, music, singing and theatre. We have 170 members now, which is quite a lot.
The organization I represent is also made up of various territorial networks involved in the promotion and circulation of shows from Quebec, Canada and around the world, primarily in Quebec. Later on, I will explain how we also present shows internationally through various associations with international networks.
RIDEAU is a member of a number of groups, coalitions and associations that position and structure its international work and its work in promoting the circulation of the arts. We are members of the Coalition La culture, le coeur du Québec (CCCQ), which strives for better funding of the arts and culture in Quebec, and of the Canadian Arts Coalition, which has a similar mandate. We are also members of ARDAS, the Alliance des réseaux de diffusion des arts de la scène, which has 14 members across Canada, and we are founding members of AREA, the Association des réseaux d’événements artistiques.
Since we are discussing foreign policy here, AREA has seven members essentially from the Francophonie in Europe and Canada: a Belgian network, two Swiss networks, a multidisciplinary performance production network in France, as well as three Canadian networks, namely, RADAR in Acadie, Coup de cœur francophone, which includes various performance venues across Canada, and Bourse RIDEAU, an event that we directly promote and that has been held in Quebec for the past 30 years.
It is through the Bourse RIDEAU event that we conduct our international activities. Bourse RIDEAU is the largest performing arts market in Canada and the largest francophone gathering in America. These gatherings bring together all artists, performing arts producers and touring organizations, from Quebec, Canada and other countries. To give you an idea, this year we will be welcoming close to 50 representatives and international delegates from 10 countries, including Japan, Haiti, China, the United Kingdom, francophone Europe, and the United States.
Since we are discussing ties between the industry and international relations, I would mention first the Creative Canada strategic framework, a Canadian Heritage program just announced in the fall, which is providing significant help for us to host international representatives. We went from about thirty representatives to fifty, and it is a direct result of this program that we have been able to increase our hosting capacity, including a dozen or so representatives from China. As to the Bourse RIDEAU event that will take place next week, it will be the largest delegation of representatives of cultural presentation networks in China who have come to Quebec and of course to Canada. So this is clear and tangible evidence of the impact this kind of investment can have.
This is a first attempt, of course, but there is no doubt that it will lead to the development of closer business ties and a better understanding of Chinese presentation networks which, as you surely know, are booming. There will be significant sharing of expertise with our Chinese counterparts, since Quebec and Canada have expertise in structuring presentation networks over a large area. It is important for us to be part of this sharing of expertise in order to consolidate the production and export of Canadian and Quebec works.
I have to ask you how the cultural industry can stimulate economic prosperity and contribute to social values. It is very clear to us that culture generates major economic benefits. Unfortunately, its value is often not fully recognized in terms of economic benefits and importance. For example, culture directly helps create value through an extensive workforce in the information, culture, arts, performing arts and recreation sectors. I would like to mention a study that indicates that the value added ratio of this industry is particularly high as compared to other industries. Also important are the many cultural goods and services that Canada exports and that extend Canada’s influence around the world.
Culture also creates value indirectly. By its very nature, it mobilizes people and therefore has important indirect effects. We are thinking in particular of the recreation and tourism sector, which is largely based on cultural productions. Festivals, for example, which usually have international reach, support a whole economic sector and often represent a first step toward diplomatic and economic ties with the countries represented. They are therefore a key link for retail, restaurants, hotels, and so on. I must admit that I would have liked to talk more about this, but I did not have much time to prepare and explore the topic.
As to the national and international frameworks that can promote or limit the use of cultural diplomacy, tax policy could be improved. I would refer you to the brief that CAPACOA submitted to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance in July 2017. This organization coordinates the performing arts tax group and submitted nine recommendations to improve the tax system in order to support the export, import and circulation of the arts throughout Canada.
The arts and culture sector in Canada must be recognized as a pillar of development, namely, the fourth pillar in the sustainable development of value creators. It is part of our mandate to work with our international counterparts and, through those activities, many people regularly attend festivals, form ties, meet art companies and promote our arts events to those various networks.
I will be pleased to answer your questions now.
[English]
The Chair: We apologize for the short notice, but we are just getting our study started so we’re reaching out to you. You have done a phenomenal job. You have certainly opened my eyes to areas and avenues I had not thought of. If you’re just new in your position, I don’t know how you have accomplished what you have, so thank you very much. There are many senators that would like to ask questions, so I will turn to Senator Dawson first.
[Translation]
Senator Dawson: I know you were invited on short notice. Feel free to provide additional information in writing based on what other witnesses say at our upcoming meetings. You may send your comments to the clerk of the committee.
With regard to the brief you presented last week together with the Quebec government, I would like to know if your current funding — and I am not referring just to your funding for international circulation and cultural diplomacy — comes from Quebec, the federal government or both. Does your funding come from Canadian Heritage or from philanthropy?
Ms. Richard: We have various sources of funding for our operations. A distinction has to be made between operational funding and project funding. For our operations, we receive a grant from the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec and funding through Canadian Heritage’s Arts Presentation Fund Canada.
We also have a number of projects in development that are funded by different sources, such as Quebec’s digital plan. We also hope to get funding through Canada’s digital strategy. That involves the Canada Council for the Arts, but the funding for operations comes from Canadian Heritage.
Senator Dawson: Do you have an international component? Our objective is to use the culture sector to broaden Canada’s international cultural presence. I know your work is primarily in Quebec, but you support the Francophonie in Canada and elsewhere, and you mentioned Belgium earlier. Do you receive support from international associations or does your support come from the federal government, through Global Affairs?
Ms. Richard: As to the grant from Canadian Heritage, there is a record of all of our international travel. RIDEAU and its members travel to visit our international partners from five to seven times per year.
This year though, and I hope this will continue, Canadian Heritage provided funding through the creative export strategy that enabled us to host a delegation to Bourse RIDEAU, and likely to participate in even more missions by other collaborators. A large part of the work is done with the international networks in France, Belgium and Switzerland. We also have partners in the United Kingdom. Further, we hope to develop exchanges and sharing of expertise with China in the coming years. For that reason, the funding from Canadian Heritage was very much appreciated. It was a very good experience.
Senator Dawson: Leaving funding aside, do you have contacts with Canadian embassies and consulates? Whether in Paris or in the Francophonie as a whole, do you have special working relationships with anyone in particular?
Ms. Richard: We contact people at the consulates. Some of them also attend our events, and the Quebec delegate in Paris often attends as well. I think though that these ties with foreign diplomatic missions should be expanded. This is an opportunity for diplomacy that embassy staff and Canadian diplomats should take advantage of.
We hold contact events attended by international guests. Even in the locations to which I have travelled to date, I think Canadian diplomats could have a greater presence so we could meet them and work more closely with them.
Senator Dawson: We might have the opportunity to contact you again for further information. Thank you.
Senator Bovey: Thank you, Ms. Richard. Your work is very important and I congratulate you on your accomplishments.
[English]
You talked about culture being the fourth pillar of sustainability. Others have talked about it as well.
Those pillars, if they are going to be pillars, need to be strong, so I really admire what you’re doing with the francophone associations internationally. I thank you for the exchange of expertise. That’s a service Canada can certainly offer the world in terms of arts leadership, arts practice, innovation and cultural development.
If I may, I’m going to ask you to look forward, and I don’t expect an answer today, but you can think about it and get back to us, because I appreciate time is short. What would you like to see as the best possible partnership with Global Affairs in taking your work abroad and sharing the opportunities with your international colleagues?
You mentioned you go to some consulates. What embassies and consulates? How can they help you, either monetarily or with other kinds of assistance? What would you like those relationships to be, to make our cultural pillar, stronger? You can send it into the clerk if you like. This is a lot on the spur of the moment.
[Translation]
Ms. Richard: I will answer to the best of my ability. I work with consulates and diplomats and it would be helpful for us to be more familiar with each other’s work. At the same time, I would add that, to help us penetrate a market and find contacts in various locations around the world, Canadian diplomats could provide a good entry point for us.
In the case of China, for example, we used the contacts provided by the embassy there in order to consolidate our exchanges. When a foreign language is involved, it would be helpful if they could provide support and identify key officials in government and associations. Guidance and contacts are very important in order for us to be able to ask questions.
I can tell you that money is the key but, beyond funding, we need to quickly find opportunities in order to share knowledge. I think our diplomats abroad hold that key to host countries. That is their role, to provide timely guidance on how things are done, on important traditions and practices. That is very important for the future. That is what I would hope for. So we need help to better understand Canadian diplomacy very broadly speaking as part of our political environment. It is all still vague to me, but perhaps it will happen.
[English]
Senator Bovey: A very good, impressive answer. I thank you very much for the work you’re doing and for the way you’re doing it.
The Chair: I wanted to follow up to get a clarification. In your opening remarks, if I am correct, you referred to a report filed with the Finance Committee recommending some financial issues.
[Translation]
Ms. Richard: Yes. It was our colleagues from CAPACOA who presented a brief...
[English]
The Chair: If you could provide us with a copy or where we could get the report, I think it would be help for us, if you could just provide the clerk the contact for that.
[Translation]
Ms. Richard: Yes, of course.
[English]
The Chair: You touched on a lot of new points that I think we need to follow up. So I think you have given us, on cultural diplomacy, what we needed to hear, that there are new ways. I am intrigued. In the old days, it was a cultural attaché that we had, but, increasingly, we’re hearing all of the cultural groups, art groups, et cetera, have their own contacts in other countries. You’re talking about understanding the environment. So this is very interesting to me, that you are saying you need to know more about the countries you go into, and that would be a way to help you then link, not to a cultural attaché, but to a political and a trade contact. But you’re interested in developing and understanding the countries you’re going into, and the sensitivities of that county. It seems to me that’s where we need to go too.
If you can reflect on: Is it information of who to contact in the foreign country and tell about how they operate on their cultural scene, with these political sensitivities, with the cultural sensitivities, that would be the best help for you? Am I getting the message correctly?
[Translation]
Ms. Richard: Yes, I think diplomats and their colleagues are well placed to provide information. As I said, they hold strategic positions, but in some case, and you will agree with me, there are more implicit and tacit rules that have to be followed. It would be helpful for us to have that knowledge when we are dealing with embassies or diplomats in those locations.
I have travelled to Russia, for example. I know very well that there is an official way of doing things and an informal one. The diplomats were able to provide guidance regarding our plans and the real way of doing things. It is helpful to receive that kind of assistance so we know how to proceed. No doubt there are all kinds of programs that artists should know about but do not. It is that kind of assistance that I am referring to. I am not saying that it does not exist, but I think more can be done to raise awareness of it.
[English]
The Chair: That’s very helpful because I think you are absolutely right: Diplomacy is understanding the rules but also understanding how they’re applied and how people understand them. I think that’s what we have to reflect on. We have come to the end of our session. It’s an opening session. I hope we can keep this dialogue going. I hope you reflect on what we can bring to this study that would be helpful to you and your organization. We apologize for the difficulties with our video conference today. But I can assure you the content of what you said is very valuable to us, and we hope that we can continue this dialogue. Thank you.
(The committee adjourned.)