Statement by the Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, on the Occasion of Rendez-Vous 2012 - Montréal, Cultural Metropolis

OTTAWA, Nov. 26, 2012 /CNW/ - Arts and culture play an important part in shaping our society, our communities, and our economy. The Honourable Claude Carignan, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate and Senator (Mille Isles), and I were delighted to represent the Government of Canada at the Rendez-vous 2012 - Montréal, Cultural Metropolis, and it's a pleasure for me to participate actively in a project that holds so much promise for the future of arts and culture in Montréal and across Canada.

Montréal is a centre of cultural excellence, and when it comes to the city's cultural development, our Government is a major player and a key partner. In Montréal alone, we have invested approximately $2 billion in direct funding for arts and culture since 2007.

Over the last five years, we have invested $91 million to support cultural infrastructure projects. That is a significant sum, but our investment in the creative talent of our artists has been even greater.

In those five years, the Canada Council for the Arts has provided more than $194 million in funding to Montréal-based artists, authors, and cultural organizations. As well, through the policies and programs of several federal departments, Telefilm Canada, and the National Film Board of Canada, more than $1 billion has been invested in the Montréal film and television industry since 2007.

We support the major festivals that have made Montréal and Canada famous around the world: the International Jazz Festival, Just for Laughs, the FrancoFolies, the Festival Montréal en lumière, and the World Film Festival. In all, since 2007, our Government has provided more than $57 million in funding to Montréal festivals large and small, and to community celebrations.

I am proud that our Government supports the vitality of the cultural community in Montréal and across Quebec and Canada. Now that the countdown to 2017 has begun, we are more committed than ever to working with our partners over the next few years to ensure that Montréal will be ready, as a major cultural metropolis, to celebrate its 375^th anniversary and Canada's 150^th anniversary.

SOURCE: Canadian Heritage