The Canada Council for the Arts’ Current Priorities
March 6, 2025
Canada needs the arts for the vital contributions they make, perhaps now, more than ever. The arts strengthen the economy, promote social cohesion and improve health and well-being.
At the same time, several significant factors are affecting the arts right now. These factors include challenging economic realities, changes in audience behaviours and a shifting global landscape.
Over the past year, we engaged the arts sector in many ongoing conversations about how to navigate the current moment. These conversations took place online and in person, across the country. We also conducted a survey to understand the state of the sector.
From this, we articulated four priorities, aligned with our 2021-26 strategic plan, to guide the Canada Council for the Arts as we work to support the arts sector.
Our priorities
Strengthen the contribution of the arts to Canada’s economic prosperity and social cohesion
With this priority, we will ensure that the arts sector can fulfil its role as an economic driver. The arts make a strong contribution to Canada’s GDP by creating jobs, enriching local economies and attracting tourists and investment across the country. Our work seeks to strengthen these economic contributions for the benefit of all Canadians.
The arts bring us together, across our vast geography, and foster a sense of belonging. They also help us articulate shared aspirations and overcome the challenges we face together. Our work seeks to strengthen the unifying role of the arts.
Foster the sustainability and resilience of Canada’s arts sector
With this priority, we will empower the arts sector to adapt to current and emerging challenges and seize opportunities.
We will also equip the arts sector so that it can face unforeseen changes as they arise and remain resilient in our evolving world.
This priority is about making sure that the arts sector is sustainable so that it can fully engage Canadians and realize its potential, today and in the coming years.
Make the arts more deeply connected to Canadians
With this priority, we will foster a diverse and vibrant arts sector, in every province and territory, that all Canadians can access and enjoy.
This work will ensure that the arts are connected to and reflective of the communities they serve. It will also help the arts sector build bridges between communities across the country.
We remain committed to equity and inclusion and to upholding Indigenous self-determination.
Improve how we engage and support the arts sector
With this priority, the Council will update and improve its granting systems, services and processes to serve the arts sector as effectively as possible.
In tandem with this, we will ensure the ongoing transparency of the Council’s work.
We will also continue to engage the arts sector and our other stakeholders closely so that we can be responsive to their needs and realities.
Advancing our priorities
These priorities will ensure the Council remains relevant to the arts sector. They will also enhance the impact of the arts sector on Canadian society. And they will position the Council to be able to offer important leadership on behalf of and for the arts.
We have already been advancing these priorities, and we will deepen our work on them in the coming months.
We will provide updates on our work toward these priorities in our newsletter and on our website. We will report on the priorities in our annual report and at our annual public meeting.
We will also continue to work with the arts sector and other stakeholders to discuss and advance these priorities together.
Alongside these priorities, the Canada Council for the Arts will continue to support the work of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO, which operates under the authority of the Council.
Read our 2021-26 strategic plan here.
Ongoing commitments
Equity
The Canada Council for the Arts aspires to support a vital and diverse arts ecology that enriches the lives of all Canadians—and equity is a critical element in achieving this.
Official languages
The Canada Council for the Arts promotes Canada's two official languages, English and French. It also employs positive measures to support the artistic vitality of Official Language Minority Communities (OLMCs): groups of people whose maternal or chosen official language is not the majority language in their province or territory—in other words, Anglophones in Quebec and Francophones outside of Quebec.
Our impact
Spending by arts organizations in their communities
Artistic activities created, produced and presented by arts organizations
Attendees at artistic activities
For every additional dollar the Council invested in organizations receiving core (operating) funding, those organizations spent six dollars in their communities.