Library and GLAM Sector Submissions to 2024 Pre-Budget Consultations

November 26, 2023

In June 2023, the the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance invited Canadians to provide a written brief with their priorities and proposals as part of its Pre-Budget Consultations in Advance of the 2024 Federal Budget.

The Standing Committee published the briefs submitted by associations and organizations representing Canada’s GLAM (galleries, libraries, archives, and museums) sector as well as other sectors in September 2023.

British Columbia Museums Association

On behalf of our more than 450 members in 180+ communities large and small across British Columbia, we respectfully request the following considerations:

1. Modernize the Museums Assistance Program and increase its funding to $50,000,000 by 2028.
2. Create a one-time investment of $100,000,000 to fund sustainability upgrades, infrastructure improvements, and climate change mitigation measures for arts, culture, and heritage organizations.
3. Renew funding for the Canada Arts and Culture Recovery Program (CACRP) to support arts, culture, and heritage organizations during the prolonged recovery from the COVID19 pandemic.
4. Fund the implementation of UNDRIP in the cultural heritage sector and Moved to Action report recommendations.

(Full submission from the British Columbia Museums Association)

Canadian Art Museum Directors Organization

1. Ensure CAMDO-ODMAC members can access the expanded $108 M Tourism Growth Program funding to secure investment in their Canadian art museums and galleries.
2. Expand the existing Endowment Incentives component of the Canada Cultural Investment Fund (CCIF) through Canadian Heritage to include visual art museums/galleries as eligible recipients and further support performing art recipients.
3. Increase Operational Funding for Art Museums and Galleries
4. Invest in a National Framework for Repatriation

(Full submission from the Canadian Art Museum Directors Organization)

Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL)

It is recommended that the Government of Canada:

1: Provide funding of $30M over three years, divided into three $10M funding initiatives through targeted federal agencies to foster increased production and use of Open Educational Resources (OER) in post-secondary education.

2: Increase Library and Archives Canada’s base budget by $35M to accelerate transition of documentary heritage and federal government record-keeping to the digital environment.

3: Continue current funding within the Canada Book Fund to assist the Canadian publishing industry to create born-accessible materials for people with print disabilities.

4: Invest significantly to ensure an AI and Data Commissioner is sufficiently resourced to monitor developments, oversee activities, and respond to issues expediently.

5: Increase the Digital Research Alliance of Canada funding allocation for 2025-2030 by 50% (from $572.5M to $858M) to enhance high-performance computing infrastructure, harness research software innovation, implement a national PIDs Strategy, deliver networked pan-Canadian data stewardship services, and expand training capacity in the Canadian DRI ecosystem.

(Full submission from the Canadian Association of Research Libraries)

Canadian Federation of Library Associations

Recommendations

1. Introduce legislation to ensure that Canada’s libraries and users have access on reasonable terms to e-content from multinational publishers.

2. Commit $200 million over the next four years to help implement efficient and cost-effective green infrastructure in vital community hubs from coast to coast to coast. Investment in a targeted library upgrade investment fund supports the circular economy and Canada’s Federal Sustainable Development Strategies.

3. Increase support for Indigenous libraries and Indigenous library workers, including:

• Investments of funding to support scholarships, training and paid internships for Indigenous librarians and library technicians.
• Sustained multi-year funding for the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation and libraries for improved access to records, particularly related to residential schools and other aspects of Indigenous experiences)

(Full submission from the Canadian Federation of Library Associations)

Canadian Museums Association

Recommendation 1: That the government increase Museums Assistance Program (MAP) funding to a total of $47 million over the 5-year period from 2023 to 2028.

Recommendation 2: That the government provide a one-time investment of $100 million to support funding for climate change mitigation strategies for heritage organizations across Canada.

Recommendation 3: That the government provide $2.5 million in dedicated funding over 5 years starting in 2023 to support decolonization efforts within the heritage sector.

Recommendation 4: That the government increase Young Canada Works (YCW) core funding earmarked for museums by $19 million over the 5-year period from 2023 to 2028.

(Full submission from the Canadian Museums Association)

Canadian Urban Libraries Council

List of Recommendations

Recommendation 1: That the Government of Canada ensures libraries have reasonable access on reasonable terms to e-content from multi-national publishers through consideration of amendments to the federal Competition Act and/or legislation like that introduced in the United States ensures libraries have reasonable access to e-content and introduce legislation to ensure that practices that discriminate against libraries and harm library users is prohibited.

Recommendation 2: That the Government of Canada recognize the role public libraries are playing in delivering on federal priorities in communities across Canada and provide funding to further support libraries performing these critical services.

Recommendation 3: That the Government of Canada recognize the significant impact of mental health and addiction in Canadian communities and work with provincial governments to appropriately fund community mental health and addiction services: services which may already exist but are unable to adequately fulfill their role due to inconsistent funding and other stressors.

(Full submission from the Canadian Urban Libraries Council)

Centre for Equitable Library Access (CELA) / National Network for Equitable Library Services (NNELS)

Recommendations

Recommendation 1: That the Government of Canada ensure that funding to NNELS and CELA be maintained at current levels [$1 million annually for NNELS and $3 million annually for CELA] in 2024-2025 and until such time as the Equitable Access to Reading Program is fully operational to ensure that that accessible reading services, and their users, do not suffer during a transition to the new funding program and model.

Recommendation 2: That the Government of Canada ensure the Equitable Access to Reading Program is only made available to Canadian not-for-profit organizations, and at least 75% of these funds should be supplied to those groups that can provide nationally accessible reading services in both official languages to people with print disabilities across Canada and who have proven capacity and expertise to deliver on these services.

Recommendation 3: That the Government of Canada ensure the Equitable to Reading Program is founded upon the following key principles:

1. All content must be made accessible to a diverse community of people with print disabilities.
2. People with print disabilities face economic and social barriers that industry-based production and distribution will not be able to fully address.
3. Support for multiple formats, including braille, is essential for an equitable reading landscape.
4. Access to published works for people with print disabilities internationally through the Marrakesh Treaty should be facilitated by organizations that are independent from industry.
5. Accessibility expertise and equitable reading must be supported and made available independent of market forces.
6. Mainstream reading systems, tools, and devices can be complicated and expensive, and support for the provision of accessible services will continue to be essential.

(Full joint submission from the Centre for Equitable Library Access and the National Network for Equitable Library Services)

In addition to briefs from the GLAM sector, a number of other organizations submitted briefs with recommendations of interest to the library and information community, including on the topics of book selling, broadband, copyright, digital infrastructure, literacy, online learning, and publishing.

Access Copyright

Recommendation 1: That the government amend the Copyright Act so that fair dealing for education only applies to educational institutions where a work is not commercially available under licence by the owner or a collective.

Recommendation 2: That the government amend the Copyright Act to clarify that tariffs approved by the Copyright Board of Canada are enforceable against infringers of copyright-protected works subject to a tariff, recognizing that this recommendation is not a standalone solution and requires the concurrent implementation of Recommendation 1 to ensure a sustainable educational publishing industry, including fair remuneration for creators and copyright holders.

Recommendation 3: That the government amend the Copyright Act so that statutory damages are available to all collectives, recognizing that this recommendation is not a standalone solution and requires the concurrent implementation of Recommendation 1 to ensure a sustainable educational publishing industry, including fair remuneration for creators and copyright holders.

(Full submission from Access Copyright)

Association nationale des éditeurs de livres (ANEL)

Recommendation 1: That the government increase funding for the Canada Book Fund to expand regular programs supporting publishers and organizations.

Recommendation 2: That the government increase funding for the Canada Council for the Arts to better support Canadian literary publishing.

Recommendation 3: That the government amend the Copyright Act to promote market-based solutions to ensure equitable remuneration of rights holders.

(Full submission from l’Association nationale des éditeurs de livres)

Association of Canadian Publishers

1. Implement the previous Minister of Canadian Heritage’s mandate letter commitment to support Canadian authors and book publishers by increasing funding for the Canada Book Fund and the Canada Council for the Arts on a permanent basis.
2. Implement market-based solutions that encourage fair remuneration of rights-holders for use of copyright protected work through reform of the Copyright Act. As committed in Budget 2022, ensure that the Act protects all creators and copyright holders, and that the educational publishing industry is sustainable.
3. Enforce the Revised Foreign Investment Policy in Book Publishing and Distribution, with more meaningful assessment of “net benefit to Canada.” Keep our book industry Canadian and put Canadian-owned publishers first.

(Full submission from the Association of Canadian Publishers)

Canadian Arts Coalition

To ensure a resilient, equitable future for the Canadian arts & culture ecosystem, its workers, buildings, and communities, provide $350 million in permanent investment to Canadian Heritage’s Arts Branch, Heritage programs and the Canada Council for the Arts.

This includes:

Arts Branch, Canadian Heritage

• $5 million to the Canadian Arts Training Fund (CATF) to provide equitable support to professional skills training
• $29 million to the Canadian Arts Presentation Fund (CAPF) to meet the adaptation and growth of the live performance sector
• $16 million to the Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage (BCAH) program to welcome communities to local live events
• $54 million to the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund (CCSF) to reverse the deterioration of Canada’s creation and presentation infrastructure, to make them sustainable, safe, accessible, and modernized for artists, arts workers and audiences.
• $59 million to the Endowment Incentives component of the Canada Cultural Investment Fund (CCIF) to incentivize and match private giving to maximize private donations and financial resilience for performing arts, visual arts and museums.

Heritage Group, Canadian Heritage

• $47 million to the Museums Assistance Program (MAP)

Canada Council for the Arts

• $140 million to permanently increase the Canada Council for the Arts’ granting budget to $500 million annually to increase funding equity, transparency and innovation.

(Full submission from the Canadian Arts Coalition)

Canadian Private Copying Collective

Recommendation: That the government amend the Copyright Act to make the private copying regime technologically neutral, requiring large technology companies to finally pay their fair share to copyright holders. The focus of these amendments would be to allow the regime to apply to both audio recording media and devices.

(Full submission from the Canadian Private Copying Collective)

Canadian Web3 Council

Recommendation 1
That Budget 2024 note that blockchain is an emerging industry in Canada, with significant economic and job creation opportunities; and provide funding for Finance Canada to undertake an econometric analysis of the contribution of web3 to Canada’s GDP, as well as the potential negative impacts to Canada’s GDP through wrongheaded regulation on the web3 sector.

Recommendation 2
That Budget 2024 should launch the process of establishing a national blockchain strategy, including a plan for federal and provincial coordination, that clarifies the government’s policy direction and regulatory approach and demonstrates support for the industry.

Recommendation 3
That Budget 2024 launch pilot projects for public sector services using distributed ledgers to help strengthen the Canadian web3 ecosystem and improve government efficiency.

Recommendation 4
That the government provide clarity via the Retail Payments Activities Act to ensure that fiat-backed stablecoins are regulated as a payment instrument

(Full submission from the Canadian Web3 Council)

Decoda Literacy Solutions

Recommendation 1: That the Government incorporate explicit references to literacy into policies including Poverty Reduction, Health, Connecting Remote Communities, and others, and fund literacy components of these policies accordingly.

Recommendation 2: That the Government support literacy non-profits with core funding.

Recommendation 3: That the Government not require that literacy funding be tied to employment.

Recommendation 4: That the Government recognize and fund digital literacy programs at the introductory level in communities gaining new access to broadband.

(Full submission from Decoda Literacy Solutions)

Federal Nonprofit Data Coalition

Recommendation 1:
We recommend Statistics Canada be funded to create a permanent external advisory committee with a mandate to improve data collection, analysis and release practices related to the nonprofit sector. This committee must include meaningful representation of organizations from equity-seeking, rural, remote, Indigenous and Northern communities. Where appropriate, Statistics Canada should compensate representatives from the nonprofit sector for committee work, particularly organizations from equity-seeking communities that have been historically underrepresented in Statistics Canada consultations. The government should provide $1 million in 2024-25 and $750,000 in ongoing funding to support this work.

Recommendation 2:
We recommend the federal government provide Statistics Canada with a mandate to undertake a follow-up to the 2003 National Survey of Nonprofit and Voluntary Organizations, to be repeated every three years, and provide funding of $5 million for 2024-25 plus $1.5 million ongoing for this purpose. The survey should include grassroots (unincorporated) organizations.

Recommendation 3:
We recommend that the federal government provide Statistics Canada with a clear mandate for data collection on the nonprofit sector. We further ask that Statistics Canada modify ongoing programs to better highlight the role of the nonprofit sector and that Statistics Canada:

A. Conduct a systematic review, in partnership with the external advisory committee for the nonprofit sector, to identify existing data programs and products that could be modified to produce nonprofit-specific information.

B. Work with the provincial and territorial registrars to produce and maintain a comprehensive list of charities and nonprofits that can be incorporated into existing sample frames, where appropriate.

C. Make nonprofits more identifiable in existing programs via measures such as designing sampling strategies to support the production of nonprofit-specific results and adding questions to identify nonprofits and those involved with nonprofits.

D. Expand the application and improve the implementation of nonprofit-specific classifications such as the International Classification of Nonprofit Organizations across the federal government.

E. Ensure that data presentations from above-modified programs include nonprofit-specific tabulations.

F. To the extent possible, publish data at sub-provincial levels.

Recommendation 4: We recommend the federal government provide $2 million in 2024-25 and $1 million ongoing for the creation and maintenance of a Nonprofit Sector Data Lab.

(Full submission from the Federal Nonprofit Data Coalition)

Literary Press Group of Canada

Recommendation 1: Increase the budget of the Canada Book Fund by 50 percent to provide critical support for Canadian-published books and Canadian authors.

Recommendation 2: Urgently implement reforms to repair the Canadian copyright framework and ensure that Canadian creators and publishers are fairly compensated for the use of their copyright-protected work.

Recommendation 3: Ensure that the rules for foreign investment in publishing are effectively enforced and undertake a realistic and transparent assessment of net benefit to Canada and the Canadian-owned publishing sector for all proposed foreign investments.

(Full submission from the Literary Press Group of Canada)

MediaSmarts

Recommendation
That the Government of Canada allot permanent and stable funding to organisations, like MediaSmarts, with a specific purpose and focus on increasing Canadians’ digital media literacy including through a national digital media literacy strategy.

(Full submission from MediaSmarts)

Music Publishers Canada

Recommendation 1:
That the government follow up on its promise to protect creators and copyright holders by overhauling the private copying regime to become technologically neutral.

Recommendation 2:
That the government fulfil its promise to increase the annual funding to the Canada Music Fund (CMF) to $50 million in the Fall Economic Statement as well as a further $10 million per year to support the live music sector, for a total increase of $60 million.

Recommendation 3:
That the government develop incentives targeted at increasing the profile and usage of Canadian songs and composers within audio-visual and interactive productions.

Recommendation 4:
That the government ensure that copyright law mandates compliance by AI developers with core principles of fair market competition and compensation, while also collaborating with the creative industries sector to support international efforts in acknowledging and respecting creators’ and copyright holders’ intellectual property rights used in emerging technologies.

(Full submission from Music Publishers Canada)

News Media Canada

Recommendations

1. To incent more long-term newsroom investment: Increase the Canadian Journalism Labour Tax Credit from 25 per cent to 35 per cent – based on a salary cap of $85,000 per eligible newsroom employee – and do not deduct monies received via the Canadian Periodical Fund.

2. To keep scarce advertising dollars in Canada: Establish tax measures to incent businesses to advertise with private sector Canadian news outlets, and bring fairness to the different tax treatment of advertising purchased from foreign websites.

3. To enhance reporting in underserved communities: Extend the Local Journalism Initiative for another five years at $25 million per annum.

4. To support domestic news media: Earmark 25 per cent of the Government of Canada’s domestic advertising spend toward trusted Canadian news sources and eliminate commercial advertising, including branded content, associated with CBC/Radio-Canada’s news and public affairs properties.

5. To ensure fairness for online publishers and advertisers and Canadian consumers: Provide the Competition Bureau with the tools and resources it needs to address dominance in the online display advertising market.

(Full submission from News Media Canada)

Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN)

Recommendation 1: Ensure the Copyright Act Protects Creators in the Context of Artificial Intelligence
That the Government ensure a) that artificial intelligence systems comply with fair market principles to obtain licences and compensate copyright owners for the use of their works, and b) that no new exemptions from copyright or other intellectual property rights are created.

Recommendation 2: Clarify the exemption at section 32.2(3) in the Copyright Act
That the Government amend the language of the exemption at section 32.2(3) of the Copyright Act to clarify that the exemption only applies where an organization acts “without motive of gain.”

Recommendation 3: Modernize private copying
That the Government amend the Copyright Act to make the private copying regime technologicallyneutral and confirm the ability of the Copyright Board to set levies for unlicensed private copies made on audio recording media and audio recording devices.

Recommendation 4: Clarify enforceability of copyright tariffs
That the Government amend the Copyright Act to clarify that tariffs approved by the Copyright Board of Canada are enforceable against users of copyright-protected works for uses that fall within the ambit of an approved tariff unless the user has already obtained a valid licence for the use.

(Full submission from the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada)

????: “Committee Room, West Block” (CC BY-NC 2.0) by Sean_Marshall