The Liberal government says it is providing “unprecedented” support in the new federal budget for culture and recreation through $4 billion in funding over five years.
“Culture is foundational to a strong, proud and sovereign Canada,” says the budget document tabled Thursday.
The measures include a total of $783.1 million on a cash basis over five years for Canadian museums.
The budget says the money will go to support Canada’s national museums, the National Battlefields Commission, the National Arts Centre and Library and Archives Canada. It is to “help repair and renew aging facilities, protect national collections, and sustain the exhibitions, performances, and services that connect Canadians to our history and culture.”
The budget is also making admission to Canada’s national museums free for those under 25. It will provide $46.3 million over five years, and $11.5 million ongoing, to national museums and the National Battlefields Commission.
The National Gallery of Canada will get $60 million over four years on a cash basis for travelling exhibitions and improving digital access to its collections. The budget said this will help “Canadians across the country, including those in rural, northern, and remote communities, engage with Canadian and Indigenous art.”
Get breaking National news
The document also outlines $1.5 billion over nine years to construct and rehabilitate community recreational facilities and ice rinks across the country. The budget says the money “will help extend the life of aging facilities.”
The budget promises $300 million in new funding for CBC/Radio-Canada, which it says will allow the public broadcaster “to strengthen its capacity to meet the evolving needs of Canadians across the country.”
The government is also renewing the Canada Strong Pass, which offers discounts on Via Rail travel and admission to museums and national parks, for another summer.
Other measures include $32.2 million over four years for a free national digital collection of books by Canadian authors.
“Launching with at least 200 titles in 2027-28, the collection will grow to more than 2,000 titles, with capacity for up to 2 million loans annually by 2031-32,” the budget document says.
The government also plans to consult on a new tax credit for artists. It says the tax credit, combined with the basic personal amount, will “provide tax recognition on up to $45,000 of annual qualifying net business income derived from original and creative artistic works.”
But the budget only includes one year of a promised $600 million in annual funding for Canadian content. The money was meant to replace financial contributions from streamers previously mandated by the CRTC.
The budget will also provide $225 million in new funding next year for Canada’s 160 anniversary, with the money going to a variety of uses, including Heritage Minutes.
Free? Nothing’s free, tax payers being held hostage once again.
Welcome to liberal Canada!!!
The CBC getting another $300 million to continue with the propaganda agenda of making this government look good. The programs on the CBC are not worth watching and it would never survive if the government didn’t support them. They have even taken off Hockey Night in Canada now which hurt a lot of Canadians.
MAGA traitors just lost their number tool…making up lies.
Taking your children to museums is a way to open them up to the wonders of the world and taps into their innate curiosity.
Education and exploration, not AI and tablets or phones, are how to grow your childrens minds and make the world a better place.
Our children are our future. I think this is a good idea.
WHAT ABOUT THE COST OF LIVING YOU FASCIST B*STARDS!? This is getting bloody outrageous! These f8cking Liberals are using our most basic needs as political leverage and threats to keep us under! Food. Housing. Fuel. Healthcare. Industry. Businesses. All under attack by these ruthless pigs!
They want to cram more immigrants into Canada. More TFWs instead of getting business and corporate pigs to pay a decent living wage in the face of unbridled inflation and taxation!
They feed a war that is NOT OURS TO FEED in Ukraine!! They don’t sanction Israel. They support the genocide.
Carney is busy making ‘deals’ with other fascist broken countries in the EU and beyond. Countries like Saudi Arabia whos ‘prince’ eliminates people and uses acid to make them disappear. The human rights code does not exist in Saudi.
How about Turkey and that freak Erdogan? What could we possible want from Turkey? Another despot country run by a tin hat, forever leader? Most of these ‘deals’ are just MOUs and ‘strategic agreements’. Political hoo-haa by another name. Posturing by Carney, lies by the rest. Canada is in a bad way with these Liberal swine. Two more years will be devastating.
I already pay for “Canadian content”, it should be free for each and every Canadian!
Free museums for youth?
The youth don’t care about museums. They are glued to their cellphones. Waste of money on the tax payers back. Good job Liberals !
Free is a lie, and with all of our problems a new museum is the solution. Amazing work from this PM…
There is no F R E E from anywhere !
More Liberal TAX & SPEND nonsense!
What would be good is free AI courses taught through public school on weekends and after 6pm .. this way you have attend in person and show Gov ID to attend classes ..