The 2019-2020 Federal budget contains extremely positive news for Festivals and Major Events Canada (FAME)! It includes measures that aim to ensure security at community gatherings, as well as an important increase in funding for both the Canada Arts Presentation Fund (CAPF) and the Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage Program – the main Federal programs supporting the festivals and events industry as well as various presenters of performing arts. The creation of the Canadian Experiences Fund, as part of the new Federal Strategy on Jobs and Tourism, is also welcome news.

This plan proposes to “keep them safe,” “support their growth,” and “focus on creation.” It presents the challenges they face in each of these areas and proposes actions to be taken.

According to a Léger survey commissioned by FAME and the Regroupement des événements majeurs internationaux (RÉMI), nearly three in four Canadians (72%) are in favour of financial intervention from the federal government to help festivals and events ensure the safety of participants.

FAME, the only pan-Canadian organization exclusively comprised of festivals and events in the country, a brief as part of the pre-budget consultations in Ottawa.

A new economic impact study of 17 major Canadian events shows that FAME's request for the federal government to establish a program dedicated to the growth of the events industry is more relevant and timely than ever.

The KPMG study estimates that a group of 17 events generated a combined $290.8 million in economic benefits (added value at market prices).

Following the presentation of the federal budget for 2018–2019, FAME is disappointed that the federal government did not see fit to support the development and growth of the event industry at this time.

Thriving events and festivals do more than create culture, preserve heritage and foster a sense of community. They are crucial for Canada’s economic health and global competitiveness. In 2009, the Canadian Festivals Coalition commissioned a report that measured the substantial economic impact of 15 Marquee Tourism Event Program (MTEP) stimulus fund recipients.

Festivals and Major Events (FAME) is inviting the Government of Canada to increase Canadian productivity and competitiveness through the festivals and major events industry, by investing a part of the allocations for the 150th anniversary celebrations. This is the crux of the written submission FAME presented to the Standing Committee on Finance, in the context of its prebudget consultation.

It’s happening: a very hopeful tourism season is starting now in Canada with Tourism Week from May 28 to June 3 and the first major events and festivals being rolled out everywhere in this year of Canada’s 150th Confederation and Montreal’s 375th anniversaries.