Source : Globe & Mail

Newly appointed Heritage Minister Hélène Chalifour Scherrer made her first official appearance in the cultural community Tuesday, sweeping into Toronto on short notice to meet with leaders of major arts organizations.

Her message, according to Canadian Opera Company general director Richard Bradshaw, was that "she understands how critically important it is that the large organizations have stable funding."

However, Bradshaw added, she made it clear that the government is serious about freezing the current budget, and that new money would not be available.

"She did say she will revisit some Heritage programs, which have been around for thirty years, and that money could be redistributed to the large groups.

"This is a different message than we have been receiving until now, let me tell you."

Also present at the meeting were Kevin Garland of the National Ballet, Marty Bragg from the Canadian Stage theatre company, Colleen Blake from the Shaw Festival, and Andrew Shaw of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

"She was bright, articulate, and honest that the arts are not her background," Garland said. "She wanted to let the arts community know what she is thinking before things were announced publicly."

Garland added: "It's wonderful she met with us so early in her portfolio. That hasn't happened before."

Scherrer was appointed a month ago. Her predecessor, Sheila Copps, did not meet with arts representatives directly until many months after her appointment.

Copps also became unpopular in the arts community through her lack of interest in attending the performing arts.

"She never came to the ballet or opera," Garland said, "and I think she went once to Stratford, and left after the first act."

For that reason, Scherrer's decision to reach out to the senior arts leaders has given her instant popularity. "She was engaging, she asked good questions, and she was interested in hearing from us as a community," the Shaw Festival's Blake said.

Blake added that she and her colleagues underlined their belief that only the large arts groups, so badly neglected by the government in the past decade, are able to improve Canada's international profile by touring abroad.

After the meeting, Scherrer said that she agreed that the large organizations should receive stable funding.

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