Speaking Notes For the Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages on the occasion of Funding Announcements for Simon Fraser University

Vancouver, British Columbia
September 24, 2010

Good afternoon.

I am very pleased to be here at the Simon Fraser University School for the Contemporary Arts, on behalf of Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Government of Canada.

As you may know, our Government is taking action throughout the country to stimulate Canada's economy.

In Canada's Economic Action Plan, we clearly underlined the cultural sector's important contribution to the growth and vitality of the Canadian economy. Our Government remains firm in its commitment to support culture, heritage, and the arts by offering this sector the financial stability it needs.

Last September, I announced the Government of Canada's $1-million contribution to the construction of the Fei and Milton Wong Experimental Theatre and a state of the art cinema.

This investment is yet another example of our commitment to support local arts and culture institutions, which play such an important role in the cultural and economic development of communities.

The Government of Canada is pleased that our support has helped bring together the professional arts community, the academic community, and the community of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

Arts facilities like this one play an important part in sustaining the economic future of Canadian communities, and provide artists with an opportunity to express their creativity, strengthen our communities, and contribute to Canadians' quality of life.

By investing in arts and cultural infrastructure today, we can ensure the sustainability of local arts and cultural institutions for many years to come.

Last October, Andrew Saxton, the Parliamentary Secretary to the President of Treasury Board and Member of Parliament for North Vancouver, announced another contribution of $1-million to Simon Fraser University. Through Western Economic Diversification Canada, our Government provided this funding to purchase digital equipment for the new Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology building in the Downtown Eastside.

Businesses, not-for-profit organizations, and students will all have access to the equipment, which will include: multi-use high-definition video and sound kits, sound stage equipment for television production, LED lighting, theatrical sound packages, digital photography packages, fibre optic switches and back-end X servers for podcasting, as well as laptop packages and studio packages for video, audio and interactive design.
This project will foster the development and commercialization of new products, services, and technologies, and encourage the formation of start-up businesses.

Our Government understands that investing in new technology is essential to strengthening the competitiveness of Canada's economy. This funding is just one example of how we are working with industry, educational institutions, and other organizations to undertake initiatives designed to improve the productivity and competitiveness of our region.
In closing, let me take this opportunity to congratulate the Simon Fraser University staff and volunteers, who are obviously doing a great job. Thank you for all of your hard work on this project!

Thank you.