Funding Announcement at the Opening Gala for the Port Moody Festival of the Arts

Port Moody, BC
September 24, 2010

Good evening ladies and gentlemen

I am very pleased to be in Port Moody to celebrate the work of the Port Moody Arts Centre Society.

Every year, in the City of the Arts, festivals feature local and national artists who define this city as a creative community. Facilities like the Port Moody Arts Centre stimulate, educate, and motivate engagement with the arts.

Our Government recognizes that arts organizations provide artists with an opportunity to express their creativity, strengthen communities, and contribute to the quality of life of Canadians.

By supporting organizations like this one, we are ensuring that the youth and families of Port Moody enjoy high-quality performances, and have many opportunities to see and hear artists from across the globe.

On behalf of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, I am pleased to announce that our Government, through the Canada Arts Presentation Fund, has provided $10,000 to help support the Port Moody Festival of the Arts.

This festival succeeds in many different areas, providing a balanced and diverse range of professional arts performances in this community as well as delivering workshops where young people of the community can learn from professional artists.

The Government of Canada is proud to invest in organizations like the Port Moody Arts Centre Society because of their ongoing efforts to provide high-quality artistic performances and community engagement activities. Through this dynamic festival, residents of Port Moody and throughout the Lower Mainland are able to experience and enjoy a multitude of local and national professional artists and their works.

In closing, congratulations to the Port Moody Arts Centre Society on providing arts and culture programming for this region that is second to none.

I also want to take this opportunity to thank the employees, committee members, and countless volunteers for your tremendous contribution to arts and culture in Canada. I wish you all a very successful festival once again this year.

Thank you.