Craft Sector Impact for the 2023 Federal Budget

The Canadian Crafts Federation (CCF/CFMA) has worked with its colleagues within the Visual Arts Alliance (VAA-AAV) to develop pre-budget recommendations for the Federal Minister of Finance. The VAA-AAV’s objective is to present a united voice on critical issues affecting the visual arts sector. The submission for the finance department pre-budget consultations plays a vital role in advocacy on a national scale.

The 2023 VAA-AAV pre-budget submission prioritizes operational support for arts organizations and cultural tourism investments that recognize escalating operating costs and an ongoing labour shortage which has affected the sector. The recommendations also underscore the demand for a Federal Basic Income Guarantee, a priority which the CCF/CFMA has long championed. Canada’s overall labour force rebounded to pre-pandemic levels in 2021; however visual artists and other freelance workers in the sector did not. On average, visual artists’ earnings are less than half the average Canadian worker, a situation further exacerbated by the pandemic. In addition, arts workers typically have high material costs, further disadvantaging this community. Irrespective of current high inflation, the absence of inflation-indexed funding over the last decade has left arts workers at a significant disadvantage.

The CCF/FCMA has historically worked with its Advocacy Committee to draft craft sector-specific recommendations. This year, the only pre-budget submission will be from VAA-AAV. However, they address the current post-pandemic context in which high inflation, and sub-market wages have significantly impacted the arts sector. You can see the complete list of advice submitted to the Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Minister and Minister of Finance on the VAA-AAV website in English and French.

All CCF/FCMA members and Affiliates are encouraged to send the list of pre-budget recommendations to Provincial and Territorial Ministers of Parlament using the language of the VAA-AAV priorities within your advocacy campaigns. Sharing a united message is critical to impacting the upcoming Federal budget.