Mobility of Cultural Artists and Professionals
The Government of Canada implements several measures that assist Canadian artists in travelling abroad and assist foreign artists in travelling to Canada.
The Canada Council for the Arts offers various awards and grant programs to promote the mobility of artists in Canada and abroad. These grants assist Canadian professional artists in developing their career and reaching out to new audiences and markets, in particular by organizing tours and participating in significant cultural events. Coupled with its grant programs, the Council maintains an online directory of hosts, agents and festivals, as well as other useful documents for travelling artists.
The Council for the Arts also offers grants to Canadian organizations and professionals in order to encourage visits from foreign professional artists recognized for their exceptional accomplishments. Organizations can invite an artist from any foreign country. While they are in Canada, activities of the foreign artist including leading workshops or master classes to professional artists or moderating discussion groups.
The Department of Canadian Heritage is also responsible for certain grant programs which assist Canadian artists in reaching new markets at home and abroad. In particular, the Canada Music Fund and the Canada Feature Film Fund (International Marketing Fund), respectively administered by FACTOR/MUSICACTION and Telefilm Canada, allow Canadian artists and producers to attend or participate in prestigious international showcases such as South by Southwest and the Festival de Cannes.
In addition, the Government of Canada has measures in place to facilitate the mobility of foreign artists. For example, Canada offers a waiver allowing foreign performing artists who come to present a show, together with their essential support staff, to work without a work permit for a limited time period. In addition, judges and jury members during artistic or cultural events such as music or dance festivals are authorized to come to Canada without a work permit to carry out their duties. Canada also regularly implements special measures to promote travel in to important events such as the 2015 Pan-American Games in Toronto. For example, Canada expects to provide a fee waiver for eligible performers who will be coming to Canada to participate in a festival related to the 2015 Pan-American Games. All of the detailed information on these measures can be found at http://www.cic.gc.ca/francais/travailler/demande-qui-permis-non.asp.