Measuring cultural value in Canada: From national commissions to a culture satellite account

Abstract

In Canada, government initiatives for the measurement of cultural value can be traced to the 1949 Royal Commission on National Development in Arts, Letters and Sciences, and later evolved to include more empirical measurement with the Culture Statistics Program (1972) as well as research into the social dimensions of cultural investment. In 2009, Statistics Canada launched a four-year Feasibility Study to culminate in the creation of a Canadian Culture Satellite Account (CSA), an accounting framework to measure the impact of culture, the arts, heritage and sport on the Canadian economy. Taking account of both the recent and broader historical context out of which the CSA emerged, this paper examines its intended use and future plans. The CSA is a useful tool to the Government of Canada in supporting its activities related to the funding of culture, but this paper takes the position that it is not in and of itself a sufficient means for measuring the value of culture in Canada, and so it is best understood as part of a constellation of tools with differing but complementary approaches.

Keywords:

• cultural statistics
• Cultural Satellite Account
• Canada
• Statistics Canada

Notes

1. The event involved researchers from the Canadian Cultural Research Network (CCRN) and the Cultural Information and Research Centres Liaison in Europe (CIRCLE).

2. The Centre of Expertise on Culture and Communities was launched as a partnership between the Creative City Network of Canada and Simon Fraser University. The workshop was organized by the Centre with support from Infrastructure Canada, Canadian Heritage, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, the City of Ottawa and the “Mapping Quality of Life and the Culture of Small Cities” Community-University Research Alliance at Thompson Rivers University.

3. The study focused on Canada's 27 Census Metropolitan Areas.

4. Several areas within the Department of Canadian Heritage were responsible for driving the CSA project: Strategic Policy, Planning and Corporate Affairs; Cultural Affairs; Citizenship and Heritage and Sport Canada.

5. CFCS (2011) also specifies that “to be within the scope of culture, a good or service must comply with the CFCS definition of culture and satisfy at least one of six criteria (Statistics Canada, 2011, p. 23). These criteria align with the areas of jurisdiction for Canadian Heritage as set forth by the Department of Canadian Heritage Act, including the arts, multiculturalism, sport and national museums (see Justice, 1995).