Advocacy

Alberta dance artists are taking action – learn about the ADA and CDA Advocacy Call to Action!

Dance artists and dance organizations need to spend time with both Members of Parliament and prospective candidates to allow them to get to know us and hear that what we do is vital to the economic, social, and cultural health of our communities.

Dance artists and dance organizations need to spend time with both Members of Parliament and prospective candidates to allow them to get to know us and hear that what we do is vital to the economic, social, and cultural health of our communities. Here is a guide so you can easily welcome your local politicians to get to know you, learn why the arts matter nationally and to understand that culture is an essential part of every constituency. If you find out about political teas or social events in your constituency, please attend, and ensure that you also send board members or other advocates to these kinds of events.

Together, if we each speak with our candidates as neighbours, we can help political hopefuls in every riding from coast to coast to coast understand the role that artists and dance organizations play in every single community of Canada. Let’s make these moments matter.

Step 1

Look up your MPs here and candidates for all parties if you can. Not all parties will have a candidate listed for every riding right now, but this list will continue to grow this fall.

Step 2

Invite your MPs to your dance studio, to your venue as well as your performances and events. If you have a facility, invite artists to come to events where your candidates will be so they can be part of this movement. If you are an independent artist and you feel shy about doing this on your own, you can reach out to a dance venue or dance presenter and ask if you can do something together.

Step 3

Tell them why dance matters to you and how you make it happen. Use the facts points here to give you some national perspective, but also tell your story – for example:

1. How long have you lived in the riding?
2. Do your kids go to school there?
3. How do you make your work as an independent artist?
4. How does your organization operate?
5. How many people are employed doing different important jobs?
6. What economic impact does it have on local businesses and in your neighbourhood, if applicable?
7. Pick one story of your impact – something meaningful to you that you can share that connects dance to community in a local way.
8. Deliver the message. Make it short, clear, and memorable. The candidate will be waiting for you to get to the point of what it is that you would like them to do (support increase for Canada Council for the Arts and Heritage Canada).
9. Explain how the lack of funding is negatively impacting your capacity to create dance work, hire artists and cultural workers, to do Equity, Inclusion, and Access work, and meet your local public and communities, national and abroad public.

Your story is repeated in unique and powerful ways in every constituency across the country – that dance matters and requires meaningful federal investment.

Step 4

If they consent, take a photo and post about their visit on Social Media and tag:

CDA on IG @cdaacd, Facebook https://www.facebook.com/cdaacd, or LinkedIn.

Pascale St-Onge, Minister of Canadian Heritage: IG @pascale.stonge

Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance: IG @chrystiafreeland

Damien Kurek, Conservative Shadow Minister for Canadian Heritage: IG @dckurek

Martin Champoux, Bloc Québécois Critic for Heritage, Arts and Culture: IG @martinchampouxbq

Niki Ashton, New Democratic Party Critic for Canadian Heritage: IG @nikiashtonmp

Step 5

Be grateful. Thank them for coming out and talking with you and ask them to keep coming to dance events.

Thanks to the Canadian Coalition for the Arts for the model.