In the past week, the federal government has announced that five funding programs associated with the Department of Canadian Heritage will be cut as of March 31, 2009.
Chief among these programs is Trade Routes, which provides assistance for producers of cultural products to travel to foreign markets and showcase their content. Also affected is the National Training Schools Program, which has provided funding for important institutions such as the Canadian Film Centre, Institut National d'Image et du Son (INIS) and the Banff Centre for the Arts.
Visit the Canadian Interactive Alliance (CIAIC) website to read the press release issued in response to the announcement. The CIAIC will also be pursuing additional opportunities to stress to the federal government the importance of arts and culture funding in general, but particularly where Interactive Media is concerned.
