TheDepartment of Canadian Heritage, or simplyCanadian Heritage (French:Patrimoine canadien), is thedepartment of theGovernment of Canada that has roles and responsibilities related to initiatives that promote and support "Canadian identity and values, cultural development, and heritage."^[2]

Canadian Heritage

Patrimoine canadien
Department overview
Formed	1993
Type	Department responsible for creativity, arts and culture; heritage and celebration; sport; diversity and inclusion; and official languages
Jurisdiction	Canada
Employees	1,843.3FTE (2019‒20)
Annual budget	CA$3.89 billion (2020) CA$3.66 billion CA$3.97 billion (2018)[1]
Minister responsible	Steven Guilbeault,Minister of Canadian Culture and Identity, Parks Canada
Deputy Ministers responsible	Isabelle Mondou, Deputy Minister of Canadian Heritage Andrew Brown, Associate Deputy Minister of Canadian Heritage
Key document	Department of Canadian Heritage Act
Website	www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage.html

The department is administered by theDeputy Minister, currently Isabelle Mondou, who is appointed by theGovernor in Council,^[3] and it reports directly to theMinister of Canadian Heritage, who is currentlySteven Guilbeault.

Under its current mandate, the jurisdiction of Canadian Heritage encompasses, but is not limited to, jurisdiction over: the promotion ofhuman rights,fundamental freedoms and related values;multiculturalism; thearts;cultural heritage andindustries, includingperforming arts,visual andaudio-visual arts, publishing, sound recording,film, video, andliterature;national battlefields; the encouragement, promotion, and development ofsport; the advancement ofofficial bilingualism;state ceremonial andCanadian symbols;broadcasting, except in regards tospectrum management and the technical aspects of broadcasting; the development ofcultural policy, including such policy as it relates to foreign investment andcopyright; theconservation, exportation and importation ofcultural property; the organization, sponsorship, and promotion of public activities and events, in theNational Capital Region, that will "enrich the cultural and social fabric of Canada;" andnational museums,archives and libraries.^[3]

To fulfill these tasks, the department coordinates a portfolio of several agencies and corporations that operate in a similar area of interest. While the roles and responsibilities of Canadian Heritage have remained relatively constant over the years, the department and composition of its portfolio remain in flux due to continuing structural changes.

Founded on 25 June 1993,^[4] the Department of Canadian Heritage was initially created byKim Campbell from parts of several other federal departments, combining responsibility forofficial languages, arts and culture,broadcasting,parks, andhistoric sites, as well as programs in the areas ofmulticulturalism,citizenship,state ceremonial, amateur sport and theNational Capital Commission.^[5] In 1994, the Department of Canadian Heritage inheritedParks Canada fromEnvironment Canada, as well as activities that formerly belonged to the Departments of Communications,of Multiculturalism and Citizenship, and of Fitness and Amateur Sport, and theSecretary of State.^[6] Since then, Canadian Heritage has gone through several structural and portfolio changes.

In 2003, Canadian Heritage added thePublic Service Staff Relations Board (PSRB) to its portfolio, while Parks Canada was returned to the jurisdiction of Environment Canada.^[7] Eleven years later, in 2014, the PSRB was removed from the portfolio upon the enactment of thePublic Service Labour Relations and Employment Board Act, which established the PSRB as aquasi-judicial tribunal that operates at arm's length from the government.^[8]

In late 2008, the multiculturalism section of Canadian Heritage was transferred to theDepartment of Citizenship and Immigration, then transferred back again in November, 2015.^[9]

In 2018, theStatus of Women secretariat moved out from the umbrella of Canadian Heritage to become its own department.^[10]

In 2020, Canadian Heritage introduced established the Federal Anti-Racism Secretariat as part of its national Anti-Racism Strategy.^[11]

The Department of Canadian Heritage is headquartered in the Jules Léger Building (South) (French:Édifice Jules Léger (Sud)) inTerrasses de la Chaudière,Gatineau,Quebec,^[12] across theOttawa River from the Canadian capital ofOttawa.

The department is anumbrella organization that has one of the largest portfolios in the Canadian federal government, and the organizations in the portfolio support the department in the pursuit of its priorities while also striving to achieve their individual mandates.^[13]

The departmental framework (as of 2019–20) is:^[14]

• Creativity, arts and culture
  • Arts
  • Cultural marketplace framework
  • Cultural industries support and development
• Heritage and celebration
  • National celebrations, commemorations and symbols
  • Community engagement and heritage
  • Preservation of and access to heritage
  • Learning about Canadian history
• Sport
  • Sport development and high performance
• Diversity and inclusion
  • Multiculturalism
  • Human rights
  • Indigenous languages and cultures
  • Youth engagement
• Official languages

In addition to coordinating with the organizations in its portfolio, the department also partners with provincial and territorial governments to organize and oversee visits from theKing of Canada and other members of the royal family.^[15]

Canadian Heritage is administered by theDeputy Minister, currently Hélène Laurendeau,^[16] who is appointed by theGovernor in Council.^[3] The Deputy Minister is accompanied by an Associate Deputy Minister (currently Isabelle Mondou) and a Deputy Minister ofDiversity and Inclusion and Youth and Senior Associate Deputy Minister (currently Gina Wilson).^[17][18]

Activities at the department are overseen by several senior officials,^[18] and reports directly to theMinister of Canadian Heritage, who is currentlySteven Guilbeault. Activities related toofficial languages report to theMinister of Economic Development and Official Languages, currently held byMélanie Joly;^[19] and diversity, inclusion and youth activities report to theMinister of Diversity, Inclusion and Youth, who is currentlyBardish Chagger.^[18]

The department is divided into five different areas that each have their own Assistant Deputy Minister:^[20]

• Sport, Major Events, Commemorations and Portfolio Affairs — administered by the Assistant Deputy Minister, Joëlle Montminy
• Community and Identity — administered by Assistant Deputy Minister, Charles Slowey
• Cultural Affairs — led by Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Jean-Stéphane Piché
• Strategic policy, Planning and Corporate Affairs — administered by Assistant Deputy Minister, David Dendooven
• Official Languages, Heritage and Regions — administered by Assistant Deputy Minister, Julie Boyer

All organizations of the Canadian Heritage portfolio report to Parliament through the same Minister. As of January 2021^[update], the portfolio consists of:^[21]

• 2special operating agencies:
  • theCanadian Conservation Institute
  • theCanadian Heritage Information Network
• 2 administrative tribunals:
  • Canadian Cultural Property Export Review Board
  • Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)
• 3 departmental agencies:
  • Library and Archives Canada (LAC)
  • National Battlefields Commission
  • National Film Board of Canada. (NFBC)
• 12Crown corporations:
  • Canada Council for the Arts
  • Canada Science and Technology Museum
  • Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
  • Canadian Museum for Human Rights
  • Canadian Museum of History
  • Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21
  • Canadian Museum of Nature
  • Canadian Race Relations Foundation
  • National Arts Centre
  • National Gallery of Canada
  • Telefilm Canada

The following statutes are administered, in whole or in part, by the portfolio of Canadian Heritage:^[22]

• Department of Canadian Heritage Act^[3]
• An Act to Incorporate the Jules et Paul-Emile Léger Foundation
• Broadcasting Act
• Canada Council for the Arts Act
• Canada Travelling Exhibitions Indemnification Act
• Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
• Canadian Multiculturalism Act
• Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission Act
• Copyright Act (cultural policy)
• Cultural Property Export and Import Act
• Fitness and Amateur Sport Act
• Foreign Publishers Advertising Services Act
• Holidays Act
• Income Tax Act (tax credits, national arts,service organizations, andcultural property)
• Indigenous Languages Act (royal assent: 21 June 2019)^[23]
• Investment Canada Act (cultural foreign investment)
• Laurier House Act (for certain powers)
• Lieutenant-Governors Superannuation Act (in part)
• Library and Archives of Canada Act
• Museums Act
• National Anthem Act
• National Arts Centre Act
• National Battlefields at Quebec Act
• National Film Act
• National Horse of Canada Act
• National Sports of Canada Act
• National Symbol of Canada Act
• Official Languages Act (Part VII)
• Parliamentary Employment and Staff Relations Act
• Physical Activity and Sport Act (in respect of sport)
• Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act
• Public Service Employment Act (report to Parliament)
• Public Service Labour Relations Act
• Salaries Act (Lieutenant-Governors)
• Sir John A. Macdonald Day and the Sir Wilfrid Laurier Day Act
• Status of the Artist Act (Part I)
• Telefilm Canada Act
• Trade-marks Act (use of national symbols)

In 2020, the department had a budget ofCA$3.89 billion^[24]—this is an increase from the $3.66 billion of the previous year,^[25] but a minimal decrease from the $3.9 billion budget of 2018.^[26]

In the 2019‒20fiscal year, the total actual spending of Canadian Heritage amounted to $1.55 billion and its total actualfull-time equivalents were 1,843.3.^[11]

Through its Multiculturalism Programs, in 2019‒20, Canadian Heritage allocated more than $30 million of funding for 116 projects, 372 events, 56 "Community Support for Black Canadian Youth" initiatives, a "National Anti-Black Racism Education and Awareness" campaign, and 77 "Community Capacity Building" initiatives.

In 2019‒20, through its Creative Export Strategy (which is in its 2nd year), Canadian Heritage invested almost $7.2 million in 23 "export-ready projects" to supportcreative entrepreneurs in maximizing their export in theglobal marketplace. Launched in 2019–20 was the "Local Journalism Initiative" with an investment of $50 million over five years, supporting the creation of originalcivic journalism that covers the multidimensional needs ofunderserved communities across the country.^[11] Partnering withTV5Monde public broadcasters, the Canadian government supported the creation of a French-language digital platform with an investment of $14.6 million over five years, beginning in 2019–20.

In 2019–20, the Celebration and Commemoration Program funded 207National Indigenous Peoples Day events across Canada, and provided $1.3 million in funding to theAboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) to organize and host the 2019 APTN Indigenous Day Live inCalgary, AB,Whitehorse, YT, andWinnipeg, MB. (APTN is headquartered in Winnipeg.)

In June 2019, the Department's Legacy Fund supported the centennial anniversary of theWinnipeg general strike, funding a major monument across fromWinnipeg's City Hall in the shape of a tipped streetcar, a reference to 21 June 1919, or 'Bloody Saturday'.

Canadian Heritage gives out roughly $1.2 billion in grants annually,^[27] available for programs that contribute to the objectives of the department. These departmental objectives include those that relate to supporting culture, history, heritage, sport and Canada's official languages.^[28]

In 2019, it was reported that Canadian Heritage provided over $130,000 in public grant money to organizations with ties to theChinese Communist Party'sUnited Front Work Department, which published ads critical of the2019–20 Hong Kong protests.^[29]

The department requires that application forms be submitted by the deadlines that are specified under the application guidelines of the particular funding program in order to be considered for financial support.^[30] A confirmation notice is sent by the department within two weeks of getting an application, and a decision on whether funding will be granted or not is made within thirteen to thirty weeks, depending on the funding program.^[31] The first payment is made on or before the fourth week after the Department of Canadian Heritage has sent out a written notice that an application has been approved.^[30]

In February 2020, the jointHuman Rights Program submitted a report to theUnited Nations, Canada's Interim Report under theConvention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, coordinating input between the federal government and provincial and territorial governments.^[11]

Also in 2020, Canadian Heritage introduced the nationalAnti-Racism Strategy, which includes theAnti-Racism Action Program, several new measures, and funding for hundreds of projects to "foster diversity and inclusion across the country." The department established the Federal Anti-Racism Secretariat as part of this strategy. Canadian Heritage was additionally given a new mandate to host and support the activities of two secretariats: the LGBTQ2 Secretariat, which promotes the societal contributions of LGBTQ2 communities and "ensures that [their] rights are protected;" and the Youth Secretariat, whose activities include "coordinating meetings of thePrime Minister's Youth Council and recruiting the next cohort of young people for the Council."^[11]

In 2019, among the various celebrations supported by Canadian Heritage was the 50th anniversary of thedecriminalization of homosexuality in Canada. Also that year,Sport Canada supported the development of the "Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport." While the 2020Olympic andParalympic Games in Tokyo were postponed (due to theCOVID-19 pandemic), Canadian Heritage remained committed to Canadian athletes, high-performance athletes in particular.^[11]

• Official website