The meeting was co-chaired by the Honourable Jos�e Verner, the recently-appointed Minister of Canadian Heritage, Status of Women and Official Languages, and by the Honourable Sandra Morin, Minister of Culture, Youth and Recreation for Saskatchewan.

The Honourable Tom Hedderson, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation, represented Newfoundland and Labrador at the meetings. Minister Hedderson said he discussed with his colleagues the need for increased support to museums; a plan to study how the intrinsic, or less tangible, benefits of arts and culture to the individual and society can be statistically measured; and the impact of new technologies on cultural policies � especially as it relates to publishing, music, audiovisual and new media sectors.

"The advent of new technologies presents challenges for all jurisdictions when it comes to recognizing new art forms such as web-based music and art programs," Minister Hedderson said. "We must also continue to work together to identify the best methods by which to protect the intellectual property (books, music, artwork, etc.) of individuals within our creative industries."

Ministers also received updates on the Culture/Heritage and Tourism Initiative, a federal-provincial-territorial project designed to more effectively integrate arts, culture and heritage within the Canadian tourism sector; the joint Historic Places Initiative, and the Cultural Olympiad, which is to run concurrent to the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver.

"The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is intimately involved in these issues and is working with our federal, provincial and territorial colleagues, in the spirit of collaboration, to ensure our cultural priorities are clear," Minister Hedderson said.

"We will continue to be a part of the Historic Places Initiative, as we have for the past three years, as it builds on our own efforts to foster a culture of heritage conservation within this province," the minister said. "We also want to play a major role in the Cultural Olympiad in Vancouver, as it will provide an unprecedented opportunity to showcase to the world what Newfoundland and Labrador has to offer. The world will be watching. We must take full advantage of that."

Provincial and territorial ministers reiterated their support for the long-term continuation of the Library Book Rate, which allows eligible libraries to ship books to other libraries and users at reduced rates, and expressed concerns about the plans to discontinue Exhibit Transportation Services (ETS) as of April 1, 2008. ETS is a specialized division of the Canadian Conservation Institute of the Department of Canadian Heritage which provides specialized transport of fine art and museum exhibits.

Meanwhile, the meeting also provided the opportunity for Minister Hedderson to meet separately with Minister Verner and to discuss federal involvement in the 400^th anniversary celebrations of the founding of John Guy�s colony in Cupids in 2010.

"While we have been in close contact with federal ministers and officials regarding this significant milestone, and the importance of Cupids to both our provincial and national identity, this meeting allowed me to present our position, face-to-face, to the new minister of Canadian Heritage," Minister Hedderson said.

"Minister Verner is familiar with the issue, she is interested, and she is very receptive to our desire to see an official commitment of federal support in the near future."

A joint communiqu� issued by the Canadian Intergovernmental Conference Secretariat (CICS) on the federal, provincial and territorial proceedings in Moose Jaw can be viewed at: www.scics.gc.ca/cinfo07/830917004_e.html

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Media contact:
Heather May
Director of Communications
Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation
709-729-0928, 697-5061
heathermay@gov.nl.ca

2007 09 11                                                    1:40 p.m.