Ottawa Tells Cultural Funding Recipients to Cut Ties with Russia, Belarus

Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez is urging funding recipients to suspend all activities involving Russia or Belarus  because of Russia's "unprovoked and unjustifiable invasion" of Ukraine, with the support of Belarus.

In a letter sent to funding recipients this week, Rodriguez said his department is working to identify activities involving Russia and Belarus as part of Ottawa's sweeping sanctions, undertaken with a broad coalition of other countries to support Ukraine.

"We urge you to do the same, and to suspend all activity involving the participation of Russian or Belarusian state organizations or their official representatives," he wrote. "This includes program partnerships, direct and indirect financing of tours, co-productions, participation in festivals or other events involving the Russian or Belarusian governments."

"Canadian organizations that are found to have ties to either the Russian or Belarusian states will not receive funding from the Department."

Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Russian and Belarusian heritage remain eligible for funding.

"This is not about unfairly targeting law-abiding and peace-loving citizens and permanent residents, nor is it about attacking Russian or Belarusian culture," said Rodriguez.

The announcement follows a similar announcement from the Canada Council for the Arts, which said it would cease funding the participation of Russian or Belarusian artists and arts organizations, including partnerships, tours, co-productions and participation in festivals or other events in Russia.

"Any current or anticipated applications that support artistic activities created by or in collaboration with Russian arts organizations will not be accepted by the Canada Council, until Russia withdraws its military forces from Ukraine," CEO Simon Brault said in a post on the council's website.

"We understand these sanctions to have unfortunate consequences for certain Canadian artists and artistic organizations and that the citizens of Russia and Belarus will also be penalized," he said. "This is the burden of the unprecedented sanctions of the international community."

Brault told the CBC the move is largely symbolic as the council is not currently funding any Canadian-Russian or Belarussian co-productions.

Source: Canadian Heritage, Canada Council for the Arts