Any substantive changes in this Library of Parliament Legislative Summary that have been made since the preceding issue are indicated in bold print.
Bill S-202, An Act to amend the Parliament of Canada Act (Parliamentary Visual Artist Laureate),1 was introduced on 24 November 2021 by the Honourable Patricia E. Bovey, a former senator. The Senate gave it third reading on 8 December 2021 and sent it to the House of Commons, where it was read for the first time on 14 December 2021. On 7 June 2023, the bill was referred to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage (CHPC). The bill was considered in committee on 28 September 2023 and 5 October 2023. It was sent back to the House of Commons on 3 November 2023 for report stage.
The bill amends the Parliament of Canada Act 2 to create the position of Parliamentary Visual Artist Laureate and to correct a reference to the Canada Council for the Arts in the English version.
Bills similar to Bill S-202 have been introduced in the Senate on three previous occasions: first during the 42nd Parliament, then during the 1st Session of the 43rd Parliament, and lastly during the 2nd Session of that same parliament.3
According to the bill's sponsor in the House of Commons, Bill S-202 creates “an opportunity to celebrate Canadian visual arts and artists, and project a global image of open-mindedness, creativity and innovation.” 4 The creation of the position of Parliamentary Visual Artist Laureate would recognize “the importance of visual arts to the Canadian creative economy,” support “diverse artistic expression by Canadian artists” and raise “the profile of Canadian visual arts in Canada and abroad.” 5 The arts are also seen as a lever for change and a tool for teaching and inspiration.6 On this topic, former senator the Honourable Patricia E. Bovey told CHPC that
the visual artist laureate will be a bridge to our youth regarding the role of democracy, the workings of Parliament and [parliamentarians'] commitments, and will assist in addressing the gap in knowledge about civics. It would be a connector across this country and across generations, and open doors to bring us together at a time when that has never been needed more.7
Bill S-202 is similar to Bill S-10, which created the position of Parliamentary Poet Laureate in 2001.8 In creating the position of Parliamentary Visual Artist Laureate, Bill S-202 provides for a two-year term and an administrative structure similar to that for the Parliamentary Poet Laureate.9
Under Bill S-202, the Speaker of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Commons would appoint the Parliamentary Visual Artist Laureate following an open call for nominations that would be overseen by the Parliamentary Librarian, the director of the National Gallery of Canada, the Commissioner of Official Languages for Canada, the chairperson of the Canada Council for the Arts and the president of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. The person selected would have a mandate to promote the arts in Canada. The Parliamentary Visual Artist Laureate may develop artistic creations at the request of the Speaker of the Senate or the Speaker of the House of Commons, sponsor artistic events or give advice to the Parliamentary Librarian regarding artistic collections to foster awareness and development of the arts.10
The Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) prepared a cost estimate of Bill S-202 at the request of a parliamentarian. As of 3 March 2022, the PBO estimated that the financial impact of having a Parliamentary Visual Artist Laureate would be $100,000 per year.11 For its estimate, the PBO used historical budget data for the position of Parliamentary Poet Laureate, who currently receives an annual stipend of $20,000,12 and added to the total cost an amount to account for overhead costs, including supplies and equipment.13
Bill S-202 has two clauses.
Clause 1 states that the bill amends the Parliament of Canada Act to add, after section 75, new section 75.01 creating the position of Parliamentary Visual Artist Laureate.
New section 75.01 has subsections describing the selection process for the Parliamentary Visual Artist Laureate and that person's tenure of office and powers and defining the arts, which encompasses “drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, design, crafts, photography, videography and filmmaking.” At committee stage in the House of Commons, an amendment added digital creations to this list and clarified that these arts must reflect “the diversity of Canada, including with respect to the languages in use and its ethnocultural composition.” 14
Another amendment provides, in new section 75.01, that the primary official language spoken by the Parliamentary Visual Artist Laureate shall alternate.
Clause 2 replaces section 75.1(2) of the English version of the Parliament of Canada Act relating to the selection process of the Parliamentary Poet Laureate to make it consistent with the French version. It replaces the term “Chair of the Canada Council” by “Chairperson of the Canada Council for the Arts.” This change reflects the exact name of the Canada Council for the Arts in English as well as the title of its chair.
(82 KB, 2 pages), Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer, 3 March 2022. [ Return to text ]© Library of Parliament