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‘in spirit and in law’ Report and Letter to Minister Bill Barlee
Cover Image of ‘in spirit and law’ report 1994
In February 1993, Rungh Editor, Zool Suleman was appointed as the Co-chair of the “British Columbia Advisory Committee on the Status of the Artist” by then Minister of Culture and Tourism, Darlene Marzari. The report entitled, “in spirit and law: Report of the B.C. Advisory Committee on the Status of the Artist” was presented to the newly appointed Minister of Small Business, Tourism and Culture, Bill Barlee in February 1994. On April 3, 1995, the BC Advisory Committee on the Status of the Artist issued a report card (“Government Gets Poor Grades”) noting the limited progress made by the government of British Columbia. One of the key recommendations of the report was to create “an independent, arm’s length arts council to administer arts funding”. While the BC Arts Council was created in 1995, it was not created as an independent body at arm’s length from the government.
In August 2018, then Chair of the BC Arts Council (BCAC), Jane Danzo, resigned from her position noting that the BC government had made funding decisions which has ‘blindsided’ the arts council (as reported by Marsha Lederman, in the Globe and Mail August 18, 2010). Lederman writes in her article: ‘Danzo also expresses concern about the lack of arms-length relationship between the provincial government and the BCAC. Whereas arts councils elsewhere in the country enjoy some administrative independence, the BCAC does not have its own staff or funding, making it difficult, Danzo says, for the BC to perform its advocacy role properly’.
An archival scanned copy of the 1994 report is attached
In Spirit and Law Introduction 1993 text
February 1994
The Honourable Bill Barlee, Minister
Ministry of Small Business, Tourism and Culture
Victoria, British Columbia
Dear Sir:
On behalf of the British Columbia Advisory Committee on the Status of the Artist, we are pleased to submit to you our report -- "in spirit and in law". This Report represents the work of the Advisory Committee which was established in February 1993 by the then Minister, The Honourable Darlene Marzari, to examine the status of British Columbia's artists and to make recommendations which would better the daily working conditions of this segment of the population.
As a part of its process in preparing this Report, the Advisory Committee has engaged in numerous consultations and meetings, requested and considered many written submissions, and prepared several working documents. The wide-ranging recommendations, which touch upon issues such as collective bargaining, employment standards, art agency agreements, workers' compensation, occupational health and safety, art education and First Nations artists, represent the first thorough attempt by a committee of cultural workers to respond to the needs of British Columbia's cultural community. We believe that our document further stands as one of the most thorough efforts undertaken to date within Canada to examine the various areas of the law that make up Status of the Artist at the provincial level.
The Report raises many issues which require an immediate and decisive response. The cultural community in British Columbia is unanimous in asking for a coherent cultural policy, an artist sensitive decision-making process, and the increased funding necessary to respond to years of funding neglect. The Advisory Committee is resolute in working with the Ministry in implementing the recommendations of the Report and we have resolved to meet in one year's time in order to issue a report card on the progress made in following up on the recommendations.
We have heard the many voices of B.C.'s artistic community and attempted to reflect those voices within our work. But the Report offers more than simply a description of Status of the Artist as it is understood to exist within the province today. It also provides B.C. artists with a foundation for discussing changes to their status within British Columbia society, both in spirit and in law.
Signed,
Zool Suleman, Co-Chair
Daphne Goldrick, Co-Chair
Susan Crean, Member
David Y.H. Lui, Member
John Wesley Foster, Member
Louise Leclair, Member
Terry Hunter, Member
Jennifer Mascall, Member
Jean L. Kares, Member
Ann Stafford, Member
Ken Kramer, Member
Shari Ulrich, Member
Edward Epp, Member
Scan of Letter
Zool Suleman is an advocate, writer, journalist, and cultural collaborator.
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