In Search of the Creative Economy: Analyses of the 2015-2016 Provincial and Territorial Budgets from the Perspective of Arts, Culture and Heritage

Abstract

2015 was a tough year for the Canadian economy. After the collapse of oil prices and the Canadian dollar in 2014, the country slipped into a brief recession in the first half of 2015. Faced with the grim economic scenario outlined above, provincial governments took a variety of measures to trim expenses and increase revenues , and this restraint had an impact on the cultural sector. But, at the same time, many provinces and territories also began to seek ways to diversity their economies to boost tax revenues and create jobs. A growing number turned to the cultural and tourism sectors as possible engines of growth and as drivers of a new type of creative economy.