The primary purpose of culture is to supercharge Canada.
Supercharging means spotlighting the unexpected and untried—unleashing the full innovative capacity of our people.
Supercharging means we don’t apologize for what makes us unique. Sorry, not sorry.
Supercharging means building a future where everyone thrives.
Supercharging means we aggressively get out of our own way.
Supercharging is not about making us the greatest nation on earth.
In A Fair Country, John Raulston Saul argues that we are a Métis nation. Canada is shaped by Indigenous values and enriched by a plurality of traditions: egalitarianism, negotiation, and inclusivity. To not be the USA is to espouse caring, as seen in our attempts at reconciliation, universal healthcare, multicultural policies, official bilingualism, a different relationship to gun controls and maple syrup.
This country has talent, ideas, and money. We do not need more, we need fearless affirmation of who we are. Anything that gets in the way of our creativity is a threat to sovereignty.
We need to look to communities rather than institutions to define what culture is and what Canada is. We need to create the conditions for authentic connection.
We need to discount the phrases “but it didn’t work there” or “it worked there”. Refuse any attempt at validating or invalidating our imagination through the lens of some other “great” place.
Let's be candid, we are the grand experiment. So, let's be a living experiment for good and try new ways of doing.
The Massey Commission was a cultural plan from 1951. That’s before calculators, colour television, microwaves and - let's face it -before almost anyone reading this was born. The people who wrote it imagined a lot of things but they couldn’t imagine the internet or reconciliation, let alone AI. Let's make something for now, and for our collective tomorrow.
Let's supercharge Canada. Let’s Create Canada.
CONTRIBUTORS
Sarah Garton Stanley (SGS) is a Canadian Thought Leader and Creative Force. She is the VP of Programming at Arts Commons in Calgary, Alberta and previously the Artistic Producer of the National Creation Fund at the National Arts Centre (NAC). SGS has been widely acknowledged for her theatre direction and dramaturgy. Stanley holds a PhD in Cultural Studies from Queen's University where she focussed her work on the 1951 Massey Commision. She co-founded the SpiderWebShow, Canada’s first digital performing arts platform, and FOLDA Canada's first digital theatre festival, and co-authored Manifesto for Now. Stanley also contributes to the arts sector through extensive board and advisory work, shaping policy and supporting emerging artists across Canada. She is a proud co-steward of Birchdale, an off-grid Nova Scotian paradise.
David Maggs carries on an active career as an interdisciplinary artist and academic researcher focused on arts, climate change, and sustainability. He is the founder and co-director of Camber Arts and The Graham Academy. As a fellow at the University of Toronto’s Munk School for Global Affairs, he co-authored Sustainability in an Imaginary World with John Robinson, exploring the relationship between art and sustainability. Following the publication of Art and the World After This, David became the inaugural Fellow on Art and Society at the Metcalf Foundation, exploring cultural policy and revitalization. In collaboration with the UK’s Policy and Evidence Centre, he co-authored Impact Investing in the Cultural and Creative Sectors. David has been a featured speaker at the Canadian Arts Summit, The American Association for the Advancement of Science, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, the International Association for Analytical Psychology (Berlin), The Arts of Living with Nature (Kyoto), Impact Investing and the Arts (Sydney), the International Society of Music Educators (Helsinki), the 7th UNESCO Winter School (Hungary), and elsewhere.
Owais Lightwala is a professor, entrepreneur and optimist. He is an Assistant Professor in the Creative School at Toronto Metropolitan University, focusing on entrepreneurship, leadership, and innovation in creative industries. Lightwala is also the founding Director of the Creative School Chrysalis, a new multidisciplinary performance hub at TMU shaping the future of creative experiences. He is working on several experimental projects on deploying AI to make things better in the culture sector. He was the first Managing Director for Why Not Theatre, where he co-led the meteoric growth of the company and transformative projects like RISER and The Mahabharata. He co-authored the influential “Manifesto for Now” and frequently speaks on the future of the arts, strategy, and innovation.