Minister Rodriguez Announces Reappointment of Director of Canada Council for the Arts

GATINEAU, March 4, 2019

The Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism, today announced the reappointment of Simon Brault as Director of the Canada Council for the Arts for a four-year term.

Simon Brault’s accomplished career in arts and culture that has spanned more than 30 years. He served as Administrative Director and Chief Executive Officer of the National Theatre School of Canada from 1982 to 2014. He was also a founding member and Chair of Culture Montréal from 2002 to 2014. Mr. Brault served as Vice-Chair of the council’s board of directors from 2004 to 2014 before being appointed as Director of the Canada Council for the Arts in June 2014. For his commitment to arts and culture, Mr. Brault has received numerous accolades. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada, an Officier de l’Ordre national du Québec, a Fellow of the Ordre des CGA du Québec and the Ordre des CPA du Québec. He was also the recipient of the 2009 Keith Kelly Award for Cultural Leadership.

During his first term as Director of the Canada Council for the Arts, Mr. Brault has overseen the first three years of the incremental doubling of the federal government’s reinvestment in the organization. In his second term, he will continue implementing the remaining two years of this budget increase. Since 2016, Mr. Brault has also put in place a strategic plan that is showing results in increasing support for artists and arts organizations in the digital age, advancing reconciliation, and raising the international profile of Canadian artists.

The Canada Council for the Arts is Canada’s national public arts funder. The council promotes and invests in artistic excellence through a broad range of grants and services to professional Canadian artists and arts organizations involved in dance, integrated arts, media arts, music, theatre, visual arts, writing and publishing. It also promotes public awareness of the arts through its communications, research and arts promotion activities.

This reappointment was made under the Government of Canada's new approach to Governor in Council appointments. This approach supports open, transparent and merit-based selection processes that strive for gender parity, reflect Canada's diversity and support ministers in making appointment recommendations for positions within their portfolio by providing them with information and referrals.