COATICOOK, April 16, 2004 -- David Price, Member of Parliament (Compton-Stanstead), on behalf of the Honourable Hélène Chalifour Scherrer, Minister of Canadian Heritage, today announced funding for the Pavillon des arts et de la culture de Coaticook. This funding for the 2004-2005 season, will enable the organization to extend its programming which will focus on young audiences and emerging artists. "The Government of Canada is proud to be associated with the Pavillon des arts et de la culture de Coaticook, an organization whose first priority is to foster enthusiasm for theatre, music and dance," said Mr. Price. "This arts and cultural centre's varied programming from across the country allows local citizens, and especially young people, to sample the diversity of Canadian culture." "The Government of Canada is committed to offering Canadians increased opportunities to discover and appreciate our arts and culture, " said Minister Chalifour Scherrer. "Thanks to the determination and hard work of organizations like the Pavillon des arts et de la culture de Coaticook, communities in regions across the country can enjoy a variety of high quality arts performances." The arts and cultural centre's regular programming features emerging artists and performances for young audiences, as well as French-language productions from outside Quebec. This year, a series of performances by artists from Ontario, New Brunswick, and British Columbia, as well as from France and Belgium, will be added to the list of productions presented to audiences of all ages. Several awareness-raising and audience development activities have also been scheduled. Funding of $15,000 is provided by the Department of Canadian Heritage through its Arts Presentation Canada program. This program seeks to give Canadians more access to direct experiences of the diversity and richness of Canada's culture through professional arts festivals, presentation of live professional performances, and other artistic experiences provided by arts presenters.Funding for this initiative was provided for in the March 2004 federal Budget.Information:Mélanie St-Pierre Constituency Assistant Office of David Price (819) 573-5200 Mylène DupéréPress SecretaryOffice of the Minister of Canadian Heritage(819) 997-7788
