The Canadian Conference of the Arts, which advocates for policies from the federal government that benefit artists across the country, announced Tuesday it would immediately begin the process of closing the doors to its downtown Ottawa office after 67 years in operation.
The federal government’s decision last year to end the CCA’s funding made it impossible to go on, the organization said in a news release. It was hoping to transition away from a need for a taxpayer dollars but was unable to get two years’ worth of money to help with that process.
“Despite our best efforts, transitional support of six months was not enough and we have simply run out of time to develop new revenue streams,” said Kathleen Sharpe, the CCA’s chair, in a statement.
It hopes another group will try to re-launch the organization in the future.
The CCA represented the interests of the country’s more than 400,000 artists, its website said. It lobbied the federal government on issues such as taxation of artists, copyright protection and funding for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
It has operated out of an office on Slater Street, close to Metcalfe Street.
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